FOXBet, Poker Stars Real-Money Apps Down Due to ‘Unscheduled Maintenance Issue’

Posted on: February 6, 2022, 02:48h. 

Last updated on: February 6, 2022, 03:15h.

Steve Bittenbender Read More
Expertise: Legislation, Sports Betting, Horse Racing.

Online gaming sites run by the Stars Group have been down the entire weekend. That’s according to users’ posts on Twitter, leading the company to issue an apology citing an “unscheduled maintenance issue” as the cause.

FOXBet Lineup
Real-money apps for FOXBet, Poker Stars, and Stars Casino were down all weekend due to an unanticipated maintenance issue, a Stars Group spokesman told Casino.org Sunday. There is no exact timetable for resuming operations, as tech workers are trying to make updates. (Image: FOXBet)

It remains uncertain when the real-money apps will be back online. A statement from a Stars Group spokesperson to Casino.org said the issue was not related to any security or data breach, and that the company’s tech staff was working to get those sites operational as quickly as possible.

Customers across all verticals (FOXBet Sportsbook, PokerStars, and Stars Casino) can still manage their accounts,” the statement read. “We do not anticipate any impacts to customer account balances. We thank customers for their patience and apologize for this inconvenience.”

Users began to post messages on social media Friday morning (ET) that they weren’t able to get into the sites. PokerStars responded on Twitter that tournaments in Michigan, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania were canceled through 10 am ET Monday.

FOXBet is available in those states as well as Colorado.

The Stars Group is part of Flutter Entertainment. Other Flutter brands, which include FanDuel and TVG, are not affected by the issue. FOXBet’s free-to-play app was also operational on Sunday afternoon.

Stars Group Apps in Michigan’s Mid-Tier

Not every state breaks down revenue and handle figures by operator. But based on totals from Michigan and Pennsylvania, the Stars Group brand ranks in the middle of the pack in both states.

In Michigan, the Stars Group is the online gaming partner to the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians.

In 2021, FOXBet reported a handle of $56.3 million, according to data from the Michigan Gaming Control Board. That was seventh-best out of the 14 licensed operators. In all, the operators reported a combined handle of $3.66 billion for the year.

While FOXBet’s handle was more than $100 million less than the sixth-highest sports betting app in the state, it fared better in adjusted gaming revenue (AGR) totals. Its $1.7 million AGR was the fifth-highest statewide.

Statewide, the sportsbooks reported a combined AGR of $110.6 million. Only eight of the 14 licensed sports betting apps in Michigan produced positive AGR last year.

In iGaming, the Stars Casino and PokerStars combined to generate an AGR of $36.8 million. That ranked eighth out of the 14 operators, which combined to report $1 billion in AGR.

Leading Poker Site in Pennsylvania

In Pennsylvania, the Stars Group brands are partners with the Mount Airy Casino Resort. Through the first six months of the 2021-22 fiscal year, FOXBet’s $85.8 million handle ranks sixth among the state’s 13 mobile sports betting operators. Its $4 million in taxable revenue was seventh-best among operators.

The state’s mobile apps reported a handle of $3.23 billion and revenues of $142.5 million for the first half of the fiscal year.

PokerStars stands as the largest online poker operator in Pennsylvania. It reported $11.5 million of the $17.4 million in revenue the state’s online apps reported from rakes and tournament fees for the first half of the year.

The Stars Casino reported gross revenues of $12.8 million for online slots and $7.6 million for banked table games for the first half of the 21-22 fiscal year. The gross revenue figures ranked fifth and fourth, respectively, out of the nine iGaming operators.