ESPN Bet Is a Thing of the Past — What Happened to the Sports Betting Platform?
The global sports network has found a new business partner for the future of their betting endeavor.
Published Dec. 3 2025, 10:50 a.m. ET
The introduction of ESPN Bet to the market officially linked the biggest sports network in the world with online gambling. The collaboration between ESPN and Penn Entertainment was set to become a massive endeavor worth billions of dollars. Nevertheless, plans for the platform changed in a second.
What happened to ESPN Bet? Here's what we know about the business decisions that will shape ESPN's future. The network isn't moving away from betting anytime soon, but they need a new partner in order to move forward with their goals.
What happened to ESPN Bet?
According to CNBC, ESPN Bet could disappear because the partnership between ESPN and Penn Entertainment will be coming to a close prematurely. The contract shocked the industry when it was signed. The agreement was worth $1.5 billion, and it established that both companies would be working together for a decade.
Some partnerships aren't meant to last. Just two years after the contract was signed, ESPN decided that they wanted to look at other options for their betting partner.
The specifics of how the deal will come to a close after such a short amount of time remain under wraps. The major headline coming out of the separation is how Penn's betting home will be called theScore Bet.
The CEO of Penn, Jay Snowden, is aware of how unusual the story is. There were eight years left to go on the contract when the news about the split were made public.
In a statement, the CEO mentions: "When we first announced our partnership with ESPN, both sides made it clear that we expected to compete for a podium position in the space. Although we made significant progress in improving our product offering and building a cohesive ecosystem with ESPN, we have mutually and amicably agreed to wind down our collaboration."
ESPN has found a new betting partner.
ESPN is ready to move forward with their betting business. The news of the separation from Penn Entertainment also revealed that DraftKings will handle the network's betting initiative moving forward. It remains unclear if ESPN Bet will go through a rebrand now that Penn Entertainment isn't involved.
The payments between Penn Entertainment and ESPN will cease at the end of 2025. The stage has been set for DraftKings to step in a build the network's betting model from scratch.
DraftKings knows how to make a statement in the business. Despite being stuck in legal controversies due to the nature of their operations (via The Hill), the company has remained strong. Beyond the Super Bowl ads and the lightning deals, DraftKings also acquired the popular predictions platform, Jailbird (via CNBC).
The company is gearing up for a new era. In a highly competitive market, acquisitions and billion-dollar partnerships will endure. DraftKings stays open for business.
Moving forward, it is evident that ESPN considers sports betting as an essential part of the industry. Otherwise, the company wouldn't be so determined to find a business partner fit enough for what they have in mind.