Couple of quick nuggets from PENNEntertainment Q4 earnings reported this a.m.: @ESPNBet launch brought more than 1M first-time depositors; Penn will rebrand its Detroit Greektown sportsbook to ESPN Bet in time for NFL Draft, which city will host in April.

.NASCAR is offering to extend the charter system for seven years concurrent to its new media rights agreement, per sources familiar. 🔲 Teams want charters to become permanent but are open to something resembling an “evergreen” status as a middle ground. sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/2024/…

NEWS: Subscribers to NBA League Pass who watch games on mobile will see live odds and spreads and be able to wager via FanDuel Sportsbook and DraftKings Sportsbook thanks to a new “emBet” integration that data distributor Sportradar will roll out today. Full story: tinyurl.com/3fvk29xt

The NBA is looking at suspicious prop betting around Raptors' Jontay Porter, ⁦@ESPN⁩ reports. Good example of red flags that raise suspicion. Handle on under goes up, player goes down — twice. Pretty fishy. espn.com/nba/story/_/id…

Looking forward to working alongside our new sports media writer, mollie cahillane. Welcome to the circus, Mol. She joins us from Adweek, starting next week.

Dan Schlossberg decided to collect every Hank Aaron card--an impossible feat because thousands of different issues, even including one from Venezuela, were published during his career (1954-1976) and for years after he retired. #HankAaron #MLB #thehobby sportscollectorsdigest.com/news/favorite-…

Had the pleasure this week to profile Charlotte Hornets long-time president and CLT community leader Fred Whitfield, a 2024 Sports Business Journal Champion. Thx to the many who shared stories and observations.

Fanatics Sportsbook inks Justin Thomas as endorser sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/2024/… via @sbj

This week in Sports Business Journal Betting: We head into the holiday with a look at BetMGM 🦁’s big plans around the #CocaCola600 weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway, and the surge NASCAR has seen in handle nationally since stock car cradle NC opened to sportsbooks. And more, here: shorturl.at/QGUYY

If the Tucupita Marcano or Jontay Porter news surprised you, you weren't paying attention 📋 Since sports betting was legalized, it was inevitable pro and college athletes would bet, even on their own games. Read more from Bill King ⬇️ sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/2024/…

The #WNBA adds DraftKings as an official sportsbook sponsor, alongside FanDuel 🏀 DraftKings gains rights to use league IP & will present the "WNBA Post-Season Push" campaign spotlighting September playoff races. 📰 Bill King sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/2024/…

A newsy nugget from PENNEntertainment heading into today’s Q2 call. Plan is for 8 casino sportsbooks in 6 states to re-brand to ESPN BET in time for NFL season: KS Speedway, Baton Rouge, Lake Charles, Bossier City (LA), Columbus, Toledo, Plainridge Park (MA), & Perryville (MD).

In this week's journal, Bill King profiles one of our 2024 SBJ Champions, Steve Bornstein. A visionary leader, Bornstein transformed sports media through his groundbreaking work at ESPN & the NFL, leaving an indelible mark on the industry. Read more: ow.ly/UGJF50T15un