The ESPN brand is making its way to the Massachusetts sports betting market through the launch of the ESPN Bet sportsbook. Find out what can be expected from ESPN Bet Massachusetts in our complete review, including launch updates, promotions and more.
ESPN Bet Massachusetts, one of the newest Massachusetts sports betting apps, is a product of sports giant ESPN and gambling industry stalwart PENN Entertainment. Rebranded from Barstool Sportsbook, ESPN Bet is expected to leverage ESPN's market-leading Fantasy user database as part of its goal of becoming a top-tier sportsbook, including a top-tier experience and great Massachusetts sports betting promos.
No, ESPN Bet Massachusetts is not legal yet. The sportsbook is in the process of being rebranded from Barstool Sportsbook Massachusetts. After that process has concluded, ESPN Bet Sportsbook should be live in several sports betting states, Massachusetts included.
And PENN Entertainment has already been licensed by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, so going to market for ESPN Bet Massachusetts should be a relative breeze.
It appears likely that the ESPN Bet transition will happen sometime around Thanksgiving of 2023. There is widespread confidence that ESPN Bet will be live in Massachusetts and elsewhere before 2024.
It is unclear whether ESPN Bet will look to partner with any of Massachusetts' existing retail casinos to bring an in-person ESPN Bet sportsbook to the state. It's likely that the retail sportsbook would be located at Plainridge Park Casino given PENN Entertainment's prior plans to develop a Barstool Sportsbook at the facility.
For now, the ESPN Bet Promo Code in Massachusetts is TBD, as we don't know a ton about what is to be expected from the sportsbook just yet.
However, one speculation is that since ESPN Bet is being rebranded from Barstool Sportsbook, users could see something along the same lines as the $1K new user bonus. But as we said, that's entirely speculative, and there could be an entirely new ESPN Bet promo code for Massachusetts.
For now, there are plenty other sports betting promos from Massachusetts sportsbook apps available to bettors right now.
When the sportsbook goes live, it's expected that the ESPN Bet bonus code could be fairly easy to claim in Massachusetts. That process could be as simple as signing up for an ESPN Bet account, and once verified, the offer may be available.
Again, that's a speculative answer until we have more information on the ESPN Bet promo code.
Once ESPN Bet goes live in Massachusetts, anyone located within state lines who is also of legal sports betting age (21+) can claim the ESPN Bet promo.
As ESPN Bet gets established in Massachusetts and elsewhere, we expect to see the operator roll out several different kinds of promotions and bonus offers for both new and ongoing users.
In terms of ESPN Bet promotions, Massachusetts bettors can expect offers including Bet and Get promos, giveaways, deposit match offers, odds boosts, and referral promos. Let’s explore what each of these promos really has to offer in more detail:
At least one of the ESPN Bet promo code offers that we are likely to see will be a Bet & Get promo. Bet & Get promos are offers where a qualifying wager will unlock a reward, usually a certain amount of bonus funds or bet credits.
For example, you could see a sportsbook welcome offer such as “Bet $5, Get $200”. This is quite a lucrative offer which is why it is only available to new users. In this case, you would need to activate the promotion, place a qualifying bet of $5 or more, and then you would be rewarded with $200 in bonus bet credits which can be used to place more bets and win real money.
Because of ESPN’s established position as a sports media giant, they are going to be able to provide ESPN Bet users with some unique offerings not seen by other sportsbooks.
There is some speculation that one way ESPN Bet might leverage this position is to offer giveaways for free access to other ESPN services, such as the popular ESPN+ streaming platform. We could see an ESPN Bet MA bonus or welcome offer that includes a few months or a year of free access to ESPN+.
Deposit match bonuses are generally offered as a form of welcome offer. These sportsbook promotions are quite self-explanatory—you make an initial deposit, and the sportsbook matches it by depositing an equal amount of bonus bet credits into your account.
Deposit matches always have max limits, but they can be quite high—sometimes up to $5,000.
Odds boosts are a type of ESPN Bet promotion that we expect to see from this up and coming sportsbook. These offers are a great way for sportsbooks to add value to bets placed by new and existing users alike.
Odds boosts are also called profit boosts, because they work by increasing profits on qualifying winning bets. If you use an odds boost, it doesn’t make your bet more likely to win—instead, it will increase the amount of profit you can make on the wager if it does win.
Many sports betting platforms have a referral bonus that rewards users when they refer friends or family members to the sportsbook. You’ll usually see referral promos that work by offering you bonus funds when one of your friends signs up for a new account with the sportsbook using your referral code and deposits money. Some referral promos also offer bonus funds to the referral recipient.
ESPN Bet will be powered by PENN’s proprietary gaming software, a powerful platform that will allow the operator to offer some great features. We are expecting a lot from this new sportsbook, including widely loved features like same game parlays, early cashout, and live streaming.
Same game parlays offer a unique way to bet on your favorite teams and games. These bets comprise multiple individual wagers from the same competition into one, larger bet with higher odds. If each ‘leg’ or individual bet wins, your same game parlay will win.
ESPN Bet will look to include same game parlay betting as a feature as this has become a very popular betting option in recent years. While it’s generally harder to win a parlay bet than it is to win individual bets, they can be quite rewarding as the higher odds mean that you can win big without risking too much.
Early cash out is another sportsbook feature that has increased in popularity recently. This feature is offered by most of the top sportsbooks on the U.S. market, and we expect ESPN Bet to roll out some form of early cash out, as well.
Early cash out allows you to close out your bet early with updated odds based on the current situation surrounding your wager. For example, let’s say you placed a moneyline bet on the Patriots to beat the Eagles this Sunday. At halftime, the Patriots are up by 14.
You might see an early cash out option to secure a certain profit on this bet, but with odds lower than those of your initial wager. Conversely, if the Patriots were losing, early cashout could help you get some of your initial wager back without losing it entirely.
Live streaming is a premium feature offered by only a select few sportsbooks, and even those operators are only able to provide it in a highly limited fashion.
Since ESPN is primarily a sports media platform, we do expect that live streaming integration of games broadcasted by ESPN will become available on the ESPN Bet platform. ESPN has the potential to blow other sportsbooks out of the water when it comes to live streaming integration, because they own the broadcasting rights to so many major competitions.
The ability to place bets on live or upcoming games and watch those games in real time on the same app or website may make ESPN Bet a must-have sports betting platform.
The ESPN Bet Massachusetts mobile app will be available on both iOS and Android devices. Initially, it will probably closely resemble the current Barstool Sportsbook app—but over time, ESPN is likely to make changes that will make this platform into a unique offering.
ESPN Bet Sportsbook will come from a partnership between ESPN and PENN Entertainment, the company that has owned and operated Barstool Sportsbook for the past few years. PENN Entertainment owns the software rights for the platform that powers Barstool, so initially, the ESPN Bet app will probably look very similar to the current Barstool app.
This is great news, because Barstool Sportsbook holds some of the highest ratings across all devices for any major sportsbook app currently on the market.
Over time, we expect ESPN and PENN to take the sports betting app in new directions, adding to the already great platform that has been built with Barstool.
Just months ago, PENN Entertainment rolled out its proprietary gaming software. They are calling it the PENN Interactive Gaming Platform, and it has been very successful in its first few months powering the Barstool Sportsbook app.
This platform will continue to power the app as Barstool transitions into ESPN Bet. We expect that over time, ESPN’s partnership with PENN will yield exciting new features and offerings that build upon the existing PENN gaming software and take it in ESPN’s new direction.
It is still too early to know for sure what banking options will be offered by ESPN Bet, especially because these tend to vary between states. However, assuming that ESPN Bet continues to offer the same banking options currently seen on Barstool Sportsbook, we can expect the following deposit and withdrawal methods to be available:
We expect ESPN Bet to hit the ground running when it launches later this fall in Massachusetts and elsewhere. Powered by the tried-and-true PENN gaming software, ESPN will have a great foundation to build its sports betting empire upon.
We’re excited to see how the sports media giant integrates features like live streaming and giveaways into the sportsbook. Be sure to check back closer to the launch date for additional updates!
No, ESPN Bet is not legal in Massachusetts yet. In fact, ESPN Bet is not legal anywhere. It's expected that ESPN Bet Massachusetts will be legal in sports betting states including Massachusetts later this year following the completion of the sports betting app and site's rebrand from Barstool Sportsbook.
There is no ESPN Bet promo code in Massachusetts just yet, as the online sports betting app has not launched yet. However, it's expected that since ESPN Bet is being rebranded from Barstool Sportsbook, sports bettors could see a $1000 new user bonus. Though that's not guaranteed as we still have no concrete knowledge of what the app will offer
ESPN Bet is expected to launch in sports betting states including Massachusetts in the fall of this year, likely before Thanksgiving. We'll know a more definitive timeline as the year progresses, but for now, November seems to be the target launch date.
It's expected that ESPN Bet will offer online sports betting promotions once it goes live. As far as we know, the sportsbook is a product of PENN Entertainment and is expected to be a rebrand from Barstool Sportsbook, which has offered sports betting promotions in its states of operation.
ESPN Bet is a new sportsbook developed by ESPN and PENN Entertainment. The sportsbook is a rebrand of Barstool Sportsbook, with that process expected to be complete in November. PENN was granted the use of the ESPN Bet trademark for the next decade, making this a massive rebrand and overhaul.
Author
Adam Wernham has over eight years of professional copywriting experience. Growing up in the Bay Area, Adam developed strong ties to local teams including the Giants, Warriors, and 49ers. His passion for sports and writing make him a strong voice on all things sports betting and a great asset to the BetMassachusetts.com staff.
Cited by leading media organizations, such as: