FanDuel, Boyd Gaming to Offer Stardust Online Casino in PA, NJ

You have to wonder what the late Lefty Rosenthal and the long-gone cast of colorful, and often notorious, characters would think about the latest incarnation of the famous Stardust, itself history since 2007.

Nearly 14 years to the day removed from its final bow on the Las Vegas Strip when it was imploded on March 13, 2007, the Stardust is being revived in cyberspace as a real-money gambling destination.

FanDuel Sportsbook, an Internet gaming company entirely of the 21st century, has partnered with Boyd Gaming, the last owner-operator of the actual Stardust, to rebrand FanDuel’s online casino platforms with the iconic name, according to a news release.

No Vegas casino has a more colorful legacy. That included legendary bookmaker Rosenthal, who was eventually banned from Nevada casinos, launching the first in-casino sports books, including at the Stardust. For a time, the Stardust — distinctive for its dazzling huge neon sign on the north end of The Strip that reputedly could be seen from three miles away — was the mecca of American sports betting.

Now, the Stardust name is being attached to FanDuel’s reborn online casino games, such as slots, blackjack, baccarat, roulette and video poker.

FanDuel and Boyd Gaming anticipate launching the Stardust casinos in April that would join Pennsylvania online casinos and New Jersey online casinos, pending final regulatory approval from each state. FanDuel plans to rebrand its existing Betfair Casino in New Jersey as a Stardust casino.

“For nearly 50 years, the Stardust was one of the most famous casinos on the Las Vegas Strip. And while the resort has been gone for more than a decade, the Stardust brand is still as well-known and popular as ever,” Keith Smith, president and CEO of Boyd Gaming, said in the release. “We are excited to work with our partners at FanDuel to launch our first real-money online casinos and are confident this legendary brand will give us a significant advantage in connecting with players looking for a distinctive online gaming experience.”

Benefits for PA, NJ Players

Among the benefits for customers is that the online casinos in Pennsylvania and New Jersey will be integrated with Boyd Gaming’s B Connected player loyalty program. Like many casino loyalty programs, B Connected offers dining and room discounts and other perks. In Pennsylvania, where the Stardust online casino will be available, the Valley Forge Casino Resort is in the B Connected network.

The actual Stardust is broadly believed to be the model for the fictionalized Tangiers Casino in the Robert De Niro-Sharon Stone-Joe Pesci 1995 movie "Casino." The letters from the Stardust sign were refurbished and are now at the Neon Museum in Vegas.

Prior to the real-money FanDuel-Boyd Stardust real-money casino platform, there has been a social gaming platform with the Stardust brand. Boyd’s Stardust Social Casino is available for download across the country on the Apple app store or the Google Play store.

Boyd Gaming and FanDuel partnered in August 2018 to bring FanDuel’s mobile sports betting to Boyd’s casinos. The agreement gave Boyd access to FanDuel’s technology and platform to create a mobile and online sports betting platform.

In return, FanDuel was allowed to run its own branded mobile and online sports betting services in Boyd jurisdictions. The deal gave FanDuel access to 15 states and an estimated 36% of the U.S. population.