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Missouri woke up to legal sports betting for the first time, but it was not ESPN Bet greeting new players on launch morning. It was theScore Bet. The switch happened quietly and quickly and, with the way PENN Entertainment handled the transition, surprisingly smoothly. The timing almost felt scripted. ESPN Bet officially shut down the same morning Missouri opened its digital doors to sports wagering, creating a rare double storyline for one of the most anticipated market launches in years.
Below is a closer look at how this all unfolded, why the rebrand happened, and what it means for players across Missouri and the rest of the country.
A National Rebrand Arrives Right on Missouri’s Launch Day
Missouri bettors expected to see ESPN Bet in the app store on December 1. Instead, they were greeted by theScore Bet, complete with a notice at the top of the listing: “ESPN Bet is now theScore Bet.”
The shift stems from ESPN and PENN Entertainment mutually ending their 10-year, $2 billion partnership after just three years. ESPN Bet simply did not reach the performance thresholds the two companies agreed to back in 2023. Once the partnership dissolved, PENN moved forward with a full nationwide rebrand.
That meant every state where ESPN Bet operated went dark at the same time, replaced overnight by theScore Bet. Missouri just happened to debut sports betting on the very same day, which instantly gave theScore Bet a much bigger spotlight than anyone expected.
It makes Missouri one of the first markets where theScore Bet launches not as an expansion project, but as a full-fledged rebirth.
A Seamless Overnight Switchover for Players
Most players do not care about boardroom strategy. They care whether their bets, money, and logins still work. This is where PENN Entertainment delivered something genuinely impressive.
The transition from ESPN Bet to theScore Bet was designed to feel effortless. When users opened their app on December 1, ESPN Bet had already been rebranded to theScore Bet, with no new download required. The familiar blue and green color scheme remained in place, easing the visual shift.
A welcome message appeared to explain the change:
“Welcome to theScore Bet! ESPN Bet is now theScore Bet. If you have previously played with ESPN Bet, your full account has carried over, including your wallet, settings, and any open wagers – log in now using your ESPN Bet credentials.”
The approach was the opposite of PENN’s earlier switch from Barstool Sports to ESPN Bet in 2023, which required users to download a completely new app and create new accounts. This time, the company focused entirely on minimizing friction and keeping players on board.
The smooth transition matters even more in a new market like Missouri, where operators are fighting for customer loyalty from day one.
Why ESPN Bet Never Hit Its Market Share Targets
The ESPN Bet experiment was never supposed to end this early. Performance incentives in the original agreement expected the sportsbook to grow into a top-three U.S. operator. The brand never came close. It hovered around the top six and struggled to gain more than 5% national market share.
ESPN brought a massive media presence and unmatched visibility, but turning that reach into sustained betting activity proved more complicated than expected. Ultimately, PENN Entertainment chose to move on rather than continue investing in a brand that was falling short of expectations.
theScore Bet gives PENN something different: a platform with strong tech roots, proven success in Canada, and a tighter, more focused identity. It may not have ESPN’s media halo, but it gives PENN more control and removes the weight of a high-stakes licensing partnership.
Missouri Opens the Gates With Eight Operators
The rebrand could not have had better timing. Missouri became the 39th state to launch legal sports betting, instantly giving theScore Bet a fresh market during a high-energy debut. New bettors across the state now have eight sportsbook options to choose from:
- DraftKings Missouri
- FanDuel Missouri
- Fanatics Sportsbook Missouri
- Caesars Sportsbook Missouri
- Circa Missouri
- BetMGM Missouri
- bet365 Missouri
- theScore Bet Missouri (formerly ESPN Bet)
theScore Bet joins the lineup with a major advantage: thousands of ESPN Bet users were already pre-registered, and their accounts were automatically migrated. That gives PENN a running start compared to building from the ground up.
Missouri’s launch also expands theScore Bet’s footprint to more than 20 states plus Washington, D.C., marking one of PENN’s biggest operational updates in years.
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What This Means for Missouri Bettors
theScore Bet enters Missouri at a pivotal moment. Players exploring their new sports betting options will see a platform that may be unfamiliar by name but comes with a full user base, established technology, and a recognizable color scheme.
There is no need for former ESPN Bet users to create new accounts or worry about losing funds or open wagers. Everything transferred automatically. Even players who pre-registered for ESPN Bet in Missouri found their details already waiting inside theScore Bet on launch day.
PENN Entertainment also kept Hollywood Casino — its online casino brand — live inside theScore Bet for players in Michigan, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and West Virginia. Missouri does not offer online casino gaming, but the integrated approach signals PENN’s plan to build theScore Bet into a multi-product ecosystem.
Missouri’s Launch Gets a Bigger Story Than Expected
Missouri was already poised for a major milestone with legal sports betting going live statewide. But the ESPN Bet shutdown and the theScore Bet rebrand transformed that moment into something even more compelling.
Instead of ESPN Bet joining the Missouri market on day one, the state entered its new era with a completely new sportsbook identity. theScore Bet inherits the user base, the technology, and the momentum PENN hopes to rebuild.
Missouri players get a fresh app and a crowded marketplace to explore. PENN gets a clean slate. ESPN gets a new partner. Everyone walks away with a storyline of their own.
