What do you think of ESPN shutting down ESPN Bet and partnering with DraftKings instead?
ESPN Shuts Down ESPN Bet, Announces New Sportsbook Deal with DraftKings
ESPN has announced it is shutting down its standalone sports betting app, ESPN Bet, just two years after launch. The decision comes after ESPN Bet failed to capture significant market share in a crowded U.S. betting industry dominated by DraftKings and FanDuel. The app will go offline in December 2025. In a surprise pivot, ESPN revealed a new long-term partnership with DraftKings, making it ESPN’s official sportsbook and odds provider going forward. This marks a strategic shift for ESPN, integrating sports betting more directly into its main platforms rather than maintaining a separate brand. Industry analysts see this as a concession that ESPN Bet underperformed and that aligning with an established operator could better serve its digital sports audience.
Options
- Smart move — DraftKings has a better platform
- They should have stuck with ESPN Bet
- Doesn’t matter — I don’t bet on sports
- I’ll miss ESPN Bet’s features