In an announcement that nobody saw coming, PENN Entertainment and ESPN have formed a partnership to create an ESPN-branded sportsbook app in place of Barstool. The app, ESPN Bet Kansas, will be one of the best options available for sports betting in Kansas, and it's set to launch before Thanksgiving Day, 2023.
As more information becomes available, such as the ESPN Bet Kansas promo code, we'll keep this page updated with everything you need to know.
No, ESPN Bet Kansas is not yet legal as it is still being rebranded from Barstool. With PENN Entertainment having already been approved for a sports betting license, we should see this move along quicker than other sportsbook launches. As soon as the rebranding and transitional period is complete, we should see ESPN Bet go live in all markets where Barstool was approved, which includes Kansas.
There is no set date for when ESPN Bet will go live in Kansas, but the expectation is that the new sports betting app will be available to Kansas bettors at some point this fall during football season. In fact, PENN Entertainment CEO Jay Snowden said he believes ESPN Bet Kansas will be available by Thanksgiving. While it remains to be seen if that comes to fruition, the larger point is that ESPN Bet should be around in time for a Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl run.
There is not yet an ESPN Bet Kansas promo code to claim because it hasn't gone live. It remains to be seen if ESPN Bet will offer some sort of pre-registration bonus or just a regular new user bonus, but we feel confident in saying some sort of Kansas sports betting promo will be offered once the app is ready to go.
Since PENN Entertainment and ESPN already have such massive reach and an engaged customer base, there's no telling what type of value to expect from the industry leader. Could ESPN Bet opt for a lower value amount? Or will they go right at industry leaders like DraftKings Kansas and FanDuel in an attempt to disrupt their market share?
For what it's worth, there was a "$1,000 Deposit Match Bonus" image visible on the only screenshot of what the ESPN Bet betting app could look like. Although this was purely for illustrative purposes, it should still be a positive signal for those hoping for a Kansas sportsbook promo code from ESPN BET.
Details are limited at this time, but one thing we do know about ESPN's exclusive sportsbook is that PENN Entertainment will be handling the day-to-day operation and technology for ESPN Bet Kansas. If the ESPN Sportsbook is going to be similar to the Barstool Sports product, we should see a regular amount of ongoing promotions for all users to take advantage of.
Here are some examples of bonuses Barstool Sportsbook used to offer and what we can reasonably expect from ESPN BET Kansas.
Offering daily odds boosts across multiple sports was something Barstool did well. While boosted odds markets are becoming more and more common across online sportsbooks, some brands offer one or two markets while others, like Caesars Sportsbook Kansas, have anywhere from 10-50 options daily.
Adding onto the illustrative graphic mentioned above, the first tab you see on the screenshot is a "Boosts" tab. Again, this isn't an official representation of what the app will actually have, but it's a good sign nonetheless.
Bet-and-get promotions are offered for customers to place a specific wager type and receive some sort of bonus in return. An example would be placing an NFL same game parlay wager and receiving a $10 bonus bet.
Profit boosts are one of the less common promo types and therefore can vary dramatically between the sportsbooks that do offer them. This could be something like placing a parlay wager with a certain amount of legs and if your wager hits, you receive a 15% profit boost. It's important to read the terms and conditions on profit boosts, as there can be fine print on how much you have to bet, the type of bet you have to place, and the sport it is eligible for.
Considering the amount of experience and incredible technology between ESPN and PENN Entertainment, there's a real chance ESPN Bet is one of the most innovative Kansas betting apps with unique features not found anywhere else. While we wait to find out exactly what ESPN Bet Kansas will offer, there are a handful of features every sportsbook must have in order to be competitive.
Although ESPN and PENN already have huge customer bases, the quickest way to lose market share is in the sports betting industry to offer consistently subpar odds. With PENN Entertainment having nearly five years of experience in the space, Kansas bettors will be sure to find odds and lines that stack up with the heavy hitters.
Live betting is becoming a must-have feature for online sportsbooks and there's no reason to believe this won't be part of the ESPN BET Kansas app experience.
As mentioned above, if the ESPN Sportsbook is going to function similarly to how Barstool did, we can certainly expect to find ESPN BET KS promos throughout the year. These will go beyond the new user welcome offer and be available to all customers. This would also be one of the easiest ways for ESPN Bet to gain a meaningful market share in Kansas.
While the majority of Kansas bettors will end up sticking to the most popular US sports, it's still important for sportsbooks to offer some of the lesser-followed events and competitions. This also extends to having plenty of betting types available as well, from moneylines to prop bets to teasers.
The initial press release from ESPN announcing its partnership with PENN Entertainment featured an extensive section on responsible gaming. This will certainly be an area where the sports broadcasting juggernaut will have to tread lightly, given its massive reach and how the betting product will be woven in with ESPN's programming.
In addition to the responsible gaming safeguards implemented by PENN Entertainment, ESPN laid out two additional details worth monitoring:
With responsible gaming becoming increasingly important and different states implementing different regulations in terms of how sports betting products are promoted, ESPN will have to pay close attention here.
Yes, we believe there will be an ESPN Bet Kansas promo to take advantage of once it is live in the state. The type of promo and value of the bonus yet is still up in the air, but Kansas bettors should see some type of welcome bonus from ESPN BET.
ESPN BET Kansas will be legal once the sportsbook goes through the regulatory and quality control processes. Being that the Barstool product is simply being rebranded, this should go smoothly and we can expect ESPN BET Kansas to be available sooner rather than later.
There are no details available yet for an expected ESPN BET Kansas Sportsbook promo. With an expected launch during football season, however, we should have more information soon on what type of sign up bonus will be offered as well as the promo amount.
There is no set ESPN BET Kansas launch date at this time, although both PENN Entertainment and ESPN have said they expect to be ready this fall, potentially by Thanksgiving.
Yes, there will be an ESPN BET Kansas sportsbook app. What used to be Barstool Sportsbook is being rebranded to an ESPN sportsbook, so bettors will have the ability to place wagers on the ESPN Bet website if they choose to do so.
Author
Wes is an editor and writer for BetKansas.com. Based out of the Kansas City area, Wes has covered sports professionally since 2015 with a strong emphasis on sports betting and the NFL, though he's also covered pro wrestling, UFC, college sports and more.
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