iGaming Daily Ep 643: ESPN Hard Launches Its Relationship with DraftKings
Nov 7, 2025
Jessica Welman, Managing Editor at SBC, shares her insights into the collapse of the ESPN BET and PENN Entertainment partnership. She discusses missed market share goals, revealing ESPN BET's 3% ranking, and the upcoming relaunch of PENN's sportsbook under theScore Bet. The conversation dives into the struggle of media-branded sportsbooks and the dominance of FanDuel and DraftKings in the market. Jessica critiques PENN's strategy shift and highlights the challenges of changing consumer habits in sports consumption and marketing.
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Episode notes
Ambitious Targets Missed By Wide Margin
- Penn and ESPN targeted 10–20% US sports-betting market share but reached roughly 3% instead.
- That massive shortfall exposed how hard it is to displace FanDuel and DraftKings.
Barstool Deal Ended Abruptly
- Penn previously offloaded Barstool back to Dave Portnoy for a nominal sum after the brand failed to meet expectations.
- That sale followed a 10-year deal that unraveled earlier than planned.
UK Media Model Didn't Translate To US
- Media-brand sportsbook strategies that worked in the UK haven't translated to the US.
- Multiple high-profile TV/media tie-ups (Fox Bet, NBC Sports, ESPN Bet) have failed to build sustained US market share.