GAMBLE: In huge new deals, ESPN and Google cave to the online betting economy

A simple Google search stopped being simple a long time ago. With sports scores, flight costs, and news articles being integrated into the engine over the years, it seemed the search giant could not pack any more ways to push its verticals into the engine.

But it’s still trying.

If 2024 was the year of the small modular nuclear reactor — which were approved en masse to power AI — 2025 may be the year of the gambling partnership.

‘Just ask something like “What will GDP growth be for 2025?”‘

Google and Disney’s ESPN have both inked new deals with gambling websites that will further increase the visibility of betting into everyday life.

Why not gamble?

Google announced in a blog post on Thursday it will integrate both Kalshi and Polymarket into its engine “so you can ask questions about future market events and harness the wisdom of the crowds.”

The pleasant descriptors for the American trading websites can be further summarized by noting they are simply platforms for gambling on nearly anything.

At the time of this writing, Kalshi’s feature bet is who will be nominated for Best New Artist at the 2026 Grammys. On Polymarket, users can bet on when the government shutdown will end, who will win the Super Bowl, or on the price of Bitcoin.

Google says, “Just ask something like ‘What will GDP growth be for 2025?’ directly from the search box to see current probabilities in the market and how they’ve changed over time.”

RELATED: Trump DOJ ends battle with Polymarket after Biden’s FBI raided CEO following 2024 election

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Popular gaming (not for kids)

ESPN decided to end its partnership with Penn Entertainment early, just two years into a supposed 10-year deal. ESPN provided a $38.1 million buyout, according to Sportico, and then turned around and linked up with DraftKings immediately.

Where Penn operates casinos and slots in addition to its online sportsbook, DraftKings is not your father’s gambling dynasty. Instead, the brand is fully immersed in the culture, consistently appearing as a sponsor on popular YouTube channels that target a younger demographic.

What started as a company meant for fantasy drafts has evolved into a gambling empire that tends to skew younger and has a more lenient platform in terms of what types of sports bets are allowed.

Interestingly, Penn Entertainment previously owned Barstool Sports before selling it back to founder Dave Portnoy, who would also later partner with DraftKings.

RELATED: Alex Stein: A third dildo has hit the WNBA court — now sports fans are betting when the next will strike

Photo by Erica Denhoff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

No Escape

DraftKings has previously partnered with professional sports teams and leagues in the past, including those in the NFL, MLB, and NBA. Now, after also announcing a deal with NBCUniversal in September, the company’s ads will appear across every major sports league’s broadcasts.

This includes NFL, PGA Tour, Ryder Cup, Premier League soccer, NCAA football, NBA, and the WNBA, as well as Super Bowl LX, NBA All-Star Weekend, and the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup.

On ESPN, the integration will be more betting-based, with the network saying it will roll out DraftKings in ESPN’s full “ecosystem” to offer at least three DraftKings products starting in December.

With search engines, networks, sports leagues, and YouTubers all jumping on board with the gambling revolution, it seems a betting culture is being fully immersed into all facets of the economy … and life itself.

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