Casino and gaming operator Penn Entertainment has rebranding 10 more retail sportsbooks with its ESPN Bet brand, joining ESPN Bet sportsbooks in Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan and Ohio.
The company will launch ESPN Bet sportsbooks at Ameristar Casino Hotel Council Bluffs in Iowa; Hollywood Casino Grantville, Hollywood Casino York and Hollywood Casino Washington, all in Pennsylvania; Ohio Hollywood Gaming locations in Youngstown and Dayton; Ameristar Casino Black Hawk in Colorado; Ameristar East Chicago in Illinois; Hollywood Lawrenceburg in Indiana; and Hollywood Casino Charles Town in West Virginia.
However, it’s not all good news for PENN Entertainment, as the Massachusetts Gaming Commission recently fined Penn Sports Interactive $10,000 for accepting illegal bets on an NCAA non-Division I basketball team this year.
The gaming commission also agreed to revisit how ESPN Bet finalized illegal bets for customers. The MGC Investigations and Enforcement Bureau noted that the sportsbook operator had accepted 249 bets on 27 games featuring at least one non-Division I team in 2024, accepting more than $12,000 in customer bets.
These issues have caused concern with some investors, with a Deutsche Bank analyst suggesting ESPN Bet is hindering Penn Entertainment.
