Just ahead of the start of the NFL season, ESPN is moving its sports betting news and information program back to the East Coast.
Daily Wager will return next week to the company’s Bristol, Connecticut headquarters, ESPN announced Wednesday. The show, which debuted on March 11, 2019, in Bristol, will record at company headquarters again beginning Sept. 7, ESPN said in a statement. For the past three years, ESPN shot Daily Wager from The Linq Hotel + Experience studio on the Las Vegas Strip.
Earlier this month, ESPN announced a transformative sports betting partnership with PENN Entertainment to launch ESPN BET, a network-branded online sportsbook. ESPN BET is expected to debut at some point this fall, potentially around Thanksgiving Day, PENN Entertainment CEO Jay Snowden noted in a conference call with analysts.
Due to the new sportsbook plans, ESPN is winding down its marketing partnerships with Caesars Entertainment and DraftKings, an industry source told Sports Handle. The Linq Promenade is owned by Caesars Entertainment and was opened by the casino conglomerate in 2013.
“ESPN created some great content and incredible memories during our time at the Las Vegas studio,” said Scott Clark, who serves as vice president of ESPN’s fantasy and sports betting content. “With our new ESPN BET deal set to launch this fall, we felt it was best to return to our headquarters. We cannot thank everyone we worked with at Caesars Entertainment over the past few years.”
New schedule
Coinciding with Daily Wager’s move back east, ESPN announced a new weekly schedule for the program.
The show will air on ESPN2 five days a week from Thursday to Monday, with Tuesdays and Wednesdays off. The schedule includes the addition of a Saturday morning show at 11 a.m. ET to preview the weekend football slate.
In July, former Daily Wager host Doug Kezirian left ESPN after the network reportedly opted not to renew his contract.
ESPN betting analyst “Stanford Steve” Coughlin, a segment producer on the midnight SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt, is also a frequent contributor on Daily Wager. Several days after inking the sports betting deal with PENN, ESPN announced plans to add the betting analyst to its College GameDay program.
Less than 72 hours after ESPN announced a transformative partnership to launch ESPN BET, the network disclosed plans to add a new sports wagering analyst to its flagship College GameDay program. @MattRybaltowski examines: https://t.co/8KOFa03tci
— Sports Handle (@sports_handle) August 11, 2023
The NFL regular season begins Sept. 7 when the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs face the Detroit Lions. Four nights later, the Jets will host the Bills on ESPN’s Monday Night Football.
ESPN also owns live game broadcast rights for the NBA and the NHL, which will open their respective regular seasons later this fall.
