ESPN Switches Sportsbook Partner from Penn Entertainment to DraftKings
ESPN has ended its exclusive sportsbook partnership with Penn Entertainment (NASDAQ: PENN) and named DraftKings Inc (NASDAQ: DKNG) as its new exclusive partner. This change comes just two years after ESPN Bet launched under a 10-year licensing agreement with Penn, which has now been discontinued. Penn plans to rebrand its sportsbook as “theScore Bet.”
Reasons DraftKings Fits ESPN Better Than Penn Entertainment
- Both ESPN and DraftKings have strong daily engagement with sports fans.
- DraftKings, headquartered in Boston, has developed a loyal user base through years of daily fantasy sports and rapid sportsbook growth.
- ESPN remains the top name in sports media, and their audiences overlap substantially—digitally native, sports passionate, and used to real-time interaction.
- This overlap creates a natural synergy for integrating betting experiences on ESPN platforms.
- Penn lacked the brand familiarity and cultural connection with ESPN's key demographic.
- DraftKings’ brand equity and trusted reputation provide ESPN a more intuitive partner to embed betting within its content ecosystem.
"DraftKings stock inched higher on the news today, reflecting investors’ belief it’s better suited to ESPN than Penn Entertainment ever was."
Summary
DraftKings’ established engagement with sports fans and cultural alignment with ESPN make it a more natural and effective sportsbook partner than Penn Entertainment.
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