Where Is ESPN Bet Legal? See These 18 States

By Patrick Cwiklinski in Sports Betting News

Updated: April 3, 2024 at 8:00 am EDT

Published: November 15, 2023

Nov 5, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Haason Reddick (7) is hugged by defensive end Brandon Graham (55) after a victory against the Dallas Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

ESPN BET officially went live in 17 states on Nov. 14 & added an 18th on March 11
Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio among states where ESPN BET is operational
A New York launch could be on the horizon for ESPN BET soon

The much-anticipated ESPN BET app finally went live in 17 states across the nation on Nov. 14 in what was easily one of the biggest launch days for a legal sportsbook that we’ve ever seen. (Then they went live in an 18th state, alongside seven other sportsbooks, on March 11.)

Chances are you’ve already been exposed to plenty of ESPN BET marketing collateral across social media and television, whether or not you’re located in one of the 18 states that now have access to the new app from the “Worldwide Leader in Sports.” Because of that, you might also be curious as to exactly which states are legally housing ESPN BET within their borders.

*Copy promo code DIME to your clipboard for instant welcome bonus access during signup

Lucky for you, we’ve got answers. Here’s exactly what you need to know about the 18 legal states that ESPN BET is live in right now.

ESPN BET Legal States

The ESPN BET app is currently available in these 18 states:

Arizona
Colorado
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
New Jersey
North Carolina
Ohio
Pennsylvania
Tennessee
Virginia
West Virginia

As you can see, you can get ESPN BET in plenty of states across America. Operating under the PENN Entertainment banner as a rebrand of the Barstool Sportsbook, ESPN BET absorbed all of Barstool’s sports betting licenses to make for a seamless launch in a number of states. Like most major sportsbook launches, however, it didn’t come without some mild controversy.

Prior to the Nov. 14 launch date, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) met with PENN Entertainment reps to voice their concerns surrounding on-air sports betting discussions and live events at college campuses. To quell those anxieties, PENN assured the MGC that there would be no form of ESPN BET promotion happening at college events and put in a set of ESPN BET guidelines for ESPN employees. Since those concerns were addressed, ESPN BET was able to launch in Massachusetts the same day as every other state.

ESPN BET also launched in the recently legalized sports betting state of Kentucky, which joined the US sports betting market on Sept. 28. This is of note as Kentucky was not one of the existing 16 states that Barstool Sportsbook previously operated in. PENN was able to get a sports betting license for ESPN BET in Kentucky ahead the Nov. 14 launch date which has resulted in them being fully operational in the state.

It was also announced on Dec. 5 that ESPN BET North Carolina will be live in the state once it launches online sports betting sometime in early 2024. (That date was March 11, 2024.)

What States Do Not Have Access to ESPN BET Right Now?

While there were plenty of states that ESPN BET was able to gain access to, there are still some that don’t have it right now.

Chief among the states absent from ESPN BET launch was New York. While other major sports betting brands such as DraftKings and FanDuel are live in New York, other sportsbooks have shied away from the massive market because of the state’s hefty taxes on them. With that in mind, it certainly wouldn’t be a surprise to see ESPN BET go after market access in New York in the near future as they have a strong presence in New York City and their nearby ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut.

As for other big states like California and Texas, online sports betting is currently illegal and not regulated there as of yet. Florida recently went live with online sports betting, but exclusively through the Hard Rock Bet sportsbook so it may take some time before ESPN BET finds itself in the Sunshine State.

North Carolina was the most likely state to see ESPN BET next, as their online sports betting launch was expected sometime in early-to-mid 2024 – we now know that day was March 11 and ESPN Bet is currently taking bets through their app. As the ninth largest state in the nation by population, it’s very possible that ESPN BET will make a big push in a market that has a deeply engrained sports culture with plenty of professional and college teams around.

Sign Up for ESPN BET if You’re in a Legal State Today

If you happen to be located in one of the ESPN BET’s 18 legal states, make sure you sign up for the new sportsbook using promo code DIME to unlock an exclusive “Bet $10, Get $150” welcome bonus. It is important to note that you’ll need to manually type in promo code DIME during the ESPN BET signup process to get this special ESPN BET promo code that gives you an extra $50 in bonus bets.

*Copy promo code DIME to your clipboard for instant welcome bonus access during signup

(If you’re in North Carolina, you can get a little more from your welcome offer using the code DIMENC.)

With plenty of great late-season NBA/NHL matchups on schedule, along with the Final Four, NCAA Tournament National Championship, and The Masters ahead, you’ll want to make sure you have your ESPN BET promo in hand and ready to rock if you’re in one of the 18 states where the new sportsbook is up and running. Here are some of the key March Madness games you can bet on with the ESPN BET app:

#11 NC State vs #1 Purdue – Saturday, April 6 (6:09pm ET)
#4 Alabama vs #1 UConn – Saturday, April 6 (8:49pm ET)
March Madness National Championship – Monday, April 8 (9:20pm ET)

We’ll keep you updated with latest news on states where ESPN BET is planning to launch next so you can keep track.

Patrick Cwiklinski

Evergreen Manager; Sportsbook Expert

Following a sports journalism career with his work appearing in outlets like theScore, The Province, and VICE Sports, Patrick moved into the world of content marketing to bridge the gap between great writing and SEO success. He’s brought that same mindset to lead evergreen content efforts at SBD.

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Where Is ESPN Bet Legal? See These 18 States

ESPN BET Legal States

What States Do Not Have Access to ESPN BET Right Now?

Sign Up for ESPN BET if You’re in a Legal State Today

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