Who owns ESPN Bet?
As of : ESPN Bet was owned by PENN Entertainment, Inc., a Nasdaq-listed US casino company, not by ESPN. PENN ended its licence deal with ESPN early, and on 1 December 2025 the app was renamed theScore Bet. In Pennsylvania the brand ran under the certificate of Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course.
| Ultimate owner | PENN Entertainment, Inc. (listed (Nasdaq:PENN)) |
|---|---|
| Operating company | Mountainview Thoroughbred Racing Association, LLC d/b/a Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course, US-PA |
| Licences | USA Pennsylvania — PGCB Interactive gaming certificate |
| Products | Sports betting, Casino |
| Website | espnbet.com |
| Sister casinos | 3 |
| Fines and actions | ESPN Bet’s own company: 0 · whole PENN Entertainment, Inc. group: 9 |
| Owner proof | verified |
| Last checked | 14 Oct 2026 |
In numbers
- Mountainview Thoroughbred Racing Association, LLC d/b/a Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course also runs 2 other gambling brands under the same company and licence.
- PENN Entertainment, Inc. owns 4 casino and betting brands (6 websites) in our data.
- 9 fines and regulator actions against the owner since 2023, about €365,000 in total (converted to euros).
Who is behind it
ESPN Bet launched on 14 November 2023 and replaced Barstool Sportsbook. PENN bought theScore in 2021, and its digital arm is built on it. PENN ended the ESPN deal early and took a large write-down. Its online casino runs as Hollywood Casino and theScore Casino.
In Pennsylvania the certificate holder is Mountainview Thoroughbred Racing Association, LLC, which trades as Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course.
Licence and what it means for you
Online gambling in the US is licensed state by state. A state licence covers players inside that state only, and each licensing state runs its own self-exclusion list. ESPN Bet ran in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Michigan and West Virginia.
Licence records
| Regulator | Type | Valid | Check it |
|---|---|---|---|
| USA Pennsylvania — PGCB Interactive gaming certificate | — | active | register |
What each licence means, and self-exclusion
Sister sites
theScore Bet is the direct successor: on 1 December 2025 the ESPN Bet app was renamed theScore Bet, and accounts carried over. Barstool Sportsbook is the brand ESPN Bet replaced in November 2023. Hollywood Casino online is PENN's casino brand. Our data counts 3 sister brands, all from one owner.
3 sister casinos
Same owner often means the same terms, the same support team and the same payout rules. A self-exclusion at one brand may not cover its sister sites.
- theScore Betthescore.bet
- Hollywood Casino (online)hollywoodcasino.com
- Barstool Sportsbookbarstoolsportsbook.com rebranded
Does self-exclusion at ESPN Bet cover its sister sites? · How national self-exclusion schemes work
Fines and regulator actions
ESPN Bet's Pennsylvania licensee, Mountainview Thoroughbred Racing Association, LLC, has fines on record. In February 2024 the PGCB fined it $97,500 because weak controls on Penn Interactive platforms let people open accounts with other people's identities and fund them with stolen cards. In March 2023 it paid $45,000 after five self-excluded people gambled on the online Barstool Sportsbook, the app ESPN Bet replaced. Across PENN companies our data holds 9 actions. In New Jersey, Penn Sports Interactive paid a $2,000 penalty in January 2026 over software rules.
All 9 fines and regulator actions, with sources
None of these 9 names ESPN Bet’s own company; they concern other companies of the PENN Entertainment, Inc. group. The company column names who was fined.
Fines from the 40 regulators, prosecutors and courts we track, online gambling only; fines against land-based casinos are out of scope. How we count fines.
| Date | Company | Regulator / court | Amount | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-06 | Score Media and Gaming Inc. (theScore.Bet) | AGCO (Ontario) | CAD 200,000 | Monetary penalty for showing cash-out offers on a parlay that were not honoured (Standard 4.07). source |
| 2026-08-04 | Penn Sports Interactive, LLC | USA Michigan — MGCB | — | Board approved an Acknowledgment of Violation against this internet gaming/sports betting supplier licensee; the minutes do not state the facts or the fine amount. source |
| 2026-05-12 | Penn Sports Interactive, LLC | USA Michigan — MGCB | — | Board approved an Acknowledgment of Violation against this internet gaming/sports betting supplier licensee; the minutes do not state the facts or the fine amount. source |
| 2026-01-15 | Penn Interactive / Penn Sports Interactive | USA New Jersey — DGE | USD 2,000 | DGE Director's ruling (summary for jan1-15 2026): $2,000 civil penalty on Penn Sports Interactive pursuant to a Notice of Violation regarding software rules source |
| 2025-10-07 | Score Media and Gaming Inc. | AGCO (Ontario) | CAD 105,000 | Monetary penalty for failing to act on clear signs of gambling harm by a high-stakes patron (about $230k lost over eight months). source |
| 2025-09-15 | Penn Interactive / Penn Sports Interactive | USA New Jersey — DGE | USD 3,000 | DGE Director's ruling (summary for sep1-15 2025): $3,000 civil penalty on Penn Interactive pursuant to an Action in Lieu of Complaint and denied its request to void certain wagers for failing to correctly list a wagering market source |
| 2025-08-15 | Penn Interactive / Penn Sports Interactive | USA New Jersey — DGE | USD 27,500 | DGE Director's ruling (summary for aug1-15 2025): civil penalty of $27,500 and ordered the disgorgement of $4,194.26 against Penn Interactive pursuant to an Action in Lieu of Complaint for violation of self-exclusion rules source |
| 2024-02-21 | Mountainview Thoroughbred Racing Association, LLC (Penn Interactive Ventures platforms) | USA Pennsylvania — PGCB | USD 97,500 | Consent agreement: weak controls on Penn Interactive's online casino/sportsbook let people open accounts with other people's identities, fund them with stolen cards and withdraw funds. source |
| 2023-03-22 | Mountainview Thoroughbred Racing Association, LLC (Hollywood Casino at Penn National) | USA Pennsylvania — PGCB | USD 45,000 | Consent agreement: five people on the iGaming self-exclusion list were able to gamble on the online Barstool Sportsbook. source |
About PENN Entertainment, Inc.
Regional casino owner (Hollywood Casino properties) with a digital arm built on theScore, bought in 2021. It ended its ESPN licence early and rebranded ESPN Bet as theScore Bet on Dec 1 2025, taking a large write-down; online casino runs as Hollywood Casino and theScore Casino.
Headquarters: US · Founded: 1972 · Ownership: listed (Nasdaq:PENN)
How we know, and what we could not confirm
How we know: Launched Nov 14 2023 replacing Barstool; licence deal with ESPN ended early, app renamed theScore Bet Dec 1 2025.
- We have no company registration number for Mountainview Thoroughbred Racing Association, LLC d/b/a Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course.
PENN Entertainment, Inc. sister sites, fines and sources →
Ratings elsewhere
- Trustpilot: read the reviews there
Ratings from other websites, with their source. We do not copy their reviews, and they do not change our facts.
Often compared
- Are ESPN Bet and theScore Bet owned by the same company? Yes, both are owned by PENN Entertainment, Inc..
- Are ESPN Bet and Hollywood Casino (online) owned by the same company? Yes, both are owned by PENN Entertainment, Inc..
Questions and answers
Does ESPN Bet still exist?
No. PENN renamed it theScore Bet on 1 December 2025.
Did ESPN own ESPN Bet?
No. PENN Entertainment owned the sportsbook and used the ESPN name under a licence deal.
Who owns theScore Bet?
PENN Entertainment, Inc.
Is ESPN Bet legit?
ESPN Bet is run by Mountainview Thoroughbred Racing Association, LLC d/b/a Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course, which holds a licence from PGCB (USA Pennsylvania). Check the licence in the Pennsylvania licence register. Its owner is PENN Entertainment, Inc., a listed company. Fines and regulator actions against ESPN Bet’s own company: 0; against the whole PENN Entertainment, Inc. group: 9. Sister sites with the same owner: 3. Guide: How to check a casino. We do not rate sites. A licence from your country’s regulator is the main protection.
What are ESPN Bet’s sister sites?
ESPN Bet has 3 sister casinos with the same owner, PENN Entertainment, Inc.: theScore Bet, Hollywood Casino (online), Barstool Sportsbook. Full list: all PENN Entertainment, Inc. sister sites.
Sources
- https://cdcgaming.com/brief/a-new-dawn-for-penn-espn-bet-is-replaced-with-thescore-bet/
- https://www.ingame.com/penn-ends-espn-bet-deal/
- https://gamingcontrolboard.pa.gov/sites/default/files/licensure/Expanded%20Gaming%20Information%20and%20Links/Online_Operator_Master_List.pdf
Last checked 14 Oct 2026. Review text checked against our data on 19 Oct 2026. How we check facts. Gambling can be addictive. Help: BeGambleAware, GamStop, Gamblers Anonymous.
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