ESPN producer quit over network's gambling business

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 15 Oct, 16:20 · Archive

Nicole Noren, an award-winning ESPN producer of 24 years, left the network in 2024 when it entered the gambling space.

Nicole Noren, an award-winning ESPN producer, left the network in 2024 when it launched ESPN Bet, its online sportsbook, in November 2023. Over her 24 years at ESPN, Noren won Emmy, Murrow and Peabody awards. She said she could not continue working for the company, declaring: 'I'm not going to work for a gambling company and have blood on my hands.'

Noren's decision was rooted in her personal experience with gambling addiction. She grew up in Ventura, California, and her family was repeatedly destabilised by financial upheaval caused by her grandfather's, father's and one brother's gambling. As a child, she was taken to Las Vegas sportsbooks and casinos instead of typical family venues. Her brother ultimately died on the streets of downtown Las Vegas in 2013 at the age of thirty-six, after becoming homeless. 'Addiction dictated every part of our life,' Noren said.

Noren spoke publicly about her departure for the first time in an interview with the Columbia Journalism Review. She also accused ESPN of ignoring the dangers of sports gambling and silencing reporting on the subject. ESPN Bet was subsequently replaced by a partnership with DraftKings, a sports gambling giant, in November 2025.

How it is being reported

• My brother died in Las Vegas after battling gambling addiction... ESPN's refusal to care made me quitAward-winning ESPN producer Nicole Noren has accused the network of ignoring the dangers of sports gambling and silencing reporting on the subject.Daily Mail Sport · 15 Oct, 16:01
• Why longtime ESPN producer quit in protest: Didn’t want ‘blood on my hands’Nicole Noren, a former ESPN producer of 24 years, explained that she knew she "was out" when the Worldwide Leader entered the gambling space in 2023.New York Post · 14 Oct, 22:00

In this story: Nicole Noren · ESPN · Columbia Journalism Review · DraftKings · Las Vegas · Ventura, California

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