Out with the old sportsbook name and in with the new, sort of.
With most of the heavy regulatory lifting for the ESPN BET launch in Massachusetts taken care of on Tuesday, the state gaming commission met again on Wednesday to approve a change to the online sports betting house rules of operator Penn Sports Interactive (PSI).
The only significant change is that Barstool, Barstool Sportsbook, and Barstool Sportsbook and Casino will disappear from PSI's house rules. In its place will be references to “operator” or “the operator,” which remains Penn Sports Interactive. No changes were made to the main sections of the house rules, which help explain how wagers are settled.
The ESPN BET cometh
It’s a small but symbolic change that heralds the coming of a new online sportsbook that many in the gaming industry are keeping a close eye on: ESPN BET.
PSI is a subsidiary of PENN Entertainment Inc., the casino and online gaming operator partnering with sports media giant ESPN to launch ESPN BET in less than a week. PENN and ESPN announced last week that they intend to roll out the new online sportsbook on Nov. 14 in 17 states, Massachusetts included.
Sources say
PENN is already licensed to offer online sports betting in Massachusetts via Barstool Sportsbook. However, PENN is phasing that brand out and replacing it with ESPN BET, which PENN will operate and which ESPN will help market using its digital and television empire.
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission reviewed the marketing arrangement between PENN and ESPN earlier this week before blessing ESPN BET’s Nov. 14 launch in the Bay State. Even so, commissioners expect PENN to report back to them with the finalized guidelines ESPN personalities will have to follow when discussing wagering on the network.
“There will be no connection between ESPN insiders, reporters, or the newsdesk with anyone who handles risk or trading for PENN,” Chris Rogers, PENN’s chief strategy officer, told the commission on Tuesday. “ESPN will continue to report on news as it always has, while PENN will separately and independently manage the sportsbook. PENN will not have access to ESPN’s news-production software.”
