On Monday, the New York State Gaming Commission approved the launch of ESPN BET in the Empire State. This comes nearly a month after Penn Entertainment CEO Jay Snowden told the public that ESPN BET would be available in New York. Now, ESPN BET can launch as soon as they want. Penn is the parent company of ESPN BET.
Executive VP Chris Rogers noted that Penn has a technology box they want to check before a full launch. He said the company is prepared to launch in “several days.” Rogers even mentioned a soft launch before the weekend starts. However, he has not locked in any dates yet. Penn wants to ensure its betting platform can handle the New York market. Especially during college football and NFL season.
How long has it taken Penn to launch sports betting in New York?
In early August, Penn CEO Jay Snowden spoke to investors during an earnings call. He told them that ESPN BET was set to launch in New York ahead of the football season. Snowden clearly said Penn’s betting platform would be available before college football started in late August. That was not the case once college football and the NFL were underway.
Back in February, Penn purchased WynnBet’s New York sports betting license. It takes time for the sports betting license to transition to Penn. That’s why ESPN BET had to wait longer than expected to launch in the Empire State. The paperwork Penn needed to submit was submitted in August. With the delayed launch, ESPN BET missed out on the first three weeks of the 2024 NFL season.
How will Penn handle college sports and sports betting advertising?
Over the last year, NCAA President Charlie Baker has worked with several lawmakers across the country. Baker wants states to work together to create a national ban on collegiate prop betting. Additionally, ESPN BET is aware of the challenges they face with the presence of college students.
ESPN BET will not target college students in their marketing campaigns. There are also restrictions for promoting sports betting in college sports. Universities and colleges do not want their students to be tainted by ESPN BET’s advertising and promotions. Penn will stay true to their commitment to protecting student-athletes as sports betting is set to launch in New York.