Barstool Sportsbook Inks Deals With Nickmercs, Logan Paul Ahead Of Michigan Launch

Set to launch in Michigan on Friday, Jan. 22, the Barstool Sportsbook could be getting a big boost with two new faces joining the promotional team.

What Happened: Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy announced two new partners for the Barstool Sportsbook during an episode of the Dave Portnoy Show with Eddie & Co: "Nickmercs and Logan Paul are now both Barstool guys for the Barstool Sportsbook."

Portnoy discussed how signing influencers could be beneficial for Penn National Gaming PENN to boost brand awareness for the Barstool Sportsbook.

Portnoy notes other companies can spend money on advertising and he will go after influencers with millions of followers. He said some rival companies like DraftKings Inc DKNG and FanDuel don’t know how to talk to influencers like Nickmercs and Paul.

"I'm looking to create an army of the best influencers this country has to offer," Portnoy said.

Related Link: Bad Timing? Jim Cramer, Dave Portnoy React To Negative Calls On Penn National

Why It’s Important: Nickmercs is one of the best-known streamers on Amazon.com's AMZN Twitch. He streams “Fortnite” and “Call of Duty: Warzone” games to a following of over 5 million people. A promotional video of Nickmercs announcing the Barstool partnership during a live stream has over 500,000 views and was announced live to more than 61,000 people watching.

Logan Paul is a social media influencer across several platforms. He also has a boxing match set in February against Floyd Mayweather that could play into great content for Barstool Sports and the Sportsbook.

On Twitter, Paul has more than 5.9 million followers and Nickmercs has 1.7 million followers.

Michigan becomes the second state after Pennsylvania to allow online sports betting on the Barstool Sportsbook app.

People can sign up now and deposit money and then place their legal bets in Michigan starting Friday. Every new deposit Wednesday through Sunday is getting matched with a donation from Penn National to The Barstool Fund if the deposits are placed on bets.

Portnoy and several Barstool team members are coming to the Greektown Casino in Detroit to promote the launch.

PENN Price Action: Shares of Penn National Gaming are up 5% to $105.18 on Wednesday.