ESPN BET has officially launched in 17 states! For a limited time, new customers can get $200 in Bonus Bets after they place their first bet of any amount.
This is obviously a big deal to everyone in the sports betting space, so let's take a closer look at some of the details below. We'll go over the bonus offer, more details about the launch, and talk about the betting regulations that all ESPN employees will have to follow.
How We Got Here
The "worldwide leader in sports" sent shockwaves throughout the sports betting industry back in August by reaching a 10-year $2 billion agreement with Penn Entertainment. As part of the deal, Barstool Sportsbook would be rebranded as ESPN BET. The deal allowed Dave Portnoy to re-purchase Barstool Sports for only $1 after he initially sold it for half a billion dollars!
Execs from both ESPN and Penn have been hard at work for the last 3 months to bring ESPN Bet to the market. The wait is now over, as the new sportsbook app went live on November 14 at 3:40 PM Eastern Time. All users of Barstool Sportsbook were pleasantly surprised to learn that all of their personal info was converted over to the new ESPN BET site.
The app had a few snafus on launch day, but both Apple and Android users can now download the ESPN Bet app. Though no ratings are available from Apple users, the app has a 4.8 rating from nearly 300 users on Google Play at the time of this writing.
Is ESPN BET Offering a Signup Bonus?
You bet they are (pun intended)! All new customers can get $200 in Bonus Bets when they sign up for a new account and place their first wager of any amount. I personally tested this and found that the bonus bets were put into my account immediately after I placed my first bet.
Want to hear another cool thing about this bonus offer? ESPN BET is extending it to previous Barstool Sportsbook customers as well. No wonder so many people are fired up about this new app!
All bonus bets must be used within 7 days, and they are split up into (4) $50 wagers. Check out the full terms and conditions on the website for more info.
ESPN To Hold Employees to Strict Wagering Regulations
ESPN BET and Penn Entertainment are making Responsible Gaming a top priority. Both want to provide customers with a safe, viable option that makes sports even more entertaining. To further add to their stance on Responsible Gaming, ESPN handed down some rigorous betting guidelines to all of its employees.
Employees cannot disclose any type of confidential information regarding any injuries. They also cannot bet on games of which they've been assigned to work. ESPN Insiders also may not wager on any sports that they cover on a regular basis.
Lastly, ESPN employees cannot engage in any type of illegal wagering. This includes betting with an offshore sportsbook or in any state where sports betting is not allowed.
Where is ESPN BET Currently Available?
Thanks to their deal with Penn, the ESPN Bet app is now available in 17 states:
- Arizona
- Colorado
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- New Jersey
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania
- Tennessee
- Virginia
- West Virginia
Just how many more states will ESPN BET launch in? That remains to be seen, but PENN Entertainment CEO Jay Snowden mentioned that ESPN Bet is aiming for a 20% market share by the end of 2027.
