DraftKings and ESPN plan to introduce account linking before March Madness, enabling customers to connect the two platforms. ESPN said linked users will receive betting selections informed by their app use, access to a bracket-based betting feature and one free month of ESPN Unlimited.
The partnership links ESPN tournament activity with DraftKings sportsbook features for customers.
Quarter ended 30 September 2026
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NCAA president Charlie Baker said the association is pressing the Commodity Futures Trading Commission over prediction markets and may explore other options if discussions make no progress. In a television interview, he raised concerns about sports integrity, age limits and data collection, following the NCAA's submission to the CFTC's public comment process on proposed event contract rules.
The American Gaming Association expects legal wagers on the 2026 NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments in the US to total about $3.3 billion. The association said the estimate is more than 50% above the figure from three years earlier and compares with $3.1 billion last year.
The American Gaming Association (AGA) projected that Americans would wager about $3.3bn legally on the 2026 NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments. It said the estimate was 54% above the amount wagered three years earlier, attributing the increase to expanded regulated markets and greater confidence in legal betting.
Kalshi removed references to March Madness and other NCAA trademarked tournament terms from its website after receiving a formal notice from the association. The platform replaced them with generic college basketball market names; the NCAA said the branding falsely suggested its involvement in Kalshi’s offerings.
Penn Entertainment relaunched theScore Bet in the US on 1 December, replacing ESPN Bet after the companies ended their agreement in November 2025. The sportsbook is available in 21 jurisdictions, including Missouri, where sports betting began at the same time. Penn said customers can use their existing ESPN Bet credentials, with account details and open wagers transferred.