When it comes to regulated sports betting in the United States, there’s one brand that 70 percent of Americans trust – and it doesn’t even run a sportsbooks – yet. According to a recent online survey conducted by Odds Assist, approximately 73 percent of respondents said that they would trust an ESPN-branded sportsbook.
Whether or not the survey mentioned that ESPN is currently not in the bookmaking business is unclear. What is clear is that Americans have a lot of faith in the brand that’s brought sports information into their lives for the past several decades.
The folks at ESPN are no doubt aware of this bond and, reportedly, already moving in that direction. If they do, Dave Rathmanner, Founder & CEO of Odds Assist, says they’ll no doubt be successful. He touched on this subject during a recent interview with SBC News saying, “Since reports came out that ESPN wanted to license its name to a sportsbook, it seemed inevitable that whoever ended up partnering with them would be successful. These results confirm that with nearly three-quarters of bettors saying they would use an ESPN-branded sportsbook.”
Rathmanner went on to speculate how ESPN might jump in the market saying, “It wouldn’t be surprising to see a company like PointsBet, bet365, WynnBET, Rush Street Interactive, or another lesser-known sportsbook partner with ESPN to dramatically increase its customer base.”
Sports Illustrated, another iconic sports information brand, has already taken the leap into regulated sports betting world after partnering with 888 Holdings. The company is currently serving players in Colorado, Michigan, and Virginia and would be a prime competitor for ESPN in any market.