theScore Bet Review 2026

theScore Bet is a regulated U.S. sportsbook operated by PENN Entertainment. It was launched in December 2025 after replacing ESPN BET and is now available in about 20 states. It offers oe main signup bonus: a First Bet Reset up to $1,000 if your first bet loses. The platform features a sharp, intuitive mobile app with strong coverage of major sports like NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, plus soccer, golf, and motorsports. Deposits can be made via Apple Pay, Venmo, and other flexible options. Benefits include initial bet protection, PENN Play loyalty integration, and online casino access in select states. However, the U.S. footprint is smaller than national leaders. Promotions are limited, player-prop markets are thinner, withdrawal times vary by method, and live streaming depends on rights and account status.

What is theScore Bet?

theScore Bet sits at the intersection of a major U.S. gambling operator and a sports media brand with real audience habits behind it. That combination explains why the app feels more coherent than many rivals and why its best feature is not a bonus, but the way betting connects to sports content.

Who Owns theScore Bet?

On the operating side, theScore Bet belongs to PENN Entertainment, a large North American gaming company that runs more than 40 casino, hotel, and racing properties under brands such as Hollywood Casino and Ameristar. PENN is publicly traded on Nasdaq, which matters because public companies live under a brighter spotlight. They still make commercial decisions like everyone else, but they are harder to hide behind than mystery-box offshore brands.

On the media side, theScore name comes from Score Media and Gaming, a Toronto-based company behind theScore sports app. PENN acquired Score Media and Gaming in 2021 for approximately US$2 billion, giving the company something many sportsbook operators lack: a sports audience that already opens the app for reasons other than gambling.

Why did ESPN Bet become theScore Bet?

PENN’s U.S. digital sportsbook journey has hardly been quiet. The company moved from Barstool Sportsbook to ESPN BET in 2023 through a licensing arrangement with ESPN, then pivoted again after that relationship ended. On December 1, 2025, PENN rebranded the U.S. sportsbook as theScore Bet. That was more than a cosmetic swap. It replaced borrowed media muscle with a brand PENN actually owns.

The key product idea is Bet Mode, which links sports consumption and wagering more tightly than many U.S. books manage. If you already use theScore for scores, team updates, and stats, the betting experience feels like part of the same environment rather than a forced detour. That design has two truths attached to it. One, it is convenient. Two, convenience cuts both ways. A shorter distance from injury alert to bet slip can be a strength for disciplined bettors and a trapdoor for impulsive ones.

Is theScore Bet Available in the US?

theScore Bet operates only in regulated jurisdictions where it has active market access and approval to take wagers. The post-D.C. footprint appears to be roughly 20 U.S. markets in March 2026, and Washington, D.C. is out after sportsbook operations ended on February 23, 2026.

U.S. market access is never static, so the table below is best read as a working map rather than a promise etched in stone. A fresh in-app check is especially sensible in jurisdictions where rollout timing, licensing detail, or operator status can shift faster than marketing pages do.