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When ESPN unveils its reimagined app next week, betting features will be on prominent display.
Earlier this week in a company-wide employee town hall, ESPN showed a module of the new app with an ESPN Bet tab that has links to make new wagers. It also tracks the live, settled, and upcoming wagers users have already made, sources told Front Office Sports. These features will live side-by-side with live events users are watching.
The embedded links will take users from the ESPN app to the regulated ESPN Bet app, operated by Penn Entertainment. Money deposits also must happen within ESPN Bet’s app, not ESPN’s flagship.
Spokespeople for ESPN and Penn declined to comment.
The functionality will be publicly introduced in a press conference on Aug. 19, and the enhanced app will launch Aug. 21.
ESPN and Penn entered into a $2 billion licensing agreement in 2023. The next several months are crucial for ESPN’s app and its partnership with Penn.
ESPN is launching the direct-to-consumer version of its network next week, at an initial price tag of $29.99 per month. There is also a bundle with Fox Corp.’s streaming service, Fox One, that costs $39.99 a month.
FanDuel and DraftKings have dominated the mobile sports betting industry, as competitors like ESPN Bet have scrapped to make headway. In an earnings call earlier this year, Penn’s president and CEO Jay Snowden said, “We have more work to do to unlock the full potential and value of our partnership with ESPN.” He mentioned an opt-out clause in the two companies’ deal in 2026.
Nevertheless, as ESPN Bet integrations have been introduced this year, Snowden touted growth in the platform during the spring and summer.
“The benefits of the continued rollout of our new offerings is driving engagement,” Snowden said in an earnings call last week. “Since the spring, we have seen strong and consistent year-over-year growth in first-time bettors, which are most recently up over 50% year-over-year in July. Similarly, first-time deposits have more than doubled year-over-year in July.”
Snowden also noted a FanCenter feature that will “enable players to bet on their favorite teams, players, and fantasy lineups in ESPN Bet.”
“In addition to fantasy-related markets within FanCenter, a new Find a Bet icon on the ESPN Fantasy app will allow players to view ESPN Bet markets related to their roster and add selections directly to their ESPN Bet slip,” Snowden said.
