ESPN BET and PENN Entertainment Expand ESPN BET Branded Sportsbooks Across the US

Its still unknown if ESPN BET will become one of our best sportsbooks, but it's continuing to try to grow its brand.

ESPN and PENN Entertainment have announced plans to rebrand an additional ten sportsbooks under the name of ESPN BET Sportsbook this year. Pending the applicable regulatory approvals, this will bring the number of ESPN BET retail sportsbooks at PENN locations to 19.

The rebranded locations will be added to Penn's Hollywood and Ameristar Casino properties across six states. Those properties are in the Colorado sports betting, Indiana sports betting, Iowa sports betting, Ohio sports betting, Pennsylvania sports betting, and West Virginia sports betting markets. According to the company, the list of properties includes the following:

• Ameristar Casino Hotel Council Bluffs - Iowa
• Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course - Pennsylvania
• Hollywood Gaming at Dayton Raceway - Ohio
• Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley Race Course - Ohio
• Hollywood Casino at The Meadows - Pennsylvania
• Hollywood Casino York - Pennsylvania
• Ameristar Casino Resort Spa Black Hawk - Colorado
• Hollywood Casino and Hotel Lawrenceburg - Indiana
• Ameristar Casino East Chicago - Indiana
• Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races - West Virginia

Enhanced betting product

The ESPN BET platform has seen significant upgrades to its website and app. Bettors can now link their ESPN accounts with their ESPN BET accounts. This integration lets users track their bets directly within the ESPN app and on ESPN.com. 

PENN Entertainment spearheaded the technology modernization and improvements to ensure broad platform compatibility, driven by the leadership of Aaron Laberge, their Chief Technology Officer and a Disney alumnus.

The ESPN BET platform launched in November 2023 and has since expanded to 17 jurisdictions on the US mainland. In 2024, the platform entered the highly competitive New York market after its plans were delayed due to regulatory challenges and platform availability.

New York sports betting only allows nine sports-betting platforms. A slot was open following the exit of WynnBET, which pulled out of the state earlier in the year. The license for ESPN BET in New York was subject to a unanimous vote by the New York State Gaming Commission.

Guided caution

While ESPN BET sees expanded reach and deeper integration, analysts remain conservative with the financial estimates tied to the platform for PENN Entertainment. This week, in a 2025 projection, Deutsche Bank reiterated a Hold rating on PENN shares due to uncertainty about the platform's performance and some strategic challenges.

Analyst Carlo Santarelli highlighted the "operational data, things like betting handle and monthly gaming revenues that are closely tracked. However, a broader strategic direction—or lack thereof—could impact PENN's share price significantly.”

Santarelli also observed that activist shareholders within PENN Entertainment could move the company in a different direction in 2025. He added that he’s unsure what adjustments may be needed to help the company overcome its sports betting market issues, which continue to change.

PENN Entertainment laid off 100 employees in the middle of 2024 to increase revenues for the sports betting platform. CEO Jay Snowden said, “When PENN acquired theScore, we hit the ground running with the build-out of our proprietary tech stack and the migration of our sportsbook to theScore’s best-in-class platform. This led us to temporarily set aside any potential organizational changes that would typically follow a major acquisition.”