Why ESPN Bet is poised to compete with the best sportsbooks

ESPN Bet's November 2023 launch is sure to shake up the legal online sports betting world as we know it today. Better yet, for the online sports bettors seeking choice and quality, the ESPN Bet App and ESPN Bet Promo Code intend to compete with the monster sportsbooks of the industry, for a variety of reasons that can be traced throughout modern history.

There I was, a 16-year-old youngster without a care in the world, killing time by utilizing one of America's favorite pastimes. Feet kicked up, head comfortably back, while also admittedly resting at a spine angle that would make any chiropractor cringe (or smile, depending upon motives), ESPN was the television choice of that particular moment.

Without warning, the Worldwide Leader in Sports revealed its newest series. Appropriately fitting the times of the upcoming new millennium, "SportsCentury" was about to invade our household.

From Muhammad Ali to Babe Ruth, Wayne Gretzky to Michael Jordan, ESPN decided to count down the greatest athletes of the 20th century en route to the year 2000. (After all, Y2K loomed, and thus, life as we knew it would evaporate into thin, on-so-technologically-advanced air.)

The countdown snuggly fit into the 1999 calendar year, polishing off the mastery once the clock struck midnight on Jan. 31, 1999. And with that, a special "SportsCenter" montage featuring Aerosmith's "Dream On" would take us into the great unknown (the year 2000).

A lone inescapable word appeared, as my underdeveloped brain silently yet emphatically uttered, "Wow."

I simply could not "believe what I just saw." It was as if ESPN made it to the foul line, only to "shoot on Ehlo" while calling game.

The overall quality and audience know-how ESPN displayed with "SportsCentury" is something that has stuck with me forever. It's also something that's proved invaluable to ESPN's success over the last two-plus decades.

In spite of its humble beginnings in the early 1980s, ESPN plotted along while broadcasting hardly popular sports throughout the better part of the early decade. Then, the little-known broadcasting company took a chance on a burgeoning college basketball conference called the Big East, and things rapidly began to change.

Little by little, it racked up viewership while making partners out of everybody, and a flagship program titled, "SportsCenter," led them towards powerhouse status.

Why? Well, just as we all witnessed during the "SportsCentury" era, it boils down to a little thing called quality. (And when I say "little," it's in the same vein as when a big guy's buddies lovingly call him tiny.)

Before we get into the reasons why the ESPN Bet App is sure to be a sports gambling home run, let's first take care of some housecleaning, otherwise known as the pertinent details to keep you in the know.

ESPN Bet is set to launch in November 2023

As previously mentioned, the ESPN Bet App is expected to launch in November 2023. This whirlwind of a story hit our internet-equipped devices in early August 2023, via a dual-press release that shook the online sports betting world to its core.

PENN Entertainment and ESPN partnered to bring the legal sports gambling world its next big thing: ESPN Bet.

This meant that Barstool Sportsbook, which had previously been PENN's betting frontman, was out, and in its stead would be ESPN.

Suddenly, the giants of the industry (we're looking squarely at you, DraftKings Sportsbook and FanDuel Sportsbook), perked up. Both immediately knew that a potential giant would soon enter the market.

Whether or not ESPN Bet fulfills those giant shoes remains to be seen. From where we sit today, however, the odds are looking pretty solid that the ESPN Bet App will make serious noise upon live status and thereafter.

ESPN Bet promo code will be incredibly rewarding

The ESPN Bet promo code formula is pretty simple, really: Quality plus opportunity equals a chance for every legal sports wagerer to pretend they have the combined power of Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa circa Summer 1998 (without the long-lasting side effects, of course).

The quality I speak of is akin to the ESPN way. For over three decades, ESPN's production and professionalism have ranked in the elite category among its peers.

The opportunity involved deals with a new online sportsbook hitting the market, which is something of a rarity in late 2023. Now that PASPA (the federal law once prohibiting states from legalizing online sports betting) has been gone for five years (the Supreme Court struck it down in 2018), the monster sportsbooks have created serious separation from the also-rans.

Yet, here we are, excitingly faced with the benefits that come with a potential giant sports betting app that seeks to put a major dent into the current market share.

What it equals is a tremendous chance for existing sports bettors to add the ESPN Bet App to their sportsbook portfolio. Using Newsweek's ESPN Bet App promo, when the appropriate time comes, in your specific state, can grant you a chance to activate an absurdly rewarding sportsbook bonus.

A plethora of additional details are soon to follow, but just understand that this specific promo code is one that every sports bettor (casual or diehard) will want to pounce on as soon as it's humanly possible.

Online sports betting is about trust and legitimacy

Sure, it feels like online sports betting is simply a part of our world now, an almost take-for-granted deal that's constantly overlooked in a variety of circles---sort of as casual as a Mark Messier Stanley Cup Playoff snarl.

And, in a way, that's a telling aspect of just how far we've come as a country and a people---who can responsibly make that dough for possessing superior knowledge to the competition.

The question remains, "Why is that?" How have we reached a point in which betting has become ingrained into our routine lives?

The answer: Trust has reached a point of no return.

The days of sneakily relying on your back-alley bookie whose name could be confused with one of Cosmo Kramer's fictional friends on "Seinfeld" are over. Those anxious moments when you cannot help but kick yourself in the head (yes, flexible chore, no doubt) due to distrust in Bob Sacamano's bookie cousin are long gone.

Today, online sports bettors rest their heads at night with the comfort of understanding just how safe and secure their money (and winnings) remain. Wholly legal and regulated, the DraftKings and FanDuels of the world ensure a digital environment that's everything but sketchy.

When one thinks of ESPN, one is also confident in the trustworthy process that the ESPN Bet App, along with also-trusted PENN Entertainment, will implement upon launch.

Mobile online quality is what keeps fannies in the virtual betting seats

Of course, although trust is the key to bringing sports gamblers to the party, it simply will not do the trick alone. If that were the case, the likes of Caesars Sportsbook and BetMGM Sportsbook would rank on par with FanDuel Sportsbook and DraftKings Sportsbook.

With that in mind, yes, there are clear-cut hierarchies in this world; and while there's no question that each of the four online sportsbooks listed above is an excellent choice, the latter two are more popular.

The reason for that is simple yet incredibly profound: Quality is king.

Trust comes first, yet quality separates the sports betting app tiers. And, interestingly, the pattern of predicting which betting apps will separate more like Tyreek Hill as opposed to Vince Wilfork is available in plain site.

Just glance at these operators' previous mobile internet endeavors.

FanDuel and DraftKings' rise to betting prominence squarely matches its previous work in the daily fantasy sports (DFS) industry. Perfectly fitting to its now largely betting-dominant audience, the two operators who brought DFS to the mainstream over a decade ago performed brilliant duties in the mobile data and gaming industry.

Meanwhile, although BetMGM and Caesars enjoy a rich history in the resorts and gaming industry, they didn't always have to match up in the online mobile capacity.

ESPN's online mobile wherewithal is off the charts positive.

Everything ESPN has done since the advent of mainstream internet action corresponds with today's technology-filled world. In fact, one could argue that the rise of the internet is the reason ESPN is standing tall and proud today---much like Shaquille O'Neal when he tears down a hoop.

When taking bets on the level of ESPN Bet's future success, look to the current landscape, and understand the quality that's often brought to the table via mobile audience success.

DraftKings Sportsbook certainly features that quality.

FanDuel Sportsbook naturally showcases that quality.

And, of course, ESPN Bet Sportsbook has been featuring that quality for a few decades, stretching as far back as the "SportsCentury" days---albeit in the broadcasting venue.

Many of the sports betting pundits believe it's too late for ESPN Bet to catch the likes of FanDuel and DraftKings, whereas some give the soon-to-be live operator a fighting chance to at least make a worthy dent in the current share.

Based on PENN's established licenses and ESPN's modern history, simultaneously corresponding positively to that of today's fast-moving mobile age, I'll give ESPN Bet more than a fighting chance to compete with the upper tier ... eventually.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.