Disney CEO Confirms Talks With Sports Betting Firms

After more than a year of speculation, Disney CEO Bob Chapek (l.) reveals that the company is continuing talks with multiple platforms about sports betting. Mickey’s company would own any deal involving the ESPN brand.

Disney CEO Confirms Talks With Sports Betting Firms

During a second-quarter earnings call, Disney CEO Bob Chapek reiterated his prior comments that the company wants to invest in the sports betting business. On a grander scale, that is.

Disney, which owns ESPN, is already involved in a minor way through a deal with DraftKings and William Hill, now known as Caesars. The company has had ongoing discussions with a number of platforms for a while about a new wagering venture involving ESPN’s brand, which Chapek referred to as a perfect vehicle for this, according to iGaming Business.

Chapek said talks with potential partners have been ongoing and that sports betting remains a realistic option for Disney.

“We have been in conversations for quite a long time now with a number of different platforms to add some utility to sports betting and take away some friction for that for our guests,” Chapek said. “We have found that basically our sports fans that are under 30 absolutely require this type of utility in the overall portfolio of what ESPN offers, so we think it’s important.”

ESPN currently promotes DraftKings daily fantasy updates and pushes Caesars betting odds.

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