Sports bettors flocked to ESPN Bet after its mid-November launch.
Taking 10% to 20% market share by 2027 no longer seemed like such a stretch — even in a crowded, competitive space.
ESPN Bet's share of the online sports betting market has dipped in recent months.
The gamble may be riskier than analysts thought, and it will be an outright disaster if ESPN Bet doesn't perform better than Barstool Sportsbook.
Related storiesIn the first quarter, Penn's interactive segment headlined by ESPN Bet lost nearly $200 million on an adjusted basis.
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