TheScore Bet Review
theScore Bet relaunched in 2025 as PENN Entertainment’s in-house online sportsbook brand after a two-year hiatus, replacing ESPN Bet.
After a short-lived experiment with ESPN Bet, PENN Entertainment ended its 10-year licensing agreement with ESPN early and converted the ESPN Bet app and website to theScore Bet in all of its licensed states.
PENN automatically migrated existing ESPN Bet customers to theScore Bet, with their accounts and balances intact. theScore uses the same proprietary tech that powered the ESPN Bet app, but leverages theScore’s popular sports news app so bettors can track scores, see betting insights, view live data, and place wagers through a singular interface.
Read on for our full, updated theScore review. Below, we’ll discuss how theScore compares to other online sportsbooks, its bonus offers, and what to expect as a bettor.
- Legal and licensed
- Powered by PENN Entertainment
- Open to customers 21+
Pros
Owned by a trusted land-based casino operator Unique blend of wagering, news and, cross-app integration Straightforward welcome bonusCons
Just average vigorish Could use more betting options for each game First bet must win to receive welcome bonustheScore Bet States
theScore is legal and operational in the following states under licenses held by PENN Entertainment:
theScore Bet Promo Code
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
theScore Bet Promo Code | Not Needed |
| Welcome Bonus | Register and Bet $10+ on Any Sport: |
| Playthrough Requirement | 1x on bonus amount; wager through the bonus one time to withdraw winnings |
| Eligible States | AZ, CO, DC, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, MD, MA, MI, MO, NJ, NY, NC, OH, PA, TN, VA, WV |
| Key Terms |
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theScore Bet Bonus Details
theScore Bet offers $100 in bonus bets to new customers who:
- Sign up for accounts (new customers only; past ESPN Bet and Barstool Sportsbook customers are ineligible)
- Deposit $10 or more
- Place a $10+ wager on any sport
- Win their first bet
If your first bet wins, you’ll receive five bonus bets worth $20 each. Bonus bets are non-withdrawable, but all net winnings may be withdrawn once you’ve wagered through your entire bonus one time.
Eligibility Note: Former ESPN Bet customers do not qualify for the welcome bonus because their existing accounts remained unchanged during the rebranding to theScore. The theScore Bet bonus is reserved for new users creating accounts with any PENN Entertainment platform for the first time.
Other theScore Sports Betting Promotions
Since its relaunch, theScore Bet maintains an abnormally busy promotional schedule. On any given day, theScore has a dozen or more online betting promotions on offer, ranging from short-term profit boosts to longer-term contests with sizable potential rewards.
Some examples of recent promos include:
- Daily Profit Boosts: Log in any day for sport-specific profit boosts of around 20% and the occasional game-specific offers, such as a recent 40% profit boost on any winning SGP tied to a Lions vs. Cowboys game.
- Play of the Week: Users who participated in this promo could place specific types of wagers on select NFL games to earn weekly profit boosts (from 10% to 50%), entry into a weekly $50,000 bonus bets giveaway, and season-long cashback rewards.
- Tennis Retirement Voids: If you place a bet on a tennis match winner, and your pick retires after 1 set, theScore will void your bet. Conversely, if you bet on a match winner and the opponent wins, theScore will still grade your wager as a win.
- NHL Shootout Protection: If your pregame NHL moneyline loses after a shootout, theScore will refund your losing wager with up to $100 in bonus bets.
- Weekly Ticket Giveaway: Customers who opted in to this promotion and placed $50+ in total cash wagers on NHL/NBA games received entries into weekly drawings for one of 25 Ticketmaster gift cards worth $200.
theScore Loyalty Program
All theScore Bet customers automatically join PENN Play, PENN Entertainment’s companywide loyalty program, spanning its online and land-based properties nationwide.
As a member, you’ll earn Tier Points for placing bets and nearly all expenditures and wagers at PENN Entertainment locations to move up through the tiered rewards program.
PENN Play offers numerous benefits, but slow earn rates make it a distant secondary consideration for most bettors. When betting online through theScore Bet, you’ll earn 1 Tier Point for every $10 wagered on straight bets or for every $5 wagered on parlays. Considering that it takes 1,000 Tier Points to move out of the program’s initial tier and 3,000 Tier Points to earn your first $10 in PENN Cash, there’s just not much value here
theScore Bet Deposit Methods
How to Withdraw from theScore
You can withdraw your funds from theScore by logging in on the app, opening the main menu in the upper-right corner, and selecting the “My Account” menu item.
From there, select “Withdrawal,” where you’ll see your available balance, choose how much to withdraw, and select a withdrawal method.
theScore Bet processes withdrawal requests within 72 hours, and you’ll have your money within 1-3 business days in total in most cases. theScore does not charge withdrawal fees, but your bank or payment method provider may charge its own fees.
Withdrawal options and limits:
| Withdrawal Method | Minimum Withdrawal | Maximum Withdrawal |
| Debit Card (Visa) | $10 | No max (your bank may impose limits) |
| Online Banking (Trustly) | $10 | $50,000 per transaction |
| PayPal | $10 | No max (PayPal determines your limits) |
| Bank Account ETF | $10 | No max (your bank determines your limits) |
theScore Betting Markets
theScore Bet provides a comprehensive but standard catalog of betting markets spanning all major professional sports leagues in the US and abroad. The full lineup includes:
- Football (NFL, NCAAF)
- Basketball (NBA, NCAAB, WNBA, WNCAAB, EuroLeague,
- Baseball (MLB)
- Hockey (NHL)
- Soccer (MLS, USL, UCL, UEL, EPL, LaLiga, Serie A, Bundesliga,
- Golf (PGA, DPWT, LPGA)
- Tennis (ATP, WTA)
- Motorsports (F1, Nascar)
- Lacrosse (NLL)
- Mixed Martial Arts (UFC)
- Boxing
- Table Tennis
- Cricket
- Rugby
- Volleyball
- Snooker
- Beach volleyball
- Handball
Bettors can also expect standard bet types, spanning full-game moneylines, spreads, point totals, partial game outcomes, alt lines, game props, player props, custom parlays, SGPs, and custom premade suggested parlays.
Overall, theScore ranks about on par with other major online sportsbooks like BetMGM and FanDuel in terms of market breadth and depth.
theScore In-Play Betting
theScore offers an unusually strong in-play betting experience, with dozens of in-play games running at any given time, spanning all major professional leagues and hundreds of games per day in smaller international leagues.
The in-play betting menu also lists several dozen HD streams per day for users to watch games live, although the selection typically spans lesser-known leagues and matchups.
Compared to other major online sportsbooks, theScore offers significantly more in-play betting and live streaming options during a typical day.
For example, here’s a snapshot showing how the live betting options compare between theScore, FanDuel Sportsbook, and BetMGM during the slower afternoon hours on an unexceptional weekday:
- theScore: 68 in-play betting events underway; 26 with live streams
- FanDuel: 53 in-play events underway; 14 with live streams
- BetMGM: 35 in-play events underway; 3 with live streams
Regarding in-play betting vigorish, theScore’s lines tend to include a hold of around 6%-8%, which is roughly the industry average.
When comparing the vigorish across three in-play betting markets between theScore, BetMGM, and FanDuel, theScore kept the least hold in one game, the most in another, and second place in a third:
Game 1 in-play vigorish:
- theScore: 6.02%
- FanDuel: 5.39%
- BetMGM: 4.94%
Game 2 in-play vigorish:
- theScore: 8.33%
- FanDuel: 9.05%
- BetMGM: 8.30%
Game 3 in-play vigorish:
- theScore: 6.31%
- FanDuel: 9.15%
- BetMGM: 6.53%
theScore Bet App Review
The theScore betting app still uses the same underlying technology as ESPN Bet, but PENN National has updated the app and added some new integrations into theScore’s existing sports news app, enabling more personalized feeds and live scoring data.
The app uses a standard mobile sports betting interface. It features a horizontal menu of sports leagues spanning the top of the app (using official league logos, which is a small but nice aesthetic touch), with a list of popular upcoming games and odds occupying the rest of the screen.
theScore also intersperses current promotions and suggested SGPs throughout the upcoming games feed, which some users will find annoying and others will find convenient.
From a development standpoint, PENN Interactive (PENN’s online betting division) has done well: the app is snappy, live odds update quickly, and there are no delays when moving from one screen to the next.
What still sets theScore Bet apart is its integration with its companion sports news app (simply “theScore”):
- Bet Mode: Toggle Bet Mode in theScore’s media app to unlock faster scoring updates, real-time odds, live bet tracking, and one-tap synching between both apps for even faster live odds updates and news alerts tailored to your active wagers.
- Bet Section: A dedicated area of theScore Bet for personalized wager recommendations and analyses, exclusive promotions, and community polls.
App Screenshots
theScore Bet Customer Support
theScore Bet offers industry-average customer support, which is decent but not excellent. Fortunately, theScore offers several contact methods:
- Email: support@thescore.bet
- Request a callback: 1-855-550-1238
- Live chat inside the app
theScore Responsible Gambling
PENN Entertainment promotes responsible gambling and complies with all consumer protection regulations in the states where it operates. Additionally, users can set self-determined limits to support responsible wagering:
- Daily time limit
- Daily, weekly, and monthly limits on deposits, amount wagered, and losses
- Single maximum wager limit
- Cool-off periods ranging from one day to three months
- Self-exclusion ranging from six months to permanent
- Disable the casino tab (in applicable states)
theScore Bet FAQ
Expert Opinion: Is theScore Legit?
theScore is an established name in sports news and media, and its mobile app holds multiple sports betting licenses. Bettors who choose theScore.bet can rest assured they will receive a fair betting experience and get paid when they win.
The cross-app integration between theScore’s sports betting and news apps is useful, but it feels like more of a novelty than a game-changer. In other regards, theScore is a pretty standard sportsbook with a decent wagering catalog, in-play betting, detailed handicapping statistics, and useful updates such as injury reports.





