The new service will go live in 17 states, which include: Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.
Additionally, ESPN is now using official odds provided by ESPN BET across editorial and other content.
Penn Entertainment, which will operate the brand, made the announcement in its Q3 trading update, published earlier today (2). ESPN Bet’s launch is the product of a US$1.5 billion partnership with Disney-owned ESPN, the largest sports media brand in the US. When the deal was announced in August, Penn said the brand – which replaces its Barstool Sports operation – could add up to US$1.0bn to its long-term adjusted EBITDA potential.
The 14 November debut has been timed to coincide with the busy sports calendar during Thanksgiving week. Highlights include NCAA college football rivalry week and the Super Bowl rematch of the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles televised on ESPN’s Monday Night Football.
As part of the overall launch of ESPN BET, ESPN’s Daily Wager program will rebrand to ESPN BET Live, beginning Nov. 10. The show’s final episode as Daily Wager will be November 6.
Jay Snowden, Penn’s CEO and president, said: “This strategic alliance is expected to further expand our digital ecosystem and drive re-engagement with the millions of customers in our digital and retail databases, leading to compelling cross-sell opportunities.”
Source: GMB
