Fanatics Sportsbook has been making big moves in the legal sports betting industry over the past few weeks, but it’s not the app that most are waiting for. That would be ESPN BET, and it is going to be launched through a partnership with ESPN and PENN Entertainment.
PENN already has a presence in the online sports betting industry as it currently offers the Barstool Sportsbook in a number of states. Barstool is no longer associated with PENN, and soon, that sportsbook will be rebranded into the ESPN BET name.
New details are starting to emerge as to what is expected from the new online sportsbook option, and sports bettors are starting to get excited. Here is a brief look at what to expect when the ESPN BET mobile app finally goes live.
Going For Fast Launch
It typically takes some sports betting operators time before all of the features are available, but that won’t be the case with ESPN BET. Because PENN is simply looking to rebrand, bettors are going to see most of the same features when they go to login.
That’s another big part of this process, as customers aren’t going to have to jump through a ton of hoops in order to continue wagering. This is going to be a smooth process, although registration will be required in new states where PENN has gained market access.
Jay Snowden is the CEO of Penn, and he recently spoke to a gathering of industry experts at a national conference. He noted that it will take the new product some time before it is able to compete when it comes to offering same game parlays.
While a specific launch date was not yet announced by Snowden, he did note that it plans to be live by Thanksgiving. That will give bettors almost half of the NFL season in order to place bets, and it should get the operator off to a massive start.
Penn is going to use the same technology with ESPN BET as what it used with theScore Bet, and that is going to be a major key. That operator has performed extremely well in Canada, and it should become popular in the U.S. as well.
Plenty of Promotions, Spending Coming
Penn is not just going to sit around and hope that bettors flock to the site, as the company is willing to spend a ton of money in order to promote the brand. That was expected, but it won’t just be Penn that is going to promote the new sportsbook.
ESPN has already started to introduce betting into its live broadcasts, and that has been the case over the last few years. That’s only going to increase moving forward, and you are going to see live betting options promoted on the games.
Scott Van Pelt has leaned into sports betting heavy during his segments, and that will continue moving forward as well. ESPN BET won’t have to work too hard in order to attract customers, but it will take some time before it can challenge operators such as DraftKings and FanDuel.
