ESPN Could Be Eyeing Rush Street Interactive Acquisition
The sports betting consolidation rumour mill about continues chugging along, turning upward invigorated venture that ESPN could follow considering a conjure for Rush Street Interactive (NYSE:RSI).
Sports product monster and aspiring sportsbook operator Fanatics was recently fastened to acquisition rumors involving RSI. But some market place observers say it’s possible ESPN enters the mix.
Rumors, however, are fast thick and fast. Sports betting wearing apparel specialist Fanatics is apparently kicking the tires simply about everywhere, with PointsBet, Hard Rock, Rush Street Interactive, and Betsson all mentioned as potency targets. Speaking of Rush Street, tittle-tattle is that ESPN could be a potency buyer,” said Eilers & Krejcik inwards the to the highest degree recent edition of its bi-weekly EKG Line report.
ESPN is a social unit of Walt Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS).
ESPN Wants inward on Sports Betting
It’s no more secret the sports web wants to bolster its step inwards the fast-growing house servant sports wagering universe.
Last year, Walter Elias Disney told investors it views sports wagering and fantasise sports as life-sustaining avenues for getting fans to plunker knock down monthly subscription fees for the ESPN+ streaming platform. Prior to that, ESPN accelerated its exposure to the sports betting space in September, inking separate, multi-year accords with Caesars Entertainment (NASDAQ:CZR) and DraftKings (NASDAQ:DKNG).
More recently, “The world-wide leader inward sports” was said to hold talks with those II gaming companies regarding licensing the ESPN make on sportsbooks, with the web seeking $3 billion. Some experts afterward scoffed at the price tag, noting it’d use up years for any gaming troupe that accepts those terms to break out regular on the accord.
Still, Walter Elias Disney is making enlighten it wants to live alive(p) in sports betting in some fashion. CEO Bob Chapek made comments to that effectuate at an investor conference this week.
“Let’s just say our fans are really interested in sports betting. Let’s say our partners inwards the leagues are interested inward sports betting. So, we’re interested inward sports betting. Strategically, sports betting gives us the power to invoke to a practically younger sports devotee who has a really warm kinship for those sports. So it’s definitely a place we need to be,” said Chapek.
What’s Next for Rush Street Interactive
Following DraftKings’ $1.56 1000000000 all-stock purchase of Golden Nugget Online Gaming (NASDAQ:GNOG), proclaimed inwards August, RSI directly became a focal dot of “who’s next” takeover clack inwards the iGaming and sports betting arenas.
While that makes sense, reported suitor Fanatics is also rumored to be holding talks with Swedish gaming heavyweight Betsson.
Additionally, RSI, which operates under the BetRivers.com and PlaySugarHouse.com brands, is stronger in iGaming than it is inwards sports wagering. It’s non right away shed light on if that’s a detriment to ESPN potentially purchasing the companion or not.
Should Walter Elias Disney hammer beforehand with getting RSI, or any other gaming troupe for that matter, it testament be interesting to ensure what the media companionship does with its post inwards DraftKings. California-based Disney owns virtually sextet percent of DraftKings equity, which it inherited when it acquired 21st Century Fox for $71.3 1000000000 inward 2019.