Barstool’s David Portnoy Lashes Out at Supreme Court Following Roe Decision

Posted on: June 24, 2022, 02:49h. 

Last updated on: June 24, 2022, 03:13h.

Todd Shriber @etfgodfather Read More
Expertise: Financial, Gaming Business, Mergers and Acquisitions.

Barstool Sports founder David Portnoy laid into the Supreme Court today following the controversial decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, making abortion an issue to be decided at the state level.

Portnoy abortion
Barstool Sports founder David Portnoy He bashed the Supreme Court’s abortion ruling. (Image: Wall Street Journal)

In a video posted to Twitter earlier today in which he states his views do not reflect those of other Barstool staffers, Portnoy touches on myriad topics, including the Constitution, concerns about gay rights, and voting habits.

The left f—–g hates me. The woke left, the liberals, they’re crazy. They’re insane people. Yet, I end up having to vote for a moron like (President Joe) Biden because the right is going to put Supreme Court people in who are just ruining this country, taking basic rights away,” he said.

Barstool Sports is a unit of Penn National Gaming (NASDAQ:PENN). In January 2020, Penn paid $163 million for a 36% stake in Portnoy’s company, with rights to eventually own the sports media property outright for $450 million. Earlier this year, the regional casino operator said it’s aiming to own all of Barstool at some point in 2023. Penn did not issue an official statement on Portnoy’s rant, nor did it publicly comment on the Roe v. Wade decision.

Gaming States’ Abortion Regulations

Nevada, where Penn operates the M Resort in Henderson outside of Las Vegas, and Cactus Pete’s in Jackpot, is one of nine states with abortion rights. Those rights are protected under the state constitution. In the largest gaming state, pregnancies can be terminated up to 24 weeks.

“I’m disappointed to see this decision from the Supreme Court — it will rip away critical health care and the right to choose for millions & undoubtedly cause harm. As long as I’m Governor, Nevada will continue to fight for reproductive rights & expand access to healthcare,” said Gov. Steve Sisolak (D-NV) on Twitter earlier Friday.

Conversely, Missouri, where Penn operates the Argosy in Riverside and the Hollywood and River City casinos in St. Louis, is the first state to ban abortion following the Supreme Court decision. Other commercial casino operators in that state include Caesars Entertainment and Century Casinos. Other states with abortion “trigger” laws with heavy casino footprints are Louisiana and Mississippi — the state that brought the case to the Supreme Court.

For Portnoy’s part, he’s being true to his word. Though he’s heavily critical of President Biden, he said on a May episode of his podcast that he’d vote for Democrats if Roe v. Wade was overturned.

Company Comments

As of this writing, a slew of companies across a variety of industries issued statements on the Supreme Court decision, with many saying they’ll cover employees’ expenses if travel is necessary for an abortion.

Gaming companies aren’t on the list as of yet. But as some of the largest employers in the states in which they operate, it’s likely the issue is on their radars.

ESPN parent Walt Disney, which also owns a passive stake in DraftKings, will reportedly reimburse staffers for abortion-related travel.