ESPN Bet Debuts Retail Presence Following Hollywood Casino Greektown’s Rebrand

The past week was a busy one for ESPN Bet. Late Thursday, news came out that PENN Entertainment’s Hollywood Casino at Greektown, in Detroit, will be rebranded to ESPN Bet Michigan. The date for this rebranding is yet to be announced but will be sometime in April. With this development, the retail arm of the Michigan gambling industry seems poised to continue its rapid evolution.

Also, ESPN Bet announced, last Tuesday, that it was planning to enter the New York market sometime this year. This will become possible through PENN’s purchase of WynnBet’s license in the Empire State. WynnBet’s Casino in Michigan is also open to potential takeover by PENN and ESPN Bet.

PENN Entertainment recently announced that its sportsbook in Detroit, Hollywood Casino at Greektown, will rebrand to ESPN Bet by April.

According to PENN Entertainment’s CEO and president, Jay Snowden, the company is excited to be announcing this new development involving its market-leading sportsbook.

“Our market-leading sportsbook Hollywood Casino at Greektown will debut as the first ESPN Bet-branded sportsbook in our portfolio,” said Snowden, in a news release. “Together with ESPN, we look forward to expanding the ESPN Bet brand with our premium retail sportsbooks and creating unique omni-channel experiences at key PENN properties across the country.”

The enthusiasm is also shared by ESPN Bet leadership. Mike Morrison, Vice President at ESPN Bet and ESPN Fantasy, disclosed that “they cannot wait to open ESPN Bet inside Hollywood Casino at Greektown for fans in Michigan ahead of some key sporting events.”

Hollywood Casino at Greektown is one of Michigan’s most prominent casinos. It currently features 40 self-service betting kiosks, 25 HDTVs and a 30-foot video wall on property.

ESPN Bet, on the other hand, remains committed to growing brand awareness, increasing its market share, and ultimately attaining industry prominence. This has manifested in various ways, including venturing into new markets and now its first retail presence according to ESPN Bet Vice President, Mike Morrison.

Due to this arrangement, ESPN regional radio talent will be hosting events throughout the year at several of PENN’s retail sportsbooks. This offers ESPN Bet a lot of marketing opportunities given that PENN Entertainment currently operates 32 retail sportsbooks across its properties.

In other related news, according to PENN Entertainment, New York’s WynnBet Sportsbook will soon become ESPN Bet. This is coming on the heels of PENN's $25 million purchase of Wynn Resorts (the entity that holds WynnBet’s New York license). 

Through this purchase and pending a New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC) license transfer approval, ESPN Bet will launch in the Empire State this year.

The WynnBet sale could also see Hollywood Casino come to New York if the state legalizes iGaming. Hollywood Casino Michigan is already PENN Entertainment’s iGaming arm in the state.

Besides Michigan, the casino already takes bets in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia but cannot accept gamblers’ deposits in New York unless SB8185 or another iGaming bill becomes law.

Online casino gambling remains illegal in New York. However, State Sen. Joseph P. Addabbo Jr. (D-D-Woodhaven) has proposed legislation that would change that by legalizing New York online casino and poker gambling, and iLottery.

The recent spate of events involving PENN Entertainment and ESPN Bet both in Michigan and other jurisdictions could have wide reaching impact.

Currently, the Michigan WynnBet Casino remains under review, even though the sportsbook in Massachusetts is ceasing operations. This was confirmed by Seth Medvin, Wynn Sports Interactive’s (WSI) assistant vice president.

This situation opens up the possibility that PENN Entertainment and ESPN Bet will take over WynnBet Michigan Casino seeing as the former already purchased the New York license.

It is no secret that ESPN Bet is focused on expanding across the US. PENN CEO and President, Jay Snowden, confirmed this when he disclosed that the firm is collaborating with ESPN to build “a brand that is synonymous with sports betting” as they “grow ESPN Bet across the US.”