Penn Entertainment brings in former Disney executive LaBerge as CTO

LaBarge will take up the role of CTO at Penn Entertainment on July 1. He will report directly to Chief Executive and Chairman Jay Snowden.

As CTO, LaBerge will be responsible for driving technology strategy and implementation for Penn. He will lead a multinational team of technologists and will also serve as Penn Interactive’s key business leader.

LaBerge joined Penn after approximately six years with the Walt Disney Company. Here, he was most recently President and CTO of Disney Entertainment and ESPN. He was also president and CTO of Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution.

Prior to this, LaBerge worked at ESPN for six years, again in several senior technology roles. These included four years as executive vice president and CTO.

Early in his career, LaBerge co-founded the software business Fanzter and served as CEO. This followed a previous stint at ESPN, when he spent more than five years as senior vice president of technology and product development.

Additionally, he spent time working at Walt Disney Internet Group, Starwave Corporation, and Renaissance Interactive.

LaBerge to support Penn with ESPN Bet expansion

A key part of LaBerge’s new role at Penn will be to work on the ongoing rollout of the ESPN Bet brand in the US.

ESPN Bet is the product of Penn’s $1.5 billion (£1.22 billion/€1.41 billion) partnership with Disney’s ESPN, America’s largest sports media brand.

ESPN chose to move into sports betting last August make a deal with pen, Under this agreement, Penn operates ESPN Bet while ESPN promotes the app on its online and broadcast platforms.

Coincidentally, ESPN Bet is a rebrand of the existing sports betting app, Barstool Sportsbook. Penn said he sold Barstool Sports to its founder Dave Portnoy for $1 last August.

espn bet official Live in 17 states In America in November. It has since moved to expand this reach when in February it agreed to acquire Wynn Interactive’s New York sports betting license. This clears the way for Penn to launch ESPN Bet in the state later this year.

“I am excited to join another talented team at Penn Interactive and lead our technology strategy,” said LaBerge. “Penn Entertainment is at the forefront of the rapidly changing gaming and sports media industry.

“I plan to use my experience from Disney and ESPN to help make ESPN Bet an essential part of the sports fan experience. “Together, we will push boundaries and redefine the way fans interact with sports and gaming.”

CEO Snowden said: “We are thrilled to have someone like Aaron join our Penn executive team. After overseeing a global organization of thousands of engineers, product developers, designers, technologists and data scientists that built the largest and most successful media properties in the world, who better to lead our technology and interactive division? There is no candidate. Future.

“I know Aaron looks forward to working with our entire executive team. “He will continue to enhance our position as a leader in online gaming, sports betting and digital sports media.”