Sports broadcaster ESPN will strengthen its ties with the US betting industry as it today (24 August) opens its new studio at Caesars Entertainment’s The Linq Hotel + Experience in Las Vegas.
ESPN said it will expand its content with Caesars to bring more Vegas-exclusive sports betting and entertainment news to viewers. This includes moving ESPN’s Daily Wager to the new Linq studio beginning on 8 September and launching a sports betting-themed digital show this autumn.
It has been facilitated by a partnership agreed in May last year, which saw Caesars named ESPN’s exclusive odds data supplier across TV and digital channels. This also formalised plans for the new studio at the Linq.
The new, 6,000 square foot facility includes three studios and features 12 cameras, including two exterior robotic cameras. It will serve as the epicenter of ESPN’s sports betting-themed content for linear, digital and social shows.
ESPN said the studio will also play a vital role during major sporting events, that September marks the start of the inaugural season of National Football League franchise the Las Vegas Raiders.
“The appetite for sports betting content continues to grow among fans,” said Connor Schell, executive vice president of content at ESPN.
“Our new studio will not only operate as the headquarters for that content, but it will also anchor our year-round presence in Las Vegas – a city that has become a destination for the biggest events in sports.”
Schell added that the new studio would allow it to broadcast coverage of Las Vegas-based events such as Ultimate Fighting Championship and the city’s new National Hockey League franchise the Vegas Golden Knights.
ESPN’s sports betting news and information program Daily Wager, which debuted last year, will permanently move to Las Vegas and br0adcast from the Linq studio as it returns after a hiatus due to the pandemic.
Daily Wager is hosted by Doug Kezirian, who has covered sports betting for more than 15 years, and is joined on the program by sports betting experts as well as ESPN analysts and reporters.
“The debut of the all-new ESPN studio at The Linq Hotel + Experience is a testament both to Las Vegas’ position as the sports betting capitol of the world and its transformation into a sports city,” said Chris Holdren, co-president of Caesars Sports.
“With the marquee location of the studio right at the heart of the Strip, we’re excited to see the unique programming that could only be produced here in Las Vegas.”