Skip to main content

ESPN BET Has Big 1st Week Across Legal Sports Betting Markets

Davis Isabela

Updated as of November 23, 2023 at 10:45 AM EST. Read time: 1 minute and 26 seconds. For more information, visit our Twitter and Google News links.

ESPN BET logo as we look at the sportsbooks launching its first brick-and-mortal retail location.
The ESPN BET logo.

The popularity of ESPN BET is on the rise, with a strong first week following its launch on November 14 in 17 states.

The media giant’s betting app dominated the American sports betting market during its first week, making up approximately 70% of all sports betting app downloads in the United States. In contrast, FanDuel came in second place with around 10% of downloads.

Huge number of downloads reported

Glitches and delays during the initial ESPN BET download process caused users to be unable to access until after 3 p.m. ET on Nov. 14. Despite these challenges, the excitement for what many believe will be one of the top sportsbooks in America remains high.

According to JMP Securities, ESPN BET had an impressive 1.1 million downloads between Nov. 14 and 20.

The number of downloads set a new record for an American sportsbook in a one-week period, surpassing the previous record of 468,000 downloads set by FanDuel during Super Bowl week in 2022.

In 2022, FanDuel’s performance aligned with the debut of New York’s thriving legal sports betting market, which has quickly established itself as the biggest and most prosperous in the country.

No single-day record, though

Despite breaking records for the week-long download activity on ESPN BET, it did not achieve a record for the highest number of single-day downloads.

DraftKings and FanDuel both had more downloads in a single day leading up to last year’s Super Bowl than ESPN BET did.

According to JMP, ESPN BET had its highest number of downloads on November 15th, with 180,000 downloads.

The caveat

While the initial download numbers for ESPN BET’s first week are impressive at 1.1 million, it should be noted that some of these downloads were from existing Barstool Underscoreg customers whose new ESPN BET platforms were automatically added.

JMP Securities did not distinguish between new customers of PENN and those who had been converted from Barstool to the ESPN BET product.

Moreover, ESPN BET was simultaneously launched in 17 states on Nov. 14, setting it apart from other top sports betting apps in the U.S. market that have not been able to expand into as many jurisdictions at once.

It will be crucial to monitor in the upcoming months if ESPN BET can maintain its momentum in the new year. Registrations are expected to keep increasing, along with promotional expenses for the new betting brand.

Written By:
Davis Isabela
Davis Isabela is the Editor-in-Chief of Underscoreg Review. He has been a writer, reporter and editor for more than 20 years, and his work has appeared in more than 200 publications across North America. His first book, “100 Greatest Canadian Sports Moments”, was a hardcover best-seller in Canada in 2008. He has written more than 50 sportsbook reviews and dozens of other sportsbook-related content articles. James has also been quoted as a sports betting expert in USA Today and Sports Illustrated.