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How PENN’s Split With ESPN Will Impact Hollywood Casino
By Drew Ellis
Published:
PENN Entertainment had big news Thursday morning when it announced the end of its 10-year deal with ESPN just two years into the agreement.
While this news will have a lot of impact on the online sportsbook world, the question also has to be asked, how will it impact PENN’s iGaming brand of Hollywood Casino?
The good news for fans of the mobile casino app is, it looks like it will have no impact. If anything, it could provide a boost to the online casino as PENN puts added focus on the product moving forward.
ESPN Splits with PENN, Moves to DraftKings
Thursday morning saw PENN Entertainment and ESPN end their 10-year, $2 billion deal that was signed in the summer of 2023.
ESPN Bet was created through the deal, but struggled to get a large piece of the online sportsbook market share over the last two years.
The separation of the two companies will see ESPN Bet come to an end in its markets, starting Dec. 1.
ESPN announced a new partnership with DraftKings, as one of the top online sportsbooks will now be the official odds provider for the media brand.
In states where PENN had ESPN Bet operating, that will now shift to theScore Bet, pending regulation approval in said states.
PENN to Leverage iCasino Strengths
After the news of the split with ESPN, PENN Entertainment held its Q3 investor call where they highlighted their success with their online casino product, Hollywood Casino.
Jay Snowden, CEO and President of PENN, noted that their iCasino business was up 40% year-over-year in the quarter. He also pointed out that PENN hit a revenue record through the product for the quarter.
In a press release, Snowden put emphasis on how they plan to put their focus on online casino growth.
“PENN’s iCasino forward approach has clear long-term alignment to our core business, which will focus on cross-sell opportunities across our ecosystem and enhanced connectivity to our 33-million-member PENN Play loyalty program. Our OSB offerings will continue to provide top of funnel acquisition and cross-sell opportunities for our Hollywood-branded iCasino, which will remain integrated into our OSB product in states where legal, in addition to serving as a standalone iCasino app.”
What Does it Mean for Hollywood Casino?
Essentially, this news should be a positive for the Hollywood Casino online app.
While PENN will still include casino games on theScore Bet app in available states, it’s clear the company is going to continue to push for more out of Hollywood Casino.
What that should mean for customers is enhanced bonus features and promotions, additional games, and improved gameplay.
Hollywood Casino is available in four states – Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. In those states, the revenue from online casino play far outweighs revenue from sports betting.
By putting more focus into the iCasino product, expect Hollywood Casino to look and feel differently a year from now.
While still a young app as it is, Hollywood Casino can improve on its game offering, while also putting more focus on things that will draw in new customers. That includes more promotions, more expansion jackpot games, and a continued emphasis on a low playthrough requirement from its bonus offers.
Hollywood Casino Promo Code has 1x Playthrough
When it comes to strengths that Hollywood Casino can build on, having strong bonus offers with a low playthrough requirement is one of them.
Using our Hollywood Casino promo code of “CBCASINO”, new users can receive $50 in bonus funds and 50 bonus spins by wagering just $5 at the casino.
Must manually enter promo code CBCASINO to claim offer.
The added feature to this bonus is that it carries a 1x wagering requirement. That means any money won from your bonus funds and bonus spins go directly to your account. You can withdraw them right away if you choose.
While other online casino operators may tout larger bonus offers, their playthrough requirements tend to range from 10-15x. That’s a much more challenging requirement to meet.
If Hollywood Casino wants to build on its online casino market share, more promos like these with low requirements would be a good way to do it. It gives users a chance to build foundation and feel like the operator is giving them a fair shake.
Drew Ellis has experience covering the gambling industries in North America and around the world. Decades of media experience provide him with the background to handle the complexities of different gambling laws and policies around the United States and North America. Ellis has primarily focused on online and retail casino news since 2021. Prior to working in the gambling industry, Ellis spent over 20 years in the newspaper industry, covering sports and the gambling. His work for The Mt. Pleasant Morning Sun and The Oakland Press was recognized with awards by the Associated Press and other media organizations. Drew has also contributed to the Detroit Free Press and the Associated Press.