Penn Entertainment To Consider Renaming Barstool Online Casino After ESPN Deal

Article by : Erik Gibbs Aug 15, 2023

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It’s only a matter of time before giants within complementary industries collaborate to raise consumer expectations. The news that PENN Entertainment has been working hand-in-hand with ESPN shook a significant portion of the entertainment industry.

The idea behind the collaboration is to launch ESPN BET, an all-new betting platform. However, the revelation might have a more profound effect on PENN’s casino operations and sports betting division.

PENN currently owns the Barstool Sportsbook and Casino app. With the announcement of the new agreement, PENN’s sports betting service will eventually change its name to ESPN BET once its affiliation with Barstool Sports ends.

The company’s long-term objective for the online casino platform is to expand the distribution of its Hollywood Casino-branded app. This second service is only available in Pennsylvania since October 2020.

As a result, PENN began promoting the Barstool brand in its states, which it offers and therefore provides online sportsbooks and casino services. PENN even used the Hollywood brand as part of its brand for the brick-and-mortar locations.

In a statement made on Wednesday during the company’s Q2 earnings call, PENN CEO Jay Snowden they remarked that the Hollywood brand will eventually merge with their new and upcoming brand. When remains a question.

Snowden envisions the casino app and ESPN BET integration via similar scope as the current integration between PENN and Barstool. Still, Snowden revealed that the branding efforts must be more extraordinary to achieve cleaner execution.

If bettors live in Pennsylvania and decide to bet on sports with ESPN BET, they can seamlessly switch to Hollywood Casino. The idea is that bettors can do so by simply clicking on the casino icon, just like they can now with Barstool Sportsbook and Barstool Casino.

In Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and other states, the PENN casino platform is currently operating and fully functional for users. The company’s administration still thinks that the operator’s most recent technical enhancements have significantly impacted the operator’s mobile sportsbook and online casino offerings.

“According to Benjie Levy, president and chief operating officer of theScore and the head of Penn Interactive, it’s all about how technology is blended into the mix and how it becomes part of the core offer. Soon enough, ESPN might be facing the same challenge.