ESPN Bet Sportsbook & Betting App Review | November 2024

ESPN Bet is finally here, after ESPN struck a deal with Penn to take over as Penn’s major American sportsbook in the place of the bozos at Barstool Sports. In this ESPN Bet review, find out what we like and do not like about this sportsbook from the Worldwide Leader in Sports and what you need to know before using the site.

Authors Take On ESPN Bet

There is plenty to like about ESPN Bet, with a ton of betting options to choose from and the credibility that comes with the ESPN name. But there are unsurprisingly some growing pains with the site as well, as kinks are worked out when it comes to pricing and other areas that make a sportsbook worth using for its customers. The experience at ESPN Bet is largely positive, but bettors should not expect perfection either.

Reviewed By: Jay Sanin Fact Checked By: Mike McDermott

ESPN Bet Ratings Breakdown

Bonuses & Promotions:	4/5
Banking:	5/5
Mobile App & Website:	3/5
Betting Options:	3/5
Safety & Security:	5/5
Overall Rating:	3.5/5

ESPN Bet Pros & Cons

Bonus/Promotions – 4/5 Rating

From a sportsbook bonuses standpoint, ESPN Bet gets players off to a good start with their new player promotion. That promotion allows bettors to wager any amount with their first bet at ESPN Bet and receive $200 in bonus bets. That means bettors can wager a dollar and receive $200 in bonus bets when getting started at one of the newest sportsbooks in the American sports betting marketplace.

This bonus is great for players in that it does not require bettors to win their first bet in order to receive their bonus bets. Instead, they will receive four $50 bonus bets that can be used on whatever the bettor wants after placing their wager. That is certainly not a bad way to get started on any sportsbook.

The problem is that there are not many additional promotions to look forward to when playing at ESPN Bet. The site does offer odds boosts on sporting events that are coming up, along with a section of special NBA bets inspired by the yelling on the morning show Get Up. But there are no other advertised promotions such as profit boosts on wagers that a bettor chooses or parlay insurance, which would be nice to see in the future once this brand is more established in the marketplace.

Banking – 5/5 Rating

As far as banking options are concerned, ESPN Bet checks all of the boxes needed by most sports bettors. Bettors can use tried and true deposit methods such as credit and debit cards and bank transfers, along with methods such as PayPal. Below is a list of the deposit options that can be utilized at ESPN Bet.

Withdrawal methods are also plentiful at ESPN Bet, with bettors having the ability to use cards, eWallets, their bank accounts, and more. Below is a list of the withdrawal methods that ESPN Bet offers for its customers.

Mobile App & Website – 3/5 Rating

The ESPN Bet app and website run smoothly, which is the most important thing a sports bettor can ask for. But it is insane how bland both the website and app are from an aesthetic point of view. The ESPN Bet platform uses a white background and mostly-black text, with the only hits of color coming from the blue that shows up when you select a bet. Given the bold red branding of the rest of ESPN’s kingdom, this is a huge disappointment.

Also shocking is the lack of live streaming options available on a sportsbook named after the biggest distributor of live sporting events in the United States. Some sort of integration with a bettor’s cable package, ESPN+ subscription, or both, would be great here to allow bettors to watch the games that they are betting on. But that does not exist just yet, which is a bit of a letdown.

With that said, the app functions just the way bettors would want any sportsbook to function. It is easy to navigate from one sport to the next thanks to a menu on the left side of the screen on desktop computers and at the top of the screen on mobile devices. Even if it is a bit boring, this site does deliver from a technical standpoint.

Betting Options – 3/5 Rating

In terms of the actual options bettors have to choose from at ESPN Bet, it does not get much better anywhere else. Bettors can wager on the biggest sports leagues in the world such as the NFL and NBA at ESPN Bet. But they can also wager on smaller sports like lacrosse and volleyball, with selections that rival the biggest names in sports betting around the world.

Bettors can also get involved with a large number of bet types within those sports, from standard spreads and totals to exotic prop and parlay wagers. At this stage of the game, sports betting is all about maximizing the number of choices that bettors have. This is something that ESPN Bet has done a good job of.

But there are some massive flaws with ESPN Bet coming out of the gate that diminish the excitement around some of these betting options. Issues with teaser pricing (which was in the -150s for a standard two-team, six-point football teaser at one point), and voided parlay legs resulting in the entire parlay being graded as a loser, have left many bettors angry early in ESPN Bet’s history. For a site that was supposed to replace the shady characters of Barstool Sports with something more legitimate, this is an unpleasant surprise.

Security – 5/5 Rating

From a security perspective, ESPN Bet is up to the challenge. Bettors can rest assured that ESPN Bet will protect their personal information and their payment information, using up-to-date encryption technology to make sure that information does not end up in the wrong hands. Bettors can also use two-factor authentication to enhance the security surrounding their accounts as well.

Where Is ESPN Bet Legal?

ESPN BET is available in Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. Of course, this list could change in the future, as other states could be added to the mix as the site is around for longer. But this is a great start for this sportsbook, with its media footprint being a big reason for that.

Is ESPN Bet legit?

Yes, ESPN Bet is a legitimate sportsbook that is licensed in a number of states, as you can see in the list above. There are some issues to be worked out at this sportsbook in terms of the execution of different bet types and the settlement of certain types of bets. But the site is legitimate in terms of its ability to legally offer sports betting and satisfy the needs of most of its customers.

How Does ESPN Bet Compare to the Competition?

ESPN Bet vs DraftKings Sportsbook

DraftKings Sportsbook is known for having more betting options than almost any other sportsbook, as they offer betting on so many more sports than their competition. But ESPN Bet has done a pretty good job of keeping up with them on that front, offering wagering on obscure sports like lacrosse in addition to more mainstream leagues. We’d like to see ESPN Bet really commit to this and offer odds on things they televise such as Slamball, but they’re off to a promising start here.

ESPN Bet vs BetMGM

The biggest difference between ESPN Bet and BetMGM is the number of recurring promotions that are up for grabs on each site. ESPN Bet does not offer promotions for existing players all that often just yet, while BetMGM offers things like profit boosts and parlay insurance on a regular basis for players. This is an area that ESPN Bet will need to catch up on in the future.

How to Sign Up at ESPN Bet

Signing up at ESPN Bet is very straightforward. Bettors just need to do the following in order to set themselves up with an account.

1. Download the ESPN Bet app
2. Click the Sign Up button on the site
3. Fill out the forms with the requested personal information
4. Make your first deposit
5. Place your first bet
6. Receive your bonus bets

Customer Support

Bettors can get in touch with ESPN Bet via phone, email, or live chat for answers to all of their questions whenever they are needed. With ESPN Bet being so new, customer service volume is still high, which can impact response times. But bettors can also use their FAQs section for answers to help alleviate the need to wait for customer service representatives to help them out.

ESPN Bet Summary: A Promising Start, Still Room to Grow

So far, ESPN Bet has put the framework in place to have a really solid sportsbook product. But we are hoping that this site feels more like an ESPN property in the near future. Things like ESPN+ integrations and some personality-driven content would go a long way toward making this feel like an ESPN sportsbook, rather than a generic sportsbook with ESPN’s name on it.

ESPN Bet FAQs