The ESPN Bet app will go dark on Dec. 1, ESPN and app operator Penn Entertainment announced Thursday. The sports network will instead work with DraftKings.
DraftKings will become the official sportsbook of the Disney-owned cable sports network and will be its official provider of betting odds to be mentioned on-air, with a full rollout of the partnership planned for 2026.
DraftKings will be featured on the betting tab in the ESPN app, and DraftKings customers will get offers for ESPN Unlimited, the network’s direct-to-consumer streaming service, the network said.
The ESPN Bet brand, currently used for Penn Entertainment’s online sportsbook app, will transition to being solely a content brand integrated with DraftKings Sportsbook, ESPN said.
ESPN Bet first came about in August 2023, when Penn Entertainment swapped its previous Barstool Sports affiliation and the Barstool Sportsbook brand to work instead with ESPN, according to The Verge.
Their deal was slated to last 10 years, with Penn Entertainment paying ESPN $150 million yearly and giving the company warrants to buy Penn Entertainment stock, but provided both companies an out after the third year.
Starting on Dec. 1, Penn Entertainment’s U.S. online sports betting operation will become theScore Bet, matching the brand the company uses for its online sportsbook operation in Canada, Penn Entertainment CEO Jay Snowden said.
The Dec. 1 switchover date, Mr. Snowden said, is also meant to coincide with the projected launch of legal online sports betting in Missouri.
