ESPN BET Set To Launch Nov. 14
Teaser spots feature ‘SportsCenter' anchor Scott Van Pelt
ESPN said ESPN BET, the sports betting service run by Penn Entertainment, will launch Tuesday, November 14.
Teaser spots for the sportsbook feature SportsCenter anchor Scott Van Pelt receiving alerts from the ESPN and ESPN Bet Apps. A full ad campaign will be rolled out closer to launch and also feature SportsCenter’s Elle Duncan.
ESPN Bet will provide the odds used in ESPN content.
ESPN’s Daily Wager program is being rebranded as ESPN BET Live beginning Nov. 10
ESPN is also offering a sweepstakes offering a trip to ESPN headquarters in scenic Bristol, Connecticut, to the winner.
ESPN reached a deal with Penn Entertainment to rebrand Penn’s sportsbooks as ESPN Bet in August.
The sportsbooks had been operating under the Barstool Sports brand.
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Penn is paying $1.5 billion in cash over 10 years. ESPN also receives $500 in warrants that will convert to Penn stock. There are options to receive bonus warrants depending on the performance of ESPN Bet.
Subject to final approvals, ESPN BET will go live in 17 states, including Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.
Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.