ESPN Bet Goes Green With Sportsbook Logo As NJ Awaits November Launch

Written By Grant Lucas on October 25, 2023 - Last Updated on October 26, 2023
Sneak peeks at the new mint-green logos for the coming ESPN Bet sportsbook, which expects to launch in New Jersey in November

Its New Jersey launch may not be for another few weeks, but ESPN Bet recently gave the public a little taste of what to expect when it does go live.

The sports media giant, which is leveraging a partnership with PENN Entertainment to join the NJ sports betting landscape, unveiled a primary logo with the classic “ESPN” white logo above a mint-green “BET.” The secondary logo features a mint-green “E” within a larger “B.”

As ESPN described it in a press release:

“The brand itself features the universally recognizable ‘ESPN,’ while the sportsbook app will be branded an ‘E’ in the ‘B,’ which creatively expresses the idea that ESPN, in partnership with PENN Entertainment, is launching a sportsbook for fans, but at its core is still ESPN, the most trusted brand in sports.”

Obviously, the sports conglomerate and PENN remain excited about the logo reveal and pending launch. Others, though, find it curious that ESPN would break away from a globally recognized color scheme. And still others found an interesting resemblance between the ESPN Bet logo and that of an upstart peer-to-peer social betting platform.

Why did ESPN Bet go with mint green in its new logo?

There’s little doubt that many anticipated ESPN Bet NJ to integrate the recognizable red colorway of ESPN.

Instead, the brand went another direction, opting for the mint-green that ESPN said offers a “welcoming, inclusive, unexpected and fun” impression.

In a statement, Chin Wang, vice president of visual storytelling for ESPN Creative Studio, called the mint color “a twist on the traditional ESPN colorways, but one we think complements the overall portfolio well.

“ESPN Red is strong, standard-bearer, ESPN+ Gold is premium storytelling, exclusive, and now we have ESPN BET Mint, which is fun and innovative. Two traits we expect to come through when fans experience the new sportsbook.”

ESPN Bet logo similar to that of BroThrow

Perhaps it’s a coincidence. But users of a startup platform known as BroThrow are calling foul regarding ESPN Bet’s new logo.

According to its website, BroThrow describes itself as the Facebook Marketplace of sports betting. With the platform, “users compete directly with each other by ‘throwing’ out bets for friends, group mates, or the broader community to accept. We seamlessly organize and track your bets and integrate with existing payment apps to make settling up a breeze.”

Named a Rising Star at the 2023 SBC Awards North America, BroThrow doesn’t share many commonalities with ESPN Bet. One, though, is a similarity in logos – Arkansas-based BroThrow features a, we’ll call it light-green, letter B.

Brady Sharp, founder and CEO of BroThrow, told Earnings+More that the company formed in 2019 with the logo as the company’s “starting point.”

“We submitted trademark filings in December 2020,” Sharp said, “that were registered in March 2022.”

He noted that BroThrow is “strategizing with our IP counsel,” adding that “But we all agree a conversation is the best starting point.”

ESPN Bet NJ preparing for sports betting launch

The logo unveiling shows another step ESPN Bet has taken toward its impending NJ sports betting launch, which comes as part of a 10-year, $1.5 billion brand licensing agreement with PENN. (Interestingly, the deal includes early termination rights after the third year if it is determined that the sportsbook is not performing well.)

At the Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas earlier this month, PENN and ESPN confirmed they expect ESPN Bet to go live in November. PENN highlighted an untapped market of 70 million casual bettors who could migrate to the ESPN Bet sportsbook.

Photo by PlayNY; ESPN
Grant Lucas Avatar
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Grant Lucas

Grant Lucas is a longtime sportswriter who has covered high school, collegiate, and professional levels. A graduate of Linfield College in McMinnville, Grant now focuses his attention on the growing NJ online gambling and sports betting scene.

View all posts by Grant Lucas
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