ESPN Bet – FairOdds Network

August 8, 2024

Penn CEO Snowden: “Don’t believe everything you read” on M&A, points to late August NY launch

Penn Entertainment CEO Jay Snowden refused to comment on speculation of competitors teaming up to acquire the operator during Thursday's quarterly earnings call. Instead, he talked up deeper and deeper integrations with partner ESPN.
On Thursday’s (8 August) earnings call, Snowden said the company will be live in the biggest legal market in the US – New York – by the start of the college football season. He also addressed the controversial winners’ surcharge that DraftKings is floating. But his main focus was acquisition rumours.

The ESPN Bet launch last November brought the premier sports media brand into the betting sector. Snowden said it was a milestone moment. But it hasn’t yet translated into a podium position for Penn Entertainment.

Blended market share across six states averaged 6% for March, and investors have started to question Penn’s digital strategy. This led to rumours of a sale, suggesting Boyd Gaming would bite. Those rumours evolved into a joint approach with ..

July 19, 2024

State of the Union: ESPN Bet layoffs, SEC should be ‘vigilant’ to protect athletes

Welcome to iGB's State of the Union, a look at the biggest North American sports betting stories we've covered over the week and briefs on others we found interesting.

Penn lays off some ESPN Bet employees

Less than a year after launching its ESPN Bet platform, and about three years after buying Canadian-based theScore, Penn Entertainment announced layoffs.

Front Office Sports on Wednesday (17 July) tweeted a letter from Penn CEO Jay Snowden to employees. In the letter, Snowden says the company will be “implementing changes” to “streamline the reporting lines”. He also wrote that this process will “result in a limited number of team member separations”.

PENN Entertainment—the gambling company behind ESPN Bet—had a round of layoffs, including multiple employees who focused on ESPN Bet, a source tells @FOS. (Layoffs first reported by @DustinGouker)
Here's an email that was sent to employees this afternoon from the company's CEO: pic.twitter.com/zW7LKOVI9U
— A.J…

July 5, 2024

Report: Flutter may join Boyd in bid for Penn Interactive assets, including ESPN Bet

As activist investors are pushing Penn Entertainment to divest its digital gaming arm, The Deal is reporting Flutter and Boyd Gaming may partner on an agreement. Boyd has a 5% ownership stake in Flutter, and partners with Flutter's FanDuel in the US for retail and digital sports betting.

Penn stock was up 4.22% at midday on Friday on receiving the news, while Flutter stock was essentially flat after a morning uptick. Boyd Gaming stock was also relatively flat after an early rise reacting to the news.

“Adding Flutter into the equation with Boyd of a potential Penn acquisition makes it more than interesting,” gaming consultant Brendan Bussmann told iGB. “It’s a back door into the ESPN brand for online, but would also give a brick-and-mortar presence to Flutter.”

On Friday (5 July) Seeking Alpha wrote “Flutter (FLUT) may want to partner with Boyd Gaming (BYD) as the owner of FanDuel is interested in Penn’s interactive assets, according to a report from TheDeal.com on Friday, whi..

April 4, 2024

ESPN Bet can challenge market leaders, Truist report shows

ESPN Bet could soon challenge US market leaders Draftkings and FanDuel according to Truist's nationwide survey focused on consumer preferences.

Data collected by Truist Securities analysts in their 2024 Interactive Gaming Survey shows that Penn Entertainment’s ESPN Bet gaming brand has the potential to take on the big two.

According to Truist, it is ESPN’s position as the primary app for bettors to check scores that could help its branded sports betting platform rival DraftKings and FanDuel.

Some 44% of sports fans surveyed said they checked scores on ESPN and 64% of those said they would have interest in betting integration beyond listed lines.

Of the respondents who both frequent ESPN and showed an interest in betting integration, a majority (52%) stated it was likely that ESPN Bet will become their primary wagering platform. Nearly all others (45%) stated it was possible.

Penn’s prospects of overhauling DraftKings and FanDuel

Reflecting on the results, Truist managing d..

February 15, 2024

Penn reports Q4 net loss of $358.8m following ESPN Bet launch

Penn Entertainment has announced a net loss of $358.8m (£258.9m/€334m) for Q4 2023, a quarter in which the operator launched its ESPN Bet sportsbook.

ESPN Bet, the product of Penn’s $1.5bn deal with Disney-owned ESPN, launched across 17 states on 15 November.

Penn’s Interactive segment recorded revenues of $31.5m in Q4, although its adjusted EBITDA loss stood at $333.8m.

Revenue across the whole company dropped 12.5% in Q4 year-on-year from $1.6bn to $1.4bn. Overall adjusted EBITDAR for Q4, meanwhile, plummeted from $468.3m to $112.5m year-on-year.

Penn’s northeast segment, encompassing 17 properties including Ameristar East Chicago and Hollywood Casino Lawrenceburg, accounted for $662.9m of the $1.4bn in revenue.

Diluted earnings per share also went from $0.13 to a loss of $2.37. Meanwhile, total liquidity dropped to $2.1bn from 2022’s figure of $2.6bn. Net debt at the end of Q4 stands at $1.6bn.

Penn’s full year results

The $1.4bn in Q4 revenue took Penn to $6.36bn for the yea..

February 13, 2024

Penn to acquire Wynn’s NY sports betting licences, launch ESPN Bet in state

Penn Entertainment has agreed to acquire Wynn Interactive Holdings' New York sports betting licences, clearing the way for Penn to launch ESPN Bet in the state in 2024.

The acquisition gives Penn market access in New York state. As part of the deal, Penn will acquire Wynn Resorts subsidiary Wynn Interactive’s mobile sports wagering licences entity, WSI US, LLC, for $25m (£19.8m/€23.3m).

WSI US, LLC holds the sports betting licences issued to Wynn by the New York State Gaming Commission in 2021.

Upon relevant approvals, Penn will launch ESPN Bet in the state later this year. Penn partnered with ESPN in August last year, in a deal that saw Penn’s Barstool Sportsbook rebranded as ESPN Bet. It then launched across 17 US states in November.

Jay Snowden, CEO and president of Penn Entertainment, said this acquisition will expose ESPN Bet to the most prominent sports betting market in the US.

“This is an important development that will bring ESPN Bet to the largest regulated online ..

December 13, 2023

Tennessee passes $500m handle for first time in November

Tennessee reported $515.5m (£412.0m/€477.8m) in gross handle for November, the state’s Sports Wagering Advisory Council announced on Monday (11 December).

It is the first time handle has passed $500m in a month since sports betting went live in Tennessee in November 2020.

The 16.2% increase was a marked improvement from the 6.2% rise recorded in October. It fell short of the 72.9% month-to-month growth seen in September, although that coincided with the NFL and college football seasons getting underway.

Gross wagers also surpassed $500m for the first time, receiving $517.1m for the month. This is up 17.7% from November last year, while it is a 41.4% increase on November 2021.

The state collected $9.5m in privilege tax, again the highest amount since sports wagering was launched there.

Continued growth in Tennessee

A challenging start to sports betting in Tennessee saw revenue fall to a record low of $10.1m in August 2021.

The state has rebounded impressively since then, however,..

December 6, 2023

DraftKings CEO Robins “keeping a close eye” on ESPN Bet launch

Speaking at the third annual Craig-Hallum Online Gaming Conference, DraftKings CEO, Jason Robins, says he is “keeping a close eye” on ESPN Bet's launch.

DraftKings CEO Jason Robins isn’t concerned over ESPN Bet’s launch, instead claiming it could be a positive for the market.

ESPN Bet, a product of a $1.5bn (£1.2bn/€1.4bn) deal earlier this year between Penn Entertainment and Disney-owned ESPN, launched across 17 states on 14 November.

The ESPN Bet mobile app was downloaded over a million times in the first six days after its introduction. This was no doubt helped by the busy sports calendar of Thanksgiving week.

Unfazed by the competition

Despite ESPN Bet smashing the record for sportsbook downloads, Robins is unfazed by the competition.

Taking time during his presentation at the third annual Craig-Hallum Online Gaming Conference, he re-affirmed DraftKings’ position as one of the top two operators in North America alongside FanDuel.

“[It’s] not the end of the world in ..

December 5, 2023

ESPN Bet to debut in North Carolina with PGA sponsorship deal

ESPN Bet signs major PGA Tour deal as official betting operator of the Wells Fargo Championship in North Carolina.

ESPN Bet is expected to launch in North Carolina after agreeing a deal to become the Quail Hollow Golf Club’s official betting operator.

After launching across 17 states on 14 November to coincide with Thanksgiving week, Tuesday’s (5 December) announcement sets up ESPN Bet to be one of the 12 operators licensed in North Carolina.

This follows the North Carolina State Lottery Commission announcing that it is now starting the application process for sports betting licences from 1 December. The state is expected to open in the first half of 2024.

ESPN Bet’s agreement with Quail Hollow Club, a golf course in North Carolina, will see the company become the official betting operator of the Wells Fargo Championship.

The PGA Tour event has been previously won by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy and is held at Quail Hollow Club.

In a press release on Tuesday, Benjie Levy, head ..

December 4, 2023

ESPN Bet: The view from the top

Hot off the launch of ESPN Bet, Mike Morrison, vice-president of sports betting at ESPN, explains how sports betting’s biggest launch is set to upend the market – and what he thinks makes it the premier choice for sports fans.

When we first spoke with Morrison in August, he was adamant about ESPN Bet’s potential to be the best sportsbook on the market. At the time it had only been weeks since ESPN had clinched its $1.5bn (£1.18bn/€1.37bn) deal with Penn Entertainment, officially choosing the operator to manage the ESPN Bet sportsbook.

Just over three months later, ESPN Bet has burst onto the scene. With the launch being so highly anticipated, the best place to start is by establishing how it went.

“Really smooth,” according to Morrison. “We’re thrilled. Everything is working very well. Some of the early reviews we’ve seen are really good. Teams are energised and excited on both sides.”

ESPN Bet launched in 17 US states on 14 November

The whirlwind saw ESPN Bet hit 17 US states on ..

November 15, 2023

ESPN Bet launches across 17 US states

ESPN Bet, the newly branded online sportsbook operated by Penn Entertainment, has now officially gone live across 17 states in the US.

Players can now place bets with the sportsbook on the ESPN Bet app and website in states including Arizona, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Illinois and Ohio.

ESPN Bet is the product of Penn’s $1.5bn (£1.2bn/€1.4bn) partnership with Disney-owned ESPN, the largest sports media brand in the US.

As per the agreement, Penn will operate ESPN Bet while ESPN promotes the app across its online and broadcast platforms.

The launch details

ESPN Bet is a rebranding of existing sports betting app, Barstool Sportsbook. In August, Penn said it sold Barstool Sports back to its founder Dave Portnoy for $1.

“We are excited to announce that we plan to simultaneously launch ESPN Bet across the 17 states in which we operate online sports betting, subject to final approvals,” said Penn CEO Jay Snowden, commenting on Penn’s Q3 results.

“This strategic allia..

November 13, 2023

ESPN BET launch: everything you need to know

Like any Disney fairytale, we’re ready for the hero to dash in and save the day. So, what kind of fairytale do we have concocted for tomorrow’s (14 November) ESPN BET launch?

First up, let’s do some background.

ESPN BET launch: has Penn Met its sports betting match?

We all know Penn Entertainment was billed as one of the pandemic success stories. At the time, few investors thought it had a big part to play in our Disney fairytale with its acquisition of Barstool Sports.

However, unlike our Disney tale of true love, Barstool and Penn was just never meant to be.

At the start of 2023, Penn sold Barstool back to Dave Portnoy for a single paltry dollar. This was mere months after completing the $500 million purchase. A poisoned apple, some might say.

Instead, enter the prince of our tale – Disney-owned ESPN.

This where our tale of true love begins and the story of ESPN BET.

A match made in heaven for ESPN and Penn

Following ESPN’s $1.5bn licensing partnership with Penn Entertainme..

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Tag: ESPN Bet