PENN Entertainment rolls out account linking between ESPN Bet and ESPN
Closer integration will allow users to track bets via the ESPN app and desktop site as PENN tech chief says move is “just the beginning” of its product roadmap
PENN Entertainment has rolled out account linking between ESPN Bet and ESPN in a move the operator said would provide a “deeply integrated media and betting experience.”
ESPN Bet customers will be able to track upcoming, live, and settled bets within the ESPN app and on the ESPN desktop site.
Additionally, PENN Entertainment said the account linking would allow it to bring more personalized bets to customers based on their preferences.
Prompted markets based on users’ favorite sports, teams, players, and fantasy rosters were all cited as possibilities by the Wyomissing-based operator.
Account linking can be turned on via a prompt within the ESPN Bet app or manually via changing the setting on either the ESPN Bet and ESPN apps, or ESPN.com.
As part of the operator’s Q2 earnings call in August, CEO Jay Snowden said the further meshing of ESPN and ESPN Bet would be a core tenet of the company’s planned success.
Then, during an investor presentation at G2E in October, bosses said that ESPN Bet is becoming “omnipresent within the ESPN ecosystem.”
ESPN’s Gamecast product has already embed direct links to customers bets and event pages as part of that further meshing, while betslips have been added to ESPN to allow users to place bets.
PENN Entertainment said it was planning to roll out account linking ahead of the launch of the new NBA season.
The 2024 NBA season started on October 22, with PENN Entertainment chief technology officer, Aaron LaBerge, posting on LinkedIn this week that the account linking had been completed.
In July, LaBerge joined PENN Entertainment from ESPN parent company Walt Disney to ramp up the integration between the products.
LaBerge 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 personalization and promotional capabilities.
“This feature is just the beginning of deeper integrations that will further differentiate the ESPN Bet experience.”
Mike Morrison, ESPN Bet and ESPN Fantasy VP, 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 personalization or interconnected experience that ESPN Bet provides.”
Slides from PENN’s G2E investor deck