PENN Entertainment, including its sports betting brands ESPN BET and theScore Bet, announced a partnership with the National Hockey League on Wednesday.
The partnership with the league will begin immediately and span through the 2024 NHL season, according to the release.
As the official league partners of the NHL, ESPN BET and theScore Bet will have access to many of the league's entitlements, including media and marketing integrations and premium NHL experiences. PENN will also have access to the IP rights.
“There’s definite excitement in being one of the first leagues to partner with ESPN BET and PENN Entertainment,” said Jason Jazayeri, NHL vice president of business development. “From day one we’ve said our media rights deal with ESPN and The Walt Disney Company has been a big win for our fans and our League, and this new collaboration is further testament to the value of our partnership."
Leagues across the country have been partnering with various sportsbooks in recent years. The NHL is the first league to partner with the newly-launched ESPN BET brand, which launched in 14 states on Nov. 14.
“The recent launch of ESPN BET in the U.S. is extremely exciting and we’re thrilled to collaborate with the NHL to help market our new sports betting experience,” said Aubrey Levy, Penn Interactive's senior vice president of marketing and content.
“Becoming an official partner allows us to more broadly engage hockey fans, develop compelling integrations and uniquely leverage NHL programming," Levy said. "This is also a key partnership for theScore Bet in Ontario, where the popularity of hockey is unmatched.”
PENN purchased the Canada-based media company theScore in August of 2021 and launched theScore Bet app in 2022.
