ESPN’s deal with Penn Entertainment ended early, and the network will shift to a partnership with DraftKings Sportsbook. Mike Windle / Getty Images

Just two years into its conception, ESPN Bet is ending its sports betting partnership with Penn Entertainment. ESPN has simultaneously named DraftKings its exclusive sportsbook and odds provider, meaning the network’s betting app will no longer be available after Dec. 1.

Instead, ESPN’s betting odds, marketing and betting content will shift to promoting DraftKings. Penn will rebrand its sports betting app to theScore Bet.

It’s a big shakeup in the sports betting world, but what exactly does this mean for the future of ESPN’s betting platforms?

What is ESPN Bet?

ESPN Bet was an online sports betting service owned and operated by Penn. ESPN and Penn reached a 10-year, $2 billion deal in 2023, under which ESPN received $150 million annually and was granted warrants to purchase Penn common stock. In exchange, ESPN provided Penn with media, marketing services and the exclusive use of its ESPN Bet brand in the U.S. ESPN Bet’s market share was reportedly in the single digits for most of last year and this year.

Essentially, ESPN never owned a sportsbook. That was Penn’s handling. But the deal allowed Penn to use ESPN’s marketing and media services, leading to the ESPN Bet sportsbook.

Why is it shutting down?

There are several reasons why the partnership between ESPN and Penn didn’t work. But Doug Kezirian, a former ESPN employee and sports betting analyst, said the deal was doomed from the start.

“This was such a one-sided deal for ESPN. It was a Hail Mary for Penn, saying, ‘Hey, we are basically a terrible sports book, and we have a chance to maybe just pick up a bunch of market share with this huge audience, and maybe we can figure out a way to just get a pipeline of new accounts and customer acquisition,’” Kezirian told The Athletic.

It’s the second time in recent years that Penn has tried to venture into the sports betting landscape. Each has failed. First, Penn partnered with Barstool Sports to create Barstool Sportsbook. That infamously ended in Penn selling Barstool back to founder Dave Portnoy for $1 because Penn CEO Jay Snowden said he believed ESPN would give them a better chance of reaching a 20 percent market share.

Instead, ESPN’s sportsbook never took off. ESPN Bet owns just 3 percent of the U.S. online sports betting market, which makes it the seventh or eighth most popular U.S. sportsbook, according to *Huddle Up *founder Joe Pompliano.

Sports gambling analyst Dustin Gouker said ESPN’s late entry into a betting landscape dominated by DraftKings and FanDuel was a big reason why the deal never panned out.

“I think being late to the party was a big part (of the failure),” Gouker told The Athletic. “I think by the time ESPN and Penn did the deal, like a lot of the hay was in the barn. There wasn’t a whole lot (of market share).”

Will anything replace ESPN Bet?

The ESPN Bet app will be rebranded on Dec. 1 to theScore Bet, which will still be owned and operated by Penn. Meanwhile, ESPN will shift to directing bettors to bet with DraftKings. ESPN Bet Live will exist, but DraftKings will provide the gambling odds. For example, popular network shows like “College Gameday” and “SportsCenter” will provide DraftKings’ odds, and the company will power the betting tab within the ESPN app.

“Most people seem to agree ESPN still is a pretty good funnel,” Gouker said. “I think it’s a good deal for both of them.”

ESPN said the move means DraftKings products will be “exclusively integrated across ESPN’s ecosystem with a full rollout expected in 2026,” with users able to access DraftKings’ sportsbook, daily fantasy and DraftKings Pick6 on ESPN platforms. ESPN Bet — the sportsbook operated by Penn — will shift to a “sports betting content brand with DraftKings Sportsbook integrations,” and anchored by ESPN’s betting show and dedicated social and digital channels.

DraftKings operates in 28 states, Washington, D.C. and Ontario, Canada.

Nov 8, 2025

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Sam Jane is a trending news writer for The Athletic. He has previously worked as an intern for The Baltimore Sun, The Washington Post, MLive and other publications. He is a senior at the University of Maryland, where he was a sports editor for the campus paper, The Diamondback.