Bob Iger said Disney is not "facilitating gambling in any way"

In 2019, then-Disney chief executive Bob Iger played down the prospect of the company entering gambling, a contrast with ESPN’s current direction. The Disney-owned network now runs DraftKings odds and ads across its platforms and in 2023 let a betting company use its brand; that venture later dissolved, and DraftKings replaced it as ESPN’s betting partner. Former ESPN journalist Nicole Noren, who left in 2024 after 24 years, told the Columbia Journalism Review that the network declined multiple pitches she made for reporting on wagering businesses and addiction; ESPN maintained that it weighs editorial choices through established standards, and correspondent David Purdum disputed that betting coverage has been weakened. The case raises questions about whether outlets that profit from promoting wagering can still scrutinize the industry.