After doubling down on bringing Disney into the sports betting market in March, today Disney CEO Bob Chapek said he hopes to announce a sports betting partnership in the near future.
Chapek was also previously quoted saying that Disney must “seriously consider getting into gambling in a bigger way, and ESPN is a perfect platform for this” at the fourth-quarter earnings call in 2021.
The Wall Street Journal reported last summer that ESPN was looking into brand licensing deals with Caesars Entertainment and DraftKings, after already striking a deal to link to their sportsbooks from ESPN.com in 2020.
According to Chapek, Disney is “moving towards a great presence in online sports betting, and given our reach and scale, we have the potential to partner with third-parties in this space in a very meaningful way.”
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NO GAMBLING PERIOD in Disney he is completely changing Walt’s creation and must be stopped NOW!!
They can barely keep the MDE app functioning and are constantly trying to fill tech related jobs…so not sure online betting is a good idea here. What’s next slot machines on the ferry boats?
Are you kidding? This man needs to be removed by the board. Betting? Gambling? At a family oriented corporation. Chapek is the antithesis of Walt Disney. People need to stop going to the parks, and start cancelling their trips, Disney Plus subscriptions. Vote this guy out with your wallets.
This is really not something that a supposedly family-friendly company such as Disney should be going anywhere near. Betting is an industry that in a few years is going to find itself very unpopular with the general public as problem gambling issues grow. Here in the U.K. there’s growing calls for more government action against gambling ads and the companies themselves. So not only will it damage Disney’s reputation irreparably but it probably won’t make much profit either. Can’t see Walt Disney- who refused to sell alcohol in the parks- being impressed with such a plan.