Disney is synonymous with classic animated films, family fun at theme parks, and soon enough — gambling.

©Disney | Walt Disney Company Headquarters

Earlier this year, Disney-owned ESPN announced a partnership with Penn Entertainment to launch ESPN BET — a “branded sportsbook for fans in the United States.” Ultimately, as the ESPN press release noted, “The ESPN BET brand will be home to ESPN’s sports betting content across platforms.” And, now we know exactly when it will be rolled out!

ESPN BET is set to debut in the United States with a planned launch on November 14th, 2023!

©ESPN

The new sportsbook betting service is set to go live in 17 states, including Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Not only that, but ESPN will now be using official odds provided by ESPN BET across editorial and other content — so expect to hear the name a lot more when you’re watching sports!

©ESPN

Disney shared a quick teaser for the new service featuring Scott Van Pelt from SportsCenter.

As part of the launch of ESPN BET, the current ESPN Daily Wager program will be rebranded to ESPN BET Live, beginning on November 10th. The final show as Daily Wager will be on November 6th.

©ESPN

Not only that, but also in celebration of the launch, fans can enter sweepstakes for the chance to win an exclusive trip to ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut. You can enter the sweepstakes on the official ESPN BET website, as well as sign up for emails about the official launch of the ESPN BET sportsbook.

ESPN Wide World of Sports

This new addition to The Walt Disney Company’s vast repertoire of businesses is a departure from what CEO Bob Iger originally shared about sports betting.

During Bob Chapek’s tenure as CEO of The Walt Disney Company, sports betting was one of his money-making priorities. Then when current CEO Bob Iger took over, it appeared that Iger wasn’t as interested in sports betting as his predecessor. In fact, when asked if Disney had any plans to invest in the business of gambling, Iger said, “I rather doubt it.” 

©Disney

Over time, Iger began to make more references to suggest sports betting may be an option for Disney. He stated that the idea of getting into sports betting was “inevitable that they’ll be a…basically, a seamlessness between sports programming and sports betting.”

During The Walt Disney Company’s third-quarter earnings call for fiscal year 2023 on August 9th, Disney CEO Bob Iger shared more comments on ESPN BET. Iger was asked why Disney chose NOW to launch ESPN BET and the vision behind the platform, and he responded that entering the world of sports betting has been in discussion among the company for quite some time.

Now, that has finally come to fruition.

Cinderella Castle

Stay tuned to DFB for the latest Disney news and more details on the official launch of ESPN Bet.

Disney CEO Bob Iger Comments on New ESPN Sports Betting Service

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