Which States Is PlayUp Legal In?

PlayUp was available in two states until recently (Colorado and New Jersey), but it is now suspended in both states. The company also had plans to enter additional markets, but the status of those plans is now uncertain.

• Colorado (on pause)
• New Jersey (license suspended)
• Ohio (TBA)
• Indiana (TBA)
• Iowa (TBA)
• Pennsylvania (market access secured for online casino only)

As one of the newest mobile sportsbooks to enter the US market, PlayUp faces stiff competition from name brand operators such as DraftKings, FanDuel, and others.

PlayUp offers an attractive welcome bonus and a unique betting interface, but does it have what it takes to woo bettors from its more established competitors? This PlayUp review will attempt to answer that question and provide readers with all the details they need to know before they play.

The PlayUp Group established PlayUp Sports in 2019 after acquiring several Australian betting brands and then turned its attention to the United States.

According to PlayUp executives, the company has all the ingredients it needs for success in the US market, including a completely in-house trading team and a proprietary platform that delivers the company “a level of flexibility and nimbleness that is unparalleled in the US market.”

PlayUp Promo Code

The PlayUp Sportsbook bonus welcomes new customers with a $250 free bet after they register and place at least $250 worth of wagers using deposited funds. New users can sign up with the PlayUp Sportsbook promo code 250FREE to claim this offer.

New PlayUp sports betting customers can claim the bonus in three steps:

• Sign up for a account with the PlayUp promo code 250FREE
• Make a first deposit
• Place at least $250 worth of wagers with odds of -500 or longer (e.g., -450, -300, +110, +200, etc.)

Free bets received from PlayUp Sportsbook expire after seven days, and wagers placed with free bets must settle within 14 days (e.g., don’t use them for long-term futures).

Other PlayUp Sportsbook Promotions

PlayUp Sportsbook runs regular promotions for new and existing customers, often tailored to the sports of the season. That means sports bettors can expect to find college basketball offers during March Madness, football specials every NFL season, and so on.

PlayUp promos tend to take standard formats, such as parlay boosts, close loss refunds, and the occasional reload bonus.

Some examples of past PlayUp betting promotions include:

• Reload Mondays: Customers who deposit with the PlayUp promo code MONDAY25 on Mondays get an extra 25% for up to $100 in bonus funds. The offer includes a 3x rollover requirement on the deposit + bonus money.
• Bad Beat Tuesdays: If you place a 5+ leg parlay on a Tuesday and it loses by one leg, PlayUp will refund it with a free bet worth up to $20.
• Bad (Buzzer) Beater: During the last March Madness tournament, PlayUp refunded pregame moneylines placed on teams that lost the lead with less than one second remaining. PlayUp issues the refunds as free bets worth up to $20.
• Parlay Boosts: PlayUp boosts all parlay payouts by up to 25% based on the number of legs in each parlay, giving customers up to $500 in extra winnings.

PlayUp Sports Betting App

PlayUp Sportsbook offers native mobile betting apps for iOS and Android devices. Customers can visit PlayUp.com from any desktop or mobile device to sign up for a PlayUp Sportsbook account to get started. While you’re there, the website will give you a download link to get the latest version of the PlayUp app for your device.

The PlayUp mobile sports betting app is striking at first glance, with a black background, white text, and lime green styling. Design-wise, the PlayUp sportsbook app looks unlike anything else on the market. It is an interesting approach, but not everyone will find it the most aesthetically pleasing.

However, the unique color scheme does make it easy to orient oneself in an instant. With the odds posted in white text against an otherwise black and green interface, it is very easy to view lines, compare the odds across multiple games, and navigate from place to place.

Function-wise, the app is unremarkable. Bettors can log in to view odds for trending games on the homepage and use simple navigation menus to browse leagues, current promotions, and in-play betting events.

The PlayUp app performs well except for two minor annoyances.

First, touch input zones seem to be too small, which makes navigation annoying in certain instances.

For example, trying to view all markets for a single game listed on the homepage may take users multiple taps to hit just the right spot. Tapping directly on the words “more bets” seems to work consistently but tapping team names or anywhere else on the game listing is hit-or-miss.

Second, the app loads slowly sometimes when moving from one page to the other. This issue combined with the above issue is frustrating because sometimes you can’t tell if you’ve missed the small user input zone or if the page is just loading slowly.

Aside from those two issues, the PlayUp mobile app works well. Through the app, bettors have access to in-play betting, real-time data, and handicapping stats.

PlayUp In-Play Betting

PlayUp performs well on the in-play front. The live betting schedule is busy, and it includes all games from the major US sports plus many international events, big and small.

The PlayUp in-play betting platform relies on data from Sportradar, which is another positive point. Sportradar is one of the world’s largest sports data firms, and it provides extremely detailed statistics to PlayUp.

The benefits to customers are two-fold.

First, PlayUp has access to enough data to provide extreme market depth to customers. In-play bet types include full-game wagers, short-term bets per quarter/inning/period, player props, and more – all with live odds.

Second, PlayUp passes that data on to customers in the form of live stats, play-by-play feeds, and integrated game trackers (visual displays of what’s happening on the field or court).

For example, the PlayUp game tracker for MLB games provides an on-screen batter’s box displaying the location, speed, and type of each pitch for every at-bat. When the batter connects, the game tracker switches to a three-quarters overhead view of the baseball diamond showing the location of the hit as the runners advance.

PlayUp provides similar capabilities for football, hockey, basketball, and other sports.

Users can also browse an in-depth collection of pregame statistics for each matchup on the in-play interface. Categories of stats include statistics for the players on the field, head-to-head stats for when these teams last met, current standings, and implied probabilities based on each team’s betting odds.

One quirk that betrays PlayUp’s history as an Australian firm is its propensity to display some stats in metric measurements. For example, the batter’s box in MLB games shows pitch speeds in Km/h. We imagine PlayUp will correct that issue relatively soon.

PlayUp Sports Betting Markets

PlayUp offers pregame and in-play betting for professional US sports, college games, international events, and esports.

Market depth for each game is comparable to other major sportsbooks, with 200+ wagers per game for mainstream sports. PlayUp’s betting options cover a typical range of markets, including:

• Full-game results
• Part-time results
• Alternate lines
• Winning margins
• Other game props
• Individual player props
• Miscellaneous wagers such as the first team or player to X points

Most of this is standard operating procedure for any large online sportsbook, but PlayUp stands from the pack in its esports offerings. PlayUp dedicates more time and attention to esports betting, with pregame and in-play markets for CS:GO, League of Legends, Dota 2, Call of Duty, and Fortnite.

PlayUp’s betting line quality varies significantly by sport. Bettors will find 20-cent lines for NBA spreads, which is about average, but poor NBA moneylines on average compared to the competition. Similarly, PlayUp boasts competitive MLB spreads but poor MLB moneylines.

Overall, PlayUp ranks below average in betting odds relative to the competition. However, there are some bright spots in which PlayUp offers lines equal to or better than those offered by other sportsbooks.

Complete list of sports covered at PlayUp sportsbook include:

PlayUp Sportsbook Deposit Methods

PlayUp lacks in the deposit methods category at the moment, but it will likely add more as it further establishes itself in the US market.

Currently, PlayUp Sportsbook offers three deposit options:

• ACH/eCheck: PlayUp uses VIP Preferred, a popular payment process in the legal gambling industry, to accept ACH (eCheck) deposits. Selecting this method will have you enroll with VIP Preferred to set up quick deposits and withdrawals through the bank account of your choice.
• Play+ Card: Play+ is a prepaid gift card with a digital component that allows customers to register and deposit on the same day. Selecting this method will have you set up a Play+ account, which you can fund via credit card, debit card, or checking account to make an instant online deposit. Later, you will receive a physical Play+ card in the mail for use at ATMs and retailers that accept Discover.
• Skrill: Skrill is an e-wallet similar to PayPal. Once you set up a Skrill account, you can use it for instant deposits and withdrawals at PlayUp and many other online sportsbooks.

PlayUp Horse Racing Betting

PlayUp offers parimutuel horse racing betting in select states.

The PlayUp Group acquired an advance-deposit wagering license from the North Dakota Racing Commission in 2019. The license immediately granted PlayUp’s horse racing platform access to more than 20 states, leading to its eventual launch in April 2022.

Readers can learn more about PlayUp Racebook here:

• PlayUp Racebook review

PlayUp States Of Operation

PlayUp launched and honed its product in Colorado and will continue to expand outward into additional states. Below is an overview of where PlayUp operates today and where it will launch in the future.

PlayUp Arizona

• Products: Will seek an online sports betting license
• Land-Based Partner: TBA

PlayUp does has not announced a partnership agreement with a local Arizona stakeholder for market access, but the company has expressed interest in offering mobile sports betting in Arizona. In a press release commenting on the launch of sports betting in Arizona, PlayUp said it remains hopeful it can acquire an AZ sports betting license.

PlayUp Colorado

• Products: Online sports betting
• Land-Based Partner: Bull Durham Casino

PlayUp made its US debut in the Colorado sports betting market through a partnership with Bull Durham Casino. The Colorado partnership does not include a retail sportsbook as PlayUp Colorado pursues an online and mobile betting model exclusively for now.

PlayUp Indiana

• Products: Online sports betting coming soon
• Land-Based Partner: Caesars Entertainment

In June 2021, PlayUp announced an agreement with Caesars Entertainment for market access in three states, including Indiana. PlayUp has not yet announced an intended launch date, but it likely won’t be too much longer.

PlayUp Indiana also has market access to offer online gambling in Indiana pending favorable legislation and regulatory approval. In a March 2022 press release announcing the expansion of its existing partnership with Caesars Entertainment, PlayUp US Chairman Dennis Drazin said this:

“We’ve proven we can gain market share in the ultra-competitive sports betting landscape in New Jersey. Once regulated, we will be ready to bring PlayUp to the iGaming market in Indiana which we recognize as a monumental growth opportunity for our business.” 

PlayUp Iowa

• Products: Online sports betting coming soon
• Land-Based Partner: Wild Rose Entertainment

PlayUp Sportsbook secured Iowa market access in October 2021 through an agreement with Wild rose Entertainment, the parent company of Wild Rose casinos in Clinton, Emmetsburg, and Jefferson. The arrangement is for mobile betting only because DraftKings already manages retail sportsbooks for Wild Rose properties. Additionally, PlayUp Iowa and Wild Rose Entertainment will partner on online casino games should Iowa legalize online gambling.

PlayUp New Jersey

• Products: Online sports betting
• Land-Based Partner: Freehold Raceway

PlayUp New Jersey launched in September 2021, just barely missing the start of the NFL season. It holds an NJ sports betting license and is partnered with Freehold Raceway for market access. The company also intends to launch PlayUp Casino NJ when fully approved by the Division of Gaming Enforcement.

In addition, PlayUp is an official partner of the New Jersey Devils. As a result, PlayUp Sportsbook NJ can offer unique promotions tailored to local fans and operates a branded sports lounge at the arena.

PlayUp Ohio

• Products: Online sports betting coming soon
• Land-Based Partner: JACK Cleveland Casino

PlayUP Sportsbook intends to enter the Ohio online sports betting market imminently, but its plans may have been delayed. Recently, the Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC) rejected PlayUp’s license application due to alleged gambling violations in Ohio. The OCCC determined that another gaming product owned by PlayUp called Slots+ violated state law by offering slot-style games based on the outcomes of horse races.

However, PlayUp Ohio has appealed the decision and shuttered Slots+. The appeal may succeed because although Slots+ looks and feels like online slots, it is essentially pari-mutuel horse racing wagering (which is legal in Ohio). BettingUSA will update this page after the OCCC makes a final decision.

PlayUp Pennsylvania

• Products: Online gambling coming soon
• Land-Based Partner: Caesars Entertainment

PlayUp secured Pennsylvania market access by partnering with Caesars Entertainment. The company has not confirmed an intended launch date since announcing the partnership, and it only intends to offer online gambling. Currently, PlayUp does not plan to offer sports betting in Pennsylvania.

Expert Opinion: Is PlayUp Sportsbook Legit?

BettingUSA does not recommend PlayUp at this time. After losing its New Jersey license and choosing to suspend its Colorado operations, PlayUp does not present itself as a stable online sportsbook for real money bettors.

PlayUp was promising in several ways, but it had yet to fully establish itself as a serious contender before its most recent spat of troubles. Some of PlayUp’s stronger points included a highly capable in-play betting interface with detailed stats for users, in-depth esports coverage, and a deposit bonus customers found easy to clear.

Its weaker points included a lack of experience in the US market (PlayUp originates from Australia) and its relative youth compared to some of the country’s more established, high-profile online sportsbooks.