DraftKings is ready to help its customers bet their brackets through account linking with its partner, ESPN.
The two sides announced the partnership the same day Disney and Penn Entertainment broke off their 10-year deal for ESPN Bet. Now, DraftKings slides into the space originally created for ESPN Bet to allow betting on players and teams selected in ESPN contests, beginning with March Madness.
DraftKings customers can link their account to their ESPN account through the Bet Your Bracket tab in the sportsbook. Once linked, personalized betting options based on brackets entered into the ESPN Tournament Challenge.
The men’s March Madness tournament begins March 17 with the women’s starting March 18.
DraftKings, ESPN excited for account linking
Stephanie Sherman, chief marketing officer at DraftKings, called the account linking a “natural step,” especially with the DraftKings “super app” on the way.
“DraftKings and ESPN share a deep passion for sports and a commitment to enhancing how fans engage with the moments that matter most — especially during the pinnacle of the college basketball season,” Sherman said.
ESPN Betting & Fantasy VP Mike Morrison said March Madness is just the beginning.
“Account linking creates a level of personalization that no one else in the market can match,” Morrison said. “The Bet Your Bracket feature during March Madness is just the start. Soon fans will be able to seamlessly track upcoming, live and settled bets within the ESPN app and on ESPN.com, and receive bets and timely promotions based on their favorite sports, teams, players, and fantasy rosters.”
Linking the two accounts also gives bettors one free month of ESPN Unlimited.
Account linking in the works for years
Creating a link between the ESPN and ESPN Bet apps was something Penn was excited about from when their deal was first announced in August 2023, but it took until nearly a year after its November 2023 launch for ESPN and ESPN Bet accounts to be linked together.
The first sign of the “deep integration” Penn CEO Jay Snowden touted did not come until the 2025 NFL season, though, when the two apps were linked for fantasy football bets.
Both sides were hoping that would help ESPN Bet pick up market share, but it was not enough to salvage a sinking partnership. Both sides called it quits not even a full two years after launch.
