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OAKLAND PARK, Fla. (Gambling911.com) - Nicole Noren's criticism of ESPN's relationship with gambling companies received fresh attention in a Guardian article published Saturday morning.
Among the stories she claims were held back, those that took a negative approach when it came to gambling.
“What was telling to me was that I had pitched numerous stories that would take a harder look at some of the gambling companies and addiction, and none of those stories was greenlit,” Noren told the Columbia Journalism Review in an interview with journalist Danny Funt. “They ended up doing a show on it around that time, but it became very neutered. Some of the people involved intended to make it much more hard-hitting and hold the gambling companies accountable. Let’s just say the final product didn’t end up doing that.”
Noren, who detailed a family history that included seeing her grandfather, father and brother’s lives unspool due to gambling addiction, left the network in 2023 after ESPN announced the debut of ESPN BET, a partnership with Penn Entertainment. “I’m not going to work for a gambling company and have blood on my hands,” Noren bluntly told Funt.
Noren's Allegations Broken Down
- ESPN repeatedly rejected the gambling investigations pitched by Noren, especially those having to do with addiction.
- A gambling investigation segment produced by Noren was considerably watered down and the gambling companies she wanted to hold accountable were not in the end.
- ESPN's gambling partnerships raised questions about editorial independence. Noren suggested the network's growing financial involvement with sports betting created conflicts between its commercial interests and its responsibility to investigate the industry.
- Noren said ESPN's investigative journalists had traditionally been insulated from business considerations, but she began noticing a shift around 2019.
- The partnership with Penn Entertainment, which formed the ESPN Bet app, was apparently the breaking point for Noren.
That app, we should note, no longer has a tie-in with ESPN. Penn Entertainment rebranded the app TheScore Bet.
ESPN disputed the implication that its journalism was compromised. The network told The Guardian that its editorial decisions remain guided by journalistic integrity and that it continues producing reporting that holds powerful interests accountable.
When they tell you sports gambling is harmless: no it isn't. Nicole Noren on why she left ESPN. https://t.co/NTb5nLGAa2
— Charles Arthur (@charlesarthur) October 14, 2026
Most Supportive of Noren's Decision
Jim O'Brien tweeted:
"Typing this as a Draft Kings ad pops up on my feed. Good for her…one of my young adult sons is addicted to online gambling and it’s ruining his life and negatively impacting the whole family. Hate that industry…and having it in my face all the time is infuriating."
But Jim.Newland questioned possible hypocrisy here.
"My comment is not to be little Nicole as it is a tragedy but with that current mindset, wouldn’t you also leave when ESPN had alcohol soonsors. It is also a serious addiction that ruins lives. I think people make their personal tragedies the priority that others should follow."
Recent PA Casino Bans Highlight the Crisis
Gambling addiction impacts others....It's not just the addict. In fact, it can kill.
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board this week banned eight more people from entering any casino in the state, five of whom are accused of leaving their minor children unattended for extended periods of time while they gambled inside the casino.
This story, which has since gone viral here at Gambling911.com, mentions the unthinkable. Two adults left a small child unattended in a food court while they spent over an hour gambling in the casino while two other adults were banned for leaving an 11-year-old and two small dogs in a car at Live! Philadelphia Casino for 23 minutes while they went inside to gamble.
A New Jersey mom left her toddler in the back seat of a car for hours with the temperatures hitting the 80's outside. Police arrived just in time to save the sweltering child before near certain death. That mother has not only been banned from Pennsylvania casinos, she was also charged with felony endangering the welfare of a child.
ESPN Still Reported Negative Gambling Stories Will the ESPN Bet App Existed
Penn Entertainment has a reputation for limiting winning customers.
"ESPN bet has limits on 3 of my accounts before I even made a bet," one Reddit user claimed prior to the rebranding of the sports betting app.
ESPN dodged a bullet however as competing sportsbooks have been dragged through the mud for refusing to pay customers their winnings based on software glitches and conflicting policies. FanDuel has come under fire recently for plying a gambler who lost $1.5 million with a personalized video message from Phillies superstar Bryce Harper. We will never know if ESPN would have reported on this story had ESPN Bet been the company sending the losing sports bettor personalized messages from big name athletes.
ESPN has published reporting about a college student's severe gambling addiction, written by Elizabeth Merrill and David Purdum.
Noren acknowledged that reporting but argued that ESPN was failing to examine its own role in promoting gambling.
Noren also stated that the editorial changes began approximately five to seven years before her October 2026 interview. That places the beginning of her concerns around 2019–2021, before ESPN BET launched in 2023.
This suggests her allegations concern a broader shift in ESPN's relationship with commercial stakeholders, rather than exclusively the Penn Entertainment deal.
Gambling911.com has followed Purdum's reporting over the years, and in particular during ESPN's tie-in with Penn Entertainment. Purdum continued reporting on hard hitting stories related to the gambling sector over this time, many of which were negative in nature.
- Aaron Goldstein, Gambling911.com
