Aaron LaBerge—a top Disney technology executive involved in major projects from ESPN’s streaming efforts to Hulu’s integration with Disney+ and a new sports-betting venture—is leaving the company and will be joining betting company Penn Entertainment. (WSJ)
LaBerge is taking a job as chief technology officer of Penn, which operates ESPN Bet, the sports media company’s licensed online sportsbook. He’ll be responsible for driving technology strategy as a top executive in the company’s interactive division. LaBerge is leaving for personal reasons related to his family and will stay on at Disney until June, the memo said. (CNBC)
Penn will pay Disney $1.5 billion over 10 years for ESPN Bet, which was the sixth-largest sportsbook in the U.S. in the fourth quarter, according to data from Eilers & Krejcik Gaming. (Bloomberg)