- ESPN BET officially went live in 17 states yesterday
- Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio among states where ESPN BET is operational
- New York, North Carolina launches could be on the horizon for ESPN BET soon
The much-anticipated ESPN BET app finally went live in 17 states across the nation yesterday in what was easily one of the biggest launch days for a single sportsbook that we’ve ever seen.
Chances are you’ve already been exposed to plenty of ESPN BET marketing collateral across social media and television, whether or not you’re located in one of the 17 states that now have access to the new app from the “Worldwide Leader in Sports.” Because of that, you might also be curious as to exactly which states are legally housing ESPN BET within their borders.
*Copy promo code DIME to your clipboard for instant welcome bonus access during signup
Lucky for you, we’ve got answers. Here’s exactly what you need to know about the 17 states that ESPN BET is live in right now.
What States Is ESPN BET Currently Legal In?
The ESPN BET app is currently available in these 17 states:
- Arizona
- Colorado
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- New Jersey
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania
- Tennessee
- Virginia
- West Virginia
As you can see, you can get ESPN BET in plenty of states across America. Operating under the PENN Entertainment banner as a rebrand of the Barstool Sportsbook, ESPN BET absorbed all of Barstool’s sports betting licenses to make for a seamless launch in a number of states. Like most major sportsbook launches, however, it didn’t come without some mild controversy.
Prior to the Nov. 14 launch date, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) met with PENN Entertainment reps to voice their concerns surrounding on-air sports betting discussions and live events at college campuses. To quell those anxieties, PENN assured the MGC that there would be no form of ESPN BET promotion happening at college events and put in a set of ESPN BET guidelines for ESPN employees. Since those concerns were addressed, ESPN BET was able to launch in Massachusetts the same day as every other state.
ESPN BET also launched in the recently legalized sports betting state of Kentucky, which joined the US sports betting market on Sept. 28. This is of note as Kentucky was not one of the existing 16 states that Barstool Sportsbook previously operated in. PENN was able to get a sports betting license for ESPN BET in Kentucky ahead the Nov. 14 launch date which has resulted in them being fully operational in the state.
What States Do Not Have Access to ESPN BET Right Now?
While there were plenty of states that ESPN BET was able to gain access to, there are still plenty that don’t have it right now.
Chief among the states absent from ESPN BET launch was New York. While other major sports betting brands such as DraftKings and FanDuel are live in New York, other sportsbooks have shied away from the massive market because of the state’s hefty taxes on them. With that in mind, it certainly wouldn’t be a surprise to see ESPN BET go after market access in New York in the near future as they have a strong presence in New York City and their nearby ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut.
As for other big states like California and Texas, online sports betting is currently illegal and not regulated there as of yet. Florida recently went live with online sports betting, but exclusively through the Hard Rock Bet sportsbook so it may take some time before ESPN BET finds itself in the Sunshine State.
North Carolina is the most likely to state to see ESPN BET next as they are slated for a launch sometime in early-to-mid 2024. As the ninth largest state in the nation by population, it’s very possible that ESPN BET will make a big push in a market that has a deeply engrained sports culture with plenty of professional and college teams around.
Sign Up for ESPN BET if You’re in a Legal State Today
If you happen to be located in one of the ESPN BET’s 17 legal states, make sure you sign up for the new sportsbook using promo code DIME to unlock an exclusive “Bet Anything, Get $250” welcome bonus. It is important to note that you’ll need to manually type in promo code DIME during the ESPN BET signup process to get this special ESPN BET promo code that gives you an extra $50 in bonus bets.
*Copy promo code DIME to your clipboard for instant welcome bonus access during signup
We’ll keep you updated with latest news on states where ESPN BET is planning to launch next so you can keep track.
The post Get ESPN BET Right Now if You Live In One of These 17 States appeared first on Sports Betting Dime.
