As the line between sports analysis and sports gambling content continues to blur, ESPN finds itself in a tricky gray area, especially with the recent launch of ESPN Bet, the network’s own sports betting platform.
ESPN host Rece Davis on Sunday offered a clarification for a comment he made earlier on “College GameDay” during a conversation with ESPN Bet analyst Erin Dolan.
Davis contended that “most recognized my comment was tongue-in-cheek” when he said Dolan’s advice to bet the under on Northwestern’s point total in its upcoming men’s basketball tournament game against Connecticut was “a risk-free investment.”
“Obviously, there are risks,” Davis wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “Though I’m not a gambler, I strongly encourage those who do partake, do so with prudence, care, caution, fiscal and personal responsibility and never over-extend.”
The timing of Davis’ remark was unfortunate, coming on the heels of a brewing scandal in Major League Baseball over alleged illegal gambling activities by superstar Shohei Ohtani’s longtime interpreter.
Predictably, Davis faced a barrage of criticism on social media shortly after the segment aired, with one commenter pointing out that even sports betting companies in many states aren’t allowed to use the term “risk-free” in their ads anymore.
The Walt Disney Company announced Wednesday that it would invest $1.5 billion to acquire an equity stake in video game maker Epic Games.
The company said that it would create a “new persistent universe” within Epic Games’ Fortnite to integrate the company’s franchises within the gaming monolith.
“Our new relationship with Epic Games will create a transformational games and entertainment universe that integrates Disney’s world‐class storytelling into Epic’s cultural phenomenon,” Disney CEO Bob Iger said in the company’s first quarter earnings call. “This marks Disney’s biggest entry ever into the world of games and offers significant opportunities for growth and expansion.”
The investment was announced in the same earnings call that saw Disney announce that it won the streaming rights to “”Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour Concert Film” film for Disney+. It also came on the heels of a blockbuster agreement announced Tuesday between Disney, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery for a joint sports streaming platform.
Fortnite has collaborated with Disney, others before
Disney has previously worked with Epic Games to create Fortnite character skins from Disney properties including Marvel, Star Wars and “The Nightmare Before Christmas.”
Epic Games partnered with LEGO to create a crafting mode within Fortnite. The company has also worked with Harmonix, the developers behind Rock Band, to add a musical mode called Fortnite Festival.
“We’re collaborating on something entirely new to build a persistent, open and interoperable ecosystem that will bring together the Disney and Fortnite communities,” Tim Sweeney, CEO and Founder, Epic Games said in a press release.
Just under 150,000,000 players play Fortnite worldwide, according to Fortnite Tracker. The earnings call did not provide a valuation for Epic Games.
Disney Stock
When does Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 1 end?
Fortnite Chapter 5 Season ends at 2 a.m. ET March 8 (11 p.m. PT March 7).
Chapter 5 Season 2 is expected to launch March 8, 2024, according to Tech Radar.
