theScore founders to step down from PENN Interactive leadership

PENN Entertainment is set to appoint a new head of interactive after confirming the departures of the founding family behind theScore.

theScore’s founding leaders are stepping down following the successful rollout of ESPN BET and theScore Bet, and completion of the company’s in-house technology migration.

John Levy, Benjie Levy, Aubrey Levy and Noah Levy will leave their roles at PENN Interactive, with John departing in mid-February and Benjie, Aubrey and Noah stepping down in April.

“This transition plan comes at a natural inflection point, with the migration to our proprietary technology platform complete, theScore's media and betting business delivering record results, and ESPN BET off to a strong start,” said PENN Entertainment CEO and president Jay Snowden. “The Levys are a family of successful entrepreneurs and are truly pioneers in the sports media and gaming industry.

“I am very proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish with them, including the development of an extremely deep and talented bench at PENN Interactive. With this experienced, best-in-class team firmly in place, we are well prepared for this to be a seamless transition and to continue growing our position as a leader in online gaming and sports media.”

PENN acquired Score Media and Gaming (theScore) in October 2021 and integrated theScore with its PENN Interactive unit under the leadership of Benjie Levy as head of interactive, and John Levy assuming the role of executive chairman of theScore.

“Working at PENN has been extremely rewarding and we want to thank Jay, Todd George and the entire PENN team for their partnership and support as we brought these two organizations together to execute on our uniquely integrated media and betting strategy,” said Benjie Levy. “Our focus on creating industry leading technology and products has been second only to our efforts in building a world class team and fostering a special place to work.

“We could not be more proud of this team and what we have accomplished together, and we look forward to watching as they continue to build upon the successful foundation we established at theScore.”

John Levy added: “The enduring success of theScore is due to the passionate and committed team that helped launch, develop and innovate our products to provide the best possible fan experience. Empowering fans with a seamlessly integrated media and betting experience has been core to our mission since day one.

“That strategy has led to the success of theScore and theScore Bet in Ontario and ESPN BET in the US and will continue to differentiate this online gaming business going forward.”

In conjunction with the planned leadership transition, PENN is in the final stages of its search for a new head of interactive.

Shares in PENN Entertainment Inc (NASDAQ:PENN) closed 5.14 per cent lower at $21.39 per share in New York Thursday.