Around the Sports Betting Horn in America

With so much taking place in the U.S. sports betting market, it's near impossible for the everyday sports bettor in each state to know where things stand. In this article, we will address the goings-on in Wyoming, Oregon, and ESPN.

Wyoming Sports Betting Goes Live

Effective September 1, 2021, sports bettors in Wyoming were given access to online sportsbooks. Wyoming bettors are reminded that the state legislature passed a sports betting bill that directed the Wyoming Gaming Commission to issue five sports betting operator licenses. To date, only two brands have been licensed to accept online sports wagers. That would be DraftKings and BetMGM.

While licensing has not yet been issued, it would appear that Fanduel and Barstool anticipate getting said licenses in the very near future. When they do, they should be ready to go live in a matter of days. That will leave one license available with several top online bookmakers vying for the final spot.

DraftKings Takes Over in Oregon

When Oregon legalized sports betting in August of 2019, the right to provide online gambling services was put in the hands of the Scoreboard platform powered by SBTech. Bettors might want to note that SBTech was acquired by DraftKings later that same year.

The Oregon Lottery Commission has unanimously approved the state's switch from the Scoreboard App to the sports betting app provided by DraftKings. This will necessitate that Oregon sports bettors open new accounts at the DraftKings website. Currently, retail sports betting is only available at Chinook Winds, a tribal gaming property.

ESPN Looking to Join U.S. Sports Betting Fray

This past week, a story surfaced in the Wall Street Journal that indicated ESPN might have an interest in getting involved in the U.S. sports betting market.

According to the report, ESPN, The World-Wide Leader in Sports, is having preliminary discussions with both Caesars Entertainment and DraftKings for a branding deal. The report also went on to say that a $3.0 billion number was being tossed about.

Remember, ESPN is owned by Walt Disney Inc., a leader in worldwide entertainment. As part of a potential deal, ESPN has seemingly indicated that would be open to sponsoring the company's own sports betting operations. It wouldn't be that far of a leap based on the fact the ESPN regularly using betting lines in its broadcast content. They have even gone so far as to create their own sports betting/handicapping show, Daily Wager.

In the recent past, officials from ESPN had expressed some reluctance to get fully involved in the U.S. sports betting market. With that said, it will be very difficult for management to turn down an opportunity to participate in the fastest-growing adult entertainment market in the world.

While any ongoing conversations are preliminary in nature, the inclusion of ESPN and Walt Disney brands in the U.S. sports betting industry would be viewed as quite significant. After all, Walt Disney has been actively involved in try to stop sports betting in Florida, home of Disney World Resorts.