ESPN and the PGA are teaming up to bring live betting to a whole new level on the world’s biggest sports media channel. Earlier this week PENN Entertainment, the operator of ESPN Bet, announced a new partnership with the PGA that will have ESPN+ hosting a live betting stream of the PGA TOUR LIVE. The alphabet soup of media outlets is aimed at bringing live betting to a much wider audience than is currently available to players on ESPN Bet.
The new partnership is set to launch with a broadcast of the WM Phoenix Open on ESPN+ starting Thursday, February 6. It’s the first broadcast of what PENN Entertainment says is a multi-year deal between the operator and the broadcaster (though complete details of the deal were not announced). The live betting broadcast deal includes two hours of pre-event coverage and hole-by-hole coverage during actual play. To say that this new deal brings live betting to a whole new audience is a bit of an understatement.
Scott Warfield, PGA TOUR Vice President, Gaming hyped up the deal in a recent press release saying, “Pairing the PGA TOUR’s in-depth ShotLink powered by CDW data with the power of the ESPN and ESPN BET brands is certain to make for a compelling sports-watching experience for fans and bettors of our sport. A competition feed with a focus on odds and wagers has been a goal of the PGA TOUR since our agreement with ESPN+ first began in 2022, and we are proud to make that vision a reality today with the support of our new partner, PENN Entertainment.”
The WM Phoenix Open will be the first of six PGA Live events covered in the live betting deal this year.