Disney Working on ESPN Sportsbook

This week at its annual D23 event Disney CEO Bob Chapek revealed that the company is working on a sportsbetting app based on its popular ESPN brand.

Chapek said that the company has been engaged in talks with multiple groups to see what a potential sportsbook may look like. There have been reportedly close to 100 companies that have reached to Disney to express interest in developing the app, which Chaped believes is the perfect way for Disney to move into the regulated gaming industry.

At the event Chapek was reported by Bloomberg as saying, "Sports betting is a part of what our younger, say, under-35 sports audience is telling us they want as part of their sports lifestyle."

He went on to speak about the number of companies reaching out, noting: "If you have a house that you're gonna put up for sale and you have a hundred buyers, you probably got a pretty cool house."

Disney had been notoriously anti-gambling, having no casinos on its cruise ships and having pulled its Marvel-themed video slots from Playtech. Things changed when sportsbetting was effectively given to the states by the Supreme Court, and Disney saw the opportunity to leverage its brands for legal gaming.