PENN Entertainment Becomes Official Sports Betting Partner of the NHL

PENN Entertainment has been actively transforming its Barstool Underscoreg venues into ESPN BET platforms. During this process, it was announced that the company has officially partnered with the NHL as a sports betting partner. Numerous fans of the league place bets on its games through our top sportsbooks.

The new partnership will include coverage of PENN Entertainment’s ESPN BET and theScore Bet brands.

Aubrey Levy, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Content at Penn Interactive, expressed enthusiasm for the recent introduction of ESPN Bet in the US and the collaboration with the NHL. Levy stated that becoming an official partner will allow them to engage hockey fans more effectively, create interesting integrations, and make use of NHL programming in unique ways. Levy also highlighted the significance of this partnership for theScore Bet in Ontario, where hockey enjoys unparalleled popularity.

What’s the deal?

The partnership between PENN Entertainment and the NHL is consistent with the typical arrangement seen in other collaborations between sports leagues and betting companies.

PENN’s ESPN BET and theScore Bet now have full access to all NHL intellectual property, including rights to use NHL-centric products, media and marketing strategies. Both sports betting brands will also be prominently featured in the league’s advertising during game broadcasts.

The new agreements will cover NHL events throughout the season, including the regular season, Stanley Cup Playoffs, 2024 NHL Winter Classic, 2024 NHL Stadium Series, and 2024 NHL All-Star Weekend.

PENN Entertainment sought to boost its presence in the U.S. market, particularly in the realm of sports betting. Partnering with ESPN BET proved to be a swift and efficient strategy to achieve this goal.

Jason Jazayeri, NHL Vice President of Business Development, expressed his excitement about being one of the first leagues to partner with ESPN Bet and Penn Entertainment. He stated that the collaboration is a testament to the value of their media rights deal with ESPN and The Walt Disney Company, which has been a big win for fans and the league. Jazayeri highlighted the NHL’s youth, speed, and excitement, which provides great opportunities for fan engagement and responsible gaming experiences. He looks forward to working with ESPN Bet in the U.S. and theScore Bet in Ontario to engage the passionate NHL fan base.

ESPN BET building its brand

Since its launch on November 14, 2023, ESPN BET has been aggressively promoting its brand in the U.S. legal sports betting market. Despite facing tough competition from established companies like DraftKings, FanDuel, and BetMGM, all of which have official sports betting partnerships with the NHL, ESPN BET is determined to carve out a significant market share for itself.

ESPN Bet is currently available in 17 states across the United States, while theScore Bet is a highly popular sports betting app in Ontario. ESPN boasts over 105 million unique digital visitors each month, approximately 370 million social media followers, and more than 25 million subscribers to its ESPN+ streaming service.

The ESPN BET app has quickly become a favorite among users since its launch. In just its first week, the sports betting app saw an impressive 1.1 million downloads, nearly doubling the previous record for first-week downloads by a sportsbook in the American market.

Anticipate further developments from PENN Entertainment and its brands ESPN BET and theScore Bet in the future. ESPN BET may need to make up ground, but with PENN’s support and the widespread desire to be connected with the Worldwide Leader in Sports, there is a sense of optimism that PENN will achieve its ambitious goal of becoming one of the premier sports betting providers in the US.