ESPN BET Review 2026: Rebranded to theScore Bet

ESPN BET Review: Why the Name Disappeared in 2025

ESPN BET is not a name you can sign up under anymore. PENN Entertainment operated it as a US sportsbook from November 2023 until December 1, 2025, when PENN and ESPN mutually ended their trademark deal and PENN renamed the product theScore Bet. This review covers what ESPN BET actually was, why the ESPN name went away, and what happened to accounts that were open when it did.

Type “ESPN BET” into a search bar in September 2026 and the app store listing, the login page, and the promo codes all point somewhere else now. That’s not a glitch. PENN Entertainment, the company that actually ran the sportsbook, retired the ESPN BET name on December 1, 2025. This review covers what ESPN BET was, exactly why the name went away, and what it means for anyone who still had money sitting in an account when it happened.

Is ESPN BET Still Legit? Yes — It Just Isn’t Called That

ESPN BET launched in November 2023 when PENN Entertainment paid ESPN for a 10-year license to the ESPN BET trademark, reportedly worth somewhere north of $1.5 billion over the life of the deal, and used it to rebrand its existing Barstool Sportsbook product. The sportsbook itself was never fake or unlicensed — PENN is a publicly traded gaming operator with decades of casino licenses across the US. What ended was the marketing agreement, not the business behind it.

The short version: PENN and ESPN mutually agreed to end their trademark deal early. On December 1, 2025, PENN stopped using the ESPN name and relaunched the same product as theScore Bet, built on PENN’s Canadian theScore media brand. Same operator, same state licenses, new name.

Why the Name Actually Changed

PENN had agreed to pay ESPN roughly $150 million a year in cash, plus warrants on PENN stock, for exclusive US online sports betting rights to the ESPN name. The stated goal was cracking the top three US sportsbooks by market share, alongside DraftKings and FanDuel. That never happened. Reporting around the split points to underwhelming market share as the reason PENN and ESPN walked away from the deal early rather than running it the full 10 years, and ESPN separately lined up DraftKings as its 2026 media odds partner — a different arrangement, with a different company running the actual sportsbook.

Is ESPN BET Safe? What Happened to Existing Accounts

If a reader had money in an ESPN BET account before December 1, 2025, PENN says the transition was automatic: login credentials, account balance, wager history, and any bets still in progress carried over to theScore Bet without requiring a new signup. Responsible-gambling tools — deposit limits, self-exclusion — also carried over. The safety question here isn’t “did PENN lose player funds” — there’s no evidence of that — it’s that a reader relying on an old bookmark, an old app, or a stale “ESPN BET promo code” page in 2026 is looking at outdated information.

Where the ESPN BET Name Still Shows Up

Plenty of sportsbook comparison sites, promo-code aggregators, and cached search results still reference “ESPN BET” months after the switch — that’s normal lag for a brand name that ran national ads for two years, not evidence the brand is still active. Anyone offered an “ESPN BET” signup bonus today should treat it as stale or, worse, a sign the source hasn’t verified anything since 2025.

Who This Page Is For

Readers trying to figure out whether an old ESPN BET account, promo code, or bookmark is still good — it isn’t, but the account and funds behind it are fine under theScore Bet. Readers deciding where to bet in 2026 should compare theScore Bet directly against currently operating books rather than searching for a brand that no longer takes signups. Gambling should stay entertainment spending, never income, regardless of which name is on the app. 21+ where legal; call 1-800-GAMBLER for help.

ESPN BET — Frequently Asked Questions

Is ESPN BET still legal to use?

There is no ESPN BET to sign up for anymore. PENN Entertainment retired the name on December 1, 2025. The underlying sportsbook is legal and licensed in the same states it always was — it now operates as theScore Bet.

Is ESPN BET legit, or was it a scam?

It was a legitimate, state-licensed sportsbook operated by PENN Entertainment, a publicly traded gaming company — not a scam. It shut down under that name because PENN and ESPN mutually ended their marketing agreement early, a business decision unrelated to fraud or player safety.

What happened to my ESPN BET account?

It moved automatically to theScore Bet. Login credentials, account balance, betting history, and any pending wagers carried over without requiring re-registration. Responsible-gambling limits set on the ESPN BET account also stayed in place.

Why did ESPN BET change its name?

PENN Entertainment paid ESPN roughly $150 million a year for exclusive rights to the ESPN BET trademark starting in 2023. The two companies mutually agreed to end that deal early, effective December 1, 2025, after ESPN BET never became a top-three US sportsbook by market share. PENN rebranded the product theScore Bet, built around its Canadian theScore media property.

Is ESPN BET safe, or should I worry about my money?

Funds that were in ESPN BET accounts are safe and transferred to theScore Bet under the same PENN Entertainment operating license and state gaming oversight. The brand name changing is a marketing event, not a sign of financial trouble at the operator.

Is ESPN still involved in sports betting at all?

Not as an operator. DraftKings became ESPN's official sportsbook and odds partner for 2026, integrated into ESPN's media platforms, but that is a separate arrangement from the PENN Entertainment product that used to carry the ESPN BET name.