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ESPN BET Has Big 1st Week Across Legal Sports Betting Markets

James Bisson

Last Updated: November 23, 2023 10:45 AM EST • 1 min 26 sec read.

ESPN BET logo as we look at the sportsbooks launching its first brick-and-mortal retail location.
The ESPN BET logo.

ESPN BET continues to grow in popularity, and it had a big first week following its Nov. 14 launch in 17 states.

The media giant's betting app was responsible for the vast majority of American best sports betting sites downloads for its first seven days of action, accounting for roughly 70% of sports betting app downloads across the United States. In comparison, FanDuel was second with about 10%.

Huge number of downloads reported

There were glitches and delays in the initial ESPN BET download process, and users couldn't actually get access until after 3 p.m. ET  on Nov. 14. However, those issues couldn't dampen the hype for what many feel will be one of the best sportsbooks in America.

A whopping 1.1-million downloads of ESPN BET occurred from Nov. 14 to 20, according to JMP Securities.

That number smashed the previous download record for an American sportsbook over a one-week period, which came when FanDuel experienced 468,000 downloads during Super Bowl week in 2022.

FanDuel's numbers in 2022 also coincided with the launch of New York's legal sports betting scene, one that has become by far the largest and most successful in the nation.

No single-day record, though

Though the week-long download activity for ESPN BET smashed records, it failed to set a record for the number of single-day downloads.

Both DraftKings and FanDuel had a higher single-day download total than ESPN BET did, which came in the days leading up to last year’s Super Bowl.

ESPN BET's best day for downloads came on Nov. 15, when the sportsbook experienced 180,000 downloads, according to JMP.

The caveat

Though the ESPN BET download numbers for its first week are impressive, the 1.1-million downloads come with a bit of a caveat. The ESPN BET download numbers included existing Barstool Sportsbook customers whose new ESPN BET platforms were automatically downloaded.

JMP Securities didn't differentiate between new PENN customers and those who were converted from Barstool to the ESPN BET product.

Additionally, ESPN BET launched all at once in 17 states on  Nov. 14. Few, if any, of the best sports betting apps in the U.S. market have been able to launch in as many jurisdictions at the same time as ESPN BET.

It'll be important to track during the next couple of months whether ESPN BET can carry the momentum into the new year. For now, registrations will likely continue to surge, as will promotional costs for the new betting brand.

Written By:
James Bisson
James Bisson is the Editor-in-Chief of Sportsbook Review. He has been a writer, reporter and editor for more than 20 years, and his work has appeared in more than 200 publications across North America. His first book, “100 Greatest Canadian Sports Moments”, was a hardcover best-seller in Canada in 2008. He has written more than 50 sportsbook reviews and dozens of other sportsbook-related content articles. James has also been quoted as a sports betting expert in USA Today and Sports Illustrated.