Disney's LaBerge Joins Penn Entertainment as New CTO

Disney's LaBerge is now the Chief Technical Officer at Penn Entertainment.

Aaron LaBerge, who previously worked for The Walt Disney Company, has been named the Chief Technology Officer at Penn Entertainment. He starts on July 1 and will take charge of Penn's technology projects, reporting directly to Jay Snowden, the CEO and president of Penn.

LaBerge's Background

• Former President and CTO of Disney Entertainment and ESPN
• Previously worked at ESPN in senior technology roles
• Co-founded Fanzter, a software company, and served as CEO
• Had tenure at Walt Disney Internet Group and other tech firms

LaBerge, who has worked at Disney and ESPN, is set to guide the technological direction at Penn. He will be in charge of a global team of tech experts and take on the role of business head for Penn Interactive.

Penn's ESPN Bet Brand

LaBerge's big job is to grow ESPN Bet, an important company in the American sports gambling industry. ESPN Bet came from a huge deal worth $1.5 billion between Penn and Disney's ESPN and used to be called the Barstool Sportsbook app. Penn took charge of it after an agreement last August. By February, they planned to get the legal go-ahead to run sports betting in New York from Wynn Interactive, with hopes to start ESPN Bet in New York later that year.

Transitioning to Penn

LaBerge is excited to work with Penn Interactive and is looking to use what he knows from his time at Disney and ESPN to make the ESPN Bet brand even better for sports fans.

Jay Snowden commended LaBerge for his strong history of leading a large group of tech experts. Snowden believes that with LaBerge on board, Penn will strengthen its position in the fields of online gaming, sports betting, and digital sports content.

Looking Forward

LaBerge's switch to Penn Entertainment is a smart move for the company. They want to strengthen their position in the fast-changing world of games and sports media. Penn expects LaBerge to lead the way in improving how fans engage with sports and games, helping them stay at the forefront of their industry.