ESPN launches sportsbook in move to cash in on sports betting boom
CBSN
The biggest name in U.S. sports broadcasting is putting its money on the lucrative gambling industry, launching an online betting platform that will initially be available in 17 states.
ESPN teamed with Penn Entertainment, a provider of sports content and casino gaming experiences that previously launched the sportsbook for Barstool Sports, to create the betting service, dubbed ESPN Bet. The platform went live for signups on Thursday, but still needs approval from gaming commissions in each state.
ESPN is plunging into the sports wagering business as parent company Disney looks to boost profits across the entertainment giant. Yet while gambling has exploded as a growing number of states legalize it, the broadcaster will face entrenched competitors in the form of DraftKings and FanDuel, which control roughly 80% of the online sports betting market,
Meta is ending its key diversity, equity and inclusion programs, joining other corporate giants like Ford, McDonald's and Walmart that have pulled the plug on their DEI initiatives.
The Biden administration on Friday announced it would extend the temporary legal status of nearly 1 million immigrants from El Salvador, Sudan, Ukraine and Venezuela, utilizing a program that is expected to be curtailed by the incoming Trump administration.
At least four people were injured Friday morning after a Minneapolis-bound Delta Airlines flight aborted its takeoff at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, airport officials said.
Titan Farms, a South Carolina company that supplies fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables to major U.S. retailers, illegally deducted political contributions and cleaning fees from more than 1,300 seasonal foreign workers, according to federal officials.
Macy's is closing 66 store locations that it has said are underperforming. The closures are part of the storied retailer's turnaround strategy.
President-elect Donald Trump was sentenced to be released with no restrictions Friday after his criminal conviction in the "hush money" case in New York.
Tesla is recalling more than 240,000 vehicles because of a rearview visibility issue.
The victims who died in the wind-driven fires that have decimated the Los Angeles area fires this week include a man who was found holding a garden hose as well as an 82-year-old man who died in his bed, family members told CBS News.
Rudy Giuliani is set to appear in a Washington, D.C., federal courtroom Friday as a federal judge considers a request from two Georgia election workers to hold the former New York City mayor in contempt for allegedly continuing to defame them in violation of a court order.
Employers added 256,000 jobs in December, far exceeding economists' expectations and signaling that the job market remains resilient in the face of still-high borrowing rates and stickier-than-expected inflation.