As the NBA continues to get rocked by gambling scandals, ESPN BET is officially no more. The NBA is a partner with ESPN, and given the proximity of the two, ESPN might have felt it best to move on from its own sportsbook for now. Though it was widely considered one of the less popular sportsbooks, especially when compared to other betting apps, it is still a surprise to see any action taken here after the scandals. Sports and gambling have become quite intertwined over the years, but scandals like the ones coursing through the NBA have made it a little harder for some fans to stomach that partnership.
ESPN BET shutting down
Though it’s not the only scandal that has rocked the NBA world, the most recent gambling controversy is a big one. Terry Rozier was arrested by the FBI after it was discovered that he allegedly left a game with an injury after countless people took the under on his stats. This happened in 2023 as a member of the Charlotte Hornets. Elsewhere, Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups was also arrested by the FBI after he allegedly ran and helped people cheat in illegal poker games backed by organized crime. This comes after Jontay Porter was banned for life for betting on NBA games.
With the heightened scrutiny on the sports and gambling relationship, it appears as if ESPN would like to distance itself. Many brought up the fact that sports leagues are partnered with different sportsbooks and that ESPN has its own book, but the latter will not be true beginning on December 1. There was a strange juxtaposition that sports fans noticed when the network covered the betting scandal, but had their ESPN BET logo on the screen. Now, that won’t be a problem.
The sportsbook itself is not going away, though. It just won’t be ESPN BET. In the original contract, the worldwide leader of sports provided Penn with its name and trademark, so Penn will now just rebrand that sportsbook theScore Bet. theScore is another sports news website, although it’s not as prominent as ESPN.
The timing is impossible to ignore, but no one is specifically citing the NBA scandal. Per the Hollywood Reporter, ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro said in a statement that they are “now pursuing other media and marketing opportunities within this space.” While ESPN is removing its name from a sportsbook, the partnership with sports betting is not going away.
“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,” Jay Snowden, CEO and president of Penn Entertainment, said in a statement. “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. We plan to refocus our digital strategy on our growing iCasino business, while continuing to capitalize on our omnichannel advantage as the nation’s leading regional retail casino operator.”
theScore Bet is aiming to launch on December 1, which coincides with the reported launch of sports betting in Missouri, which is subject to regulatory approvals. Pitaro’s statement continued, “Together, ESPN and Penn created a truly unique offering with unparalleled integrations across our various media assets. ESPN drove over 2.9 million new users into the Penn ecosystem, with a strong uptick in first-time bettors this fall. We appreciate the collaboration we had with Penn and are now pursuing other media and marketing opportunities within this space.”
