Disney is fiercely protective of its family-friendly image, not typically associated with the world of sports gambling.Īt the time of August’s agreement, ESPN said it will use its platforms “to educate sports fans on responsible gaming” - for instance, by continuing to cover the sports betting industry with “journalistic integrity,” creating a “responsible gaming” committee within the company and developing marketing guidelines that “safeguard” fans. The upcoming launch of ESPN Bet could take Walt Disney Co. In August, Penn said it sold Barstool Sports back to its founder Dave Portnoy. Similar to BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook is hardly a new sports betting site. Bet365 is also live in Kentucky as one of the first eight online books in the state with sports betting promos for new users. In addition to the $1.5 billion licensing deal, Penn also said it would grant ESPN rights worth about $500 million to purchase shares in Penn.ĮSPN Bet is a rebranding of an existing sports-betting app, Barstool Sportsbook. Since then, Bet365 has launched in Colorado, Virginia, Iowa, and Ohio. Under August’s agreement, Penn’s rights to the ESPN brand will initially run for a decade with the option of extension for another 10 years. ESPN Bet was set to go live in the following states: Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.