Penn Entertainment deepens ESPN Bet integration with account linking

ESPN Bet now allows users to link their accounts directly with ESPN, Penn Entertainment announced today (1 November).

Through the account link, ESPN readers can track upcoming, live and settled bets within the media company’s mobile app and on ESPN.com.

The product enhancement will allow the media company’s users access to more personalised bets and promotions based on their activity on its platforms.

The feature is one of a suite of planned product upgrades that will aim to boost the sports betting app’s anaemic market share more than a year after the regional casino operator inked its $2bn deal with Disney for the ESPN rights.

Alongside the deepening integration, to make the most of its media-led gambling strategy the company plans to launch a standalone iGaming offering in Q1 2025.

Aaron LaBerge, Penn’s chief technology officer, said: “Bringing this new feature to market is an important step as we work to create a fully interconnected media and betting ecosystem between ESPN and ESPN Bet.

“Account linking allows us to better serve and engage our users by unlocking key personalisation and promotional capabilities. This feature is just the beginning of deeper integrations that will further differentiate the ESPN Bet experience.”

LaBerge, who was previously CTO at Disney, was appointed to his new role in April amid concerns the app’s product was holding it back from gaining market share from the two DFS giants that still dominate the US sports betting market.

Mike Morrison, VP ESPN Bet and ESPN Fantasy, added: “Linking ESPN and ESPN Bet accounts is part of the seamless, integrated betting experience we envisioned from the start.

“No other company in the betting space can offer the level of personalisation or interconnected experience that ESPN Bet provides.”

Is there a path forward for ESPN Bet?

ESPN Bet’s market share currently sits at between 3% and 6% in the markets it is active in, with the app achieving relatively weak results in New York after launching in September.

Last week analysts from Truist Securities argued that, while investors are currently assigning negative value to Penn’s interactive operations, they still believe the offering is undervalued.

The analysts said: “We continue to see a path for the platform to succeed amidst an investment-light re-introduction this football season, as the value proposition provided from the legacy ESPN media app could be somewhat meaningful to legacy OSB customers currently with other platforms.

“That being said, we would hope that the platform exits 2024 looking more favourable from a market share perspective than it currently stands. While we sense some investor impatience, we continue to believe there are multiple ways for Penn’s stock to work from here.”

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