After months of anticipation, the ESPN Bet platform is set to launch just in time for Thanksgiving
Another challenger is ready to enter the sports betting marketplace.
In a press release on Nov. 2, 2023, PENN Entertainment announced that ESPN Bet will launch on Nov. 14 across the following states:
- ESPN Bet Arizona
- ESPN Bet Colorado
- ESPN Bet Illinois
- ESPN Bet Indiana
- ESPN Bet Iowa
- ESPN Bet Kansas
- ESPN Bet Kentucky
- ESPN Bet Louisiana
- ESPN Bet Maryland
- ESPN Bet Massachusetts
- ESPN Bet Michigan
- ESPN BET New Jersey
- ESPN Bet Ohio
- ESPN Bet Pennsylvania
- ESPN Bet Tennessee
- ESPN Bet Virginia
- ESPN Bet West Virginia
In the press release, PENN Entertainment CEO Jay Snowden said, “Our ESPN BET product will include a wide array of popular betting options, including featured bets, quick bets (micro-markets), player props, same game parlays, and more.”
Snowden also spoke about the platform’s initial advertising campaign.
“In connection with the launch, ESPN will be implementing an initial wave of exclusive integrations targeting their 200 million loyal fans across their linear and digital platforms, including an advertising campaign headlined by SportsCenter anchors Scott Van Pelt and Elle Duncan.
“Looking ahead, we will be introducing even deeper platform and media integrations with ESPN over the upcoming months, providing an unmatched and seamless media/betting experience that will appeal to sports fans across the country.”
The launch of ESPN Bet lines up with the Thanksgiving slate of games, the first-ever Black Friday game between the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins, and the Super Bowl rematch between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football.
In the works since August, when PENN and ESPN first made their deal to create the sportsbook, it seems that the two companies are finally ready to launch their platform.
It will be interesting to see how ESPN, which still handles a lot of sports journalism, deals with having a sports betting platform tied to their company.
Yet, despite these concerns, it is reasonable to expect anticipation to be high for ESPN to enter the sports betting marketplace in the coming weeks.
