Penn Entertainment Unveils FanCenter: An ESPN Fantasy Hub

Penn Entertainment’s Chief Technology Officer Aaron LaBerge has described FanCenter, a new personalized hub within ESPN Bet, as the sportsbook’s most significant product advancement to date in integrating with the ESPN brand. The launch, expected this summer, aims to deepen the connection between fantasy sports and sports betting, targeting the growing segment of fans who engage in both.

As ESPN prepares to introduce a new streaming service, ESPN Bet has been quietly developing FanCenter to enhance user experience and betting options for the upcoming football season. Internal research shows that fantasy football players are about three times more likely to place bets than those who do not participate in fantasy leagues. Leveraging this insight, Penn Entertainment, in partnership with ESPN, plans to offer customized wagering markets tailored to users’ favorite teams, players, and fantasy rosters.

 

Feature	Description
Product Name	FanCenter
Launch Timing	Summer 2025 (expected)
Company	Penn Entertainment & ESPN Bet
Key Benefit	Personalized betting based on fantasy football rosters
Primary Market	New Jersey
Target Users	Fantasy football players who bet on sports
Competitive Edge	Seamless integration with ESPN fantasy platform and account linking

 

How FanCenter Works

FanCenter is designed to provide immediacy and personalization. For example, in the first week of the NFL regular season, a fantasy team featuring players like Saquon Barkley, Ceedee Lamb, and Justin Herbert could trigger tailored betting options spanning multiple games across several days. Instead of waiting for fantasy matchups to conclude, users will be able to place parlays such as Barkley scoring a touchdown or Lamb exceeding a set number of receiving yards, with faster payouts possible by week’s end.

This level of customization aims to integrate fantasy football and betting seamlessly, creating a unique user experience not currently offered by other sportsbooks. The product also builds on ESPN Bet’s account-linking feature introduced last November, which allows users to move quickly between the ESPN app and ESPN Bet, driving increased engagement and betting frequency.

The fusion of fantasy sports and betting represents a strategic opportunity for ESPN Bet to differentiate itself in a competitive market largely dominated by DraftKings and FanDuel, which together command nearly 75% of national market share. While ESPN Bet has gained traction since its launch in late 2023, challenges remain in converting entrenched bettors from its larger rivals.

Mike Morrison, vice president of ESPN Bet and ESPN Fantasy, emphasized that FanCenter leverages ESPN’s fantasy platform and account-linking capabilities to offer a level of personalization unmatched in the industry. Aaron LaBerge expressed confidence that FanCenter will serve both as a tool for acquiring new users and retaining current customers, particularly those passionate about fantasy football.

 

Financial and Strategic Implications

The announcement of FanCenter comes just days before Penn Entertainment’s second-quarter earnings report, expected on Thursday. Analysts forecast revenue growth of 4.3% year-over-year to $1.73 billion, though earnings per share are anticipated to show a wider loss compared to 2024. CEO Jay Snowden has previously noted that the company’s digital business is nearing an “inflection point” but acknowledged that sports betting results have fallen short of expectations.

The launch of FanCenter appears central to Penn’s strategy of delivering a “differentiated experience” in sports betting, aiming for a meaningful increase in market share by 2027. While no exact launch date has been provided, LaBerge indicated the product rollout is imminent.

 

FanCenter introduces a completely new level of personalisation for ESPN Bet players and represents our biggest product leap yet.

 

Conclusion

FanCenter represents a major step in ESPN Bet’s evolution, combining personalized fantasy football data with real-time betting options in a streamlined platform. Whether this innovation will disrupt the current sportsbook hierarchy remains to be seen, but Penn Entertainment’s investment signals a focused effort to capture a dedicated segment of sports fans who straddle the line between fantasy and wagering. As the 2025 football season approaches, the success of FanCenter may well influence the future shape of sports betting integration.