ESPN Enters Sports Betting Business.

[Bone Dog]

In my view, this is terrible for lots of reasons, but especially for college athletics. I hope the NCAA has the sense to distance itself from the network.

ESPN Enters Sports Gambling in $2 Billion Deal With Casino Company (Published 2023)

ESPN Bet will be operated by Penn Entertainment, which said it was selling its platform’s previous brand, Barstool Sports, back to its founder.

www.nytimes.com

 

[Bone Dog]

Oops. I meant to post this on the general board

 

[Waquoit]

Honestly, this means nothing,

 

[Big Fan]

I hear Pete Rose is their spokesperson

 

[Kat]

Honestly, this means nothing,

"Walt Disney Co.’s ESPN has signed a long-term exclusive agreement with casino operator Penn Entertainment Inc., licensing its brand for sports betting and deepening the media giant’s ties to the growing online gambling business." --Bloomberg Law

It means ESPN, which is currently re-making college sports conferences, has partnered with a gambling operation. That's big.

 

[Rowdy831]

What could go wrong with the most powerful entity in sports now having ownership in a gambling venue that will wager on the games they control? We are already seeing a lot of kids being caught in gambling stings betting on college games they are a part of and I could see executives doing things to ensure they don't lose too much money. This is not a good thing but it is a predictable thing.