“Earn more from the game this football season with ESPN Bet. The sportsbook for sports fans. Right now, new customers get $100 in bonus bets when you bet $10.”
That was the voiceover for an ESPN Bet promo that ran during a return from commercial on Sunday, 7:17 p.m. ET during ESPN’s SportsCenter.
By all accounts, that was the final promotional effort ever for ESPN Bet, which, as of Monday morning, no longer exists in that form (We hope anyone who was inspired to sign up by that promo placed their bets ASAP).
On Monday, customers were greeted by a rebranding of Penn Entertainment’s betting platform as theScore Bet.
Meanwhile, ESPN wasted no time establishing DraftKings as their “official sportsbook and odds provider of ESPN,” as they had initially announced mere moments after announcing ESPN Bet was no more.
“Beginning in December 2025, DraftKings entertainment products will be exclusively integrated across ESPN’s ecosystem with a full rollout expected in 2026,” read an ESPN press release. “Fans will be able to enjoy betting features and access to offerings including DraftKings’ sportsbook, daily fantasy, and DraftKings Pick6 at launch.”
Per the release, DraftKings will also play a significant role across ESPN’s digital platforms, powering the betting tab within the ESPN app and offering special promotions for ESPN Unlimited.
ESPN announced last month that it and Penn Entertainment had mutually agreed to terminate their partnership early, ending a run that failed to find its footing with customers, with 2025 considered by analysts to be a “make or break” year. Awful Announcing’s Ben Axelrod wrote afterward that ESPN Bet would go down as the company’s signature failure, noting that “it’s not that it was a bad product — it just wasn’t anything special.”
While DraftKings offers ESPN a fresh start in the sports betting space, without the pressure of needing the platform to meet specific markers, the criticisms they (and others) face over promoting so much gambling content surely won’t stop.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.