Penn Entertainment, which owns ESPN Bet and Penn Entertainment Sportsbook opened their first brick-and mortar sportsbook on Wednesday (24th April), as the NFL prepared to descend upon Detroit for its premier off-season.
According to a release, the new Hollywood Casino Greektown location is located less than one mile away from the Draft site and will be hosting ESPN programming throughout the week.
ESPN Bet launched its first digital platform in November 2023, after Penn Entertainment severed ties with Barstool Sportsbook. New platform available in 18 US States Penn did not disclose when or how it planned to rebrand the retail sportsbooks.
John Drake, the general manager of Hollywood Casino Greektown said in a press release that it was an exciting time to launch Penn’s physical ESPN Bet Sportsbook. The city is hosting the NFL Draft and all its celebrations. ESPN Bet at Hollywood Greektown brings together Penn’s leading sports media with sports betting to create a fantastic atmosphere where fans can watch and wager on sports.
On the top floor of Hollywood Casino, the new retail ESPN Bet sportsbook occupies a space measuring 100,000sqft. This 4,500sqft facility features a 30 foot video wall, large screen TVs, modern betting kiosks, and a restaurant area.
Chicago Bears will make their first selection at Campus Martius Park & Hart Plaza at 8pm ET, Thursday 25 April. Detroit Lions, the home team, have the 29th pick. The draft will continue until Saturday. The first round will take place on Thursday. Rounds two and three begin at 4:00 pm, Friday. The rounds four through seven are scheduled to begin at noon on Saturday.
The press release states that ESPN talent will conduct SportsCenter live broadcasts on the property throughout the week.
Penn runs more than twenty Hollywood-branded casino properties from Maine to Missouri. The company plans to enter the US’s largest betting state, New York, later in this year. ESPN Bet has applied for the WynnBET license in New York, which was vacated by WynnBET.
