Amid a high-profile NBA gambling scandal, ESPN and Penn Entertainment have announced the early termination of their ESPN Bet sports-betting partnership, effective December 1, 2025. The U.S. online sportsbook will be rebranded as theScore Bet.
The decision dissolves a 10-year agreement established in August 2023, where ESPN provided its brand and marketing services to Penn in exchange for $150 million in annual cash payments and stock warrants. The deal included a clause allowing either party to opt out after three years if market-share targets were not met, but the partnership will not reach that milestone. Penn will continue to advertise on ESPN, and final payments to the network will cease this quarter.
Jay Snowden, CEO and President of Penn Entertainment, stated that the two companies “mutually and amicably agreed to wind down our collaboration.” He explained that Penn will now refocus its digital strategy on its iCasino business and its established theScore Bet brand, which already operates in Ontario, Canada.
“We appreciate the collaboration we had with Penn and are now pursuing other media and marketing opportunities within this space,” said ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro. He noted that the partnership successfully drove over 2.9 million new users into the Penn ecosystem.
The termination follows a federal probe into illegal sports betting that led to the arrests of current NBA player Terry Rozier, former player Damon Jones, and former player and current Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups. The scandal created an awkward dynamic for ESPN, which was covering the news extensively while its ESPN Bet branding was prominently featured during broadcasts.
As a primary media rights holder for the NBA, the conflict was particularly pronounced for ESPN and its parent company, Disney, which also owns ABC, the broadcast network for the NBA Finals.
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