PENN vs DKNG: Penn Entertainment vs DraftKings Stock Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
Penn Entertainment is a regional casino operator trying to build market share in online sports betting through ESPN Bet, while DraftKings is the #2 US online sports betting company competing with FanDuel's #1 position. DraftKings has a stronger existing market position; ESPN Bet is earlier stage but backed by ESPN's sports media reach.
PENN vs DKNG is ESPN brand-powered sports betting challenger versus established OSB market duopoly — DraftKings wins if FanDuel-DraftKings duopoly sustains and profitability improves; Penn wins if ESPN Bet's 100M+ user reach translates to sustainable market share at a manageable customer acquisition cost.
PENN and DKNG are closely matched — they split the tracked metrics evenly. PENN leads on both 1-year return (+14.11%) and forward P/E quality (14.00x vs 14.73x for DKNG), a relatively favorable combination of momentum and valuation. Analyst consensus implies meaningfully more upside for DKNG (+39.44%) than for PENN (+10.43%).
- →believe ESPN's sports media integration gives ESPN Bet a unique customer acquisition advantage over DraftKings
- →value PENN's regional casino cash flows as a partial funding mechanism for ESPN Bet's promotional spending
- →are comfortable with higher execution risk and a longer OSB profitability timeline vs DraftKings
- →prefer a combined casino-and-digital gaming company over DraftKings' pure digital focus
- →want the #2 US OSB operator with an established market position and path to profitability as markets mature
- →believe DraftKings' product quality and iGaming expansion create durable competitive advantages
- →value DraftKings' structural profitability improvement as promotional spending requirements decrease in mature markets
- →prefer a pure-play OSB and iGaming investment vs PENN's diluted casino-and-sports-betting mix
| Metric | PENN | DKNG |
|---|---|---|
| AI score | 34.0 | 38.2 |
| AI rank | #1864 | #1371 |
| Latest close | $20.25 | $25.18 |
| 1M return | -6.57% | -13.17% |
| 6M return | +42.64% | -27.97% |
| 1Y return | +14.11% | -42.50% |
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | PENN | DKNG |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $11.41K (+14.1%) started 2025-07-14 | $5.75K (-42.5%) started 2025-07-14 |
| 5Y ago | $2.97K (-70.3%) started 2021-07-14 | $5.61K (-43.9%) started 2021-07-14 |
| 10Y ago | $14.38K (+43.8%) started 2016-07-14 | $25.69K (+156.9%) started 2019-07-25 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
| Metric | PENN | DKNG |
|---|---|---|
| Market cap | $2.71B | $12.49B |
| Trailing P/E | N/A | 279.78 |
| Forward P/E | 14.00 | 14.73 |
| Price/Sales | 0.38 | 1.99 |
| EV/Revenue | 1.85 | 2.23 |
| Analyst target | $22.37 | $35.11 |
| Target upside | +10.43% | +39.44% |
| Metric | PENN | DKNG |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growth | 6.40% | 16.80% |
| Earnings growth | N/A | N/A |
| EPS growth | N/A | N/A |
| FCF margin | -3.16% | +9.59% |
| Operating margin | N/A | N/A |
| Profit margin | -13.54% | 0.93% |
| ROIC proxy | -40.06% | 7.94% |
| Return on equity | -40.06% | 7.94% |
| Dividend yield | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Beta | 1.42 | 1.64 |
| Debt/equity | 614.49 | 316.98 |
| Current ratio | 0.82 | 1.02 |
| Quick ratio | 0.67 | 0.70 |
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
| Period | Metric | PENN | DKNG |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growth | +14.11% | -42.50% |
| CAGR | +14.12% | -42.52% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.42 | -0.95 | |
| Max drawdown | 42.55% | 57.04% | |
| Max daily drop | 10.40% | 13.51% | |
| Max wkly drop | 14.53% | 18.71% | |
| 5Y | Growth | -70.32% | -43.86% |
| CAGR | -21.57% | -10.91% | |
| Sharpe ratio | -0.26 | 0.05 | |
| Max drawdown | 86.14% | 83.87% | |
| Max daily drop | 21.08% | 27.82% | |
| Max wkly drop | 26.18% | 34.71% | |
| 10Y | Growth | +43.75% | +156.94% |
| CAGR | +3.70% | +14.50% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.30 | 0.46 | |
| Max drawdown | 91.38% | 85.73% | |
| Max daily drop | 44.80% | 27.82% | |
| Max wkly drop | 77.18% | 37.74% |
| Category | PENN | DKNG |
|---|---|---|
| Company | PENN Entertainment, Inc. | DraftKings Inc. |
| Sector | Consumer Discretionary | Consumer Discretionary |
| Industry | N/A | N/A |
| Core business | Regional casino operator with 43+ properties and ESPN Bet (online sports betting) built through a partnership with ESPN/Disney. PENN exited its Barstool Sportsbook at a significant loss and pivoted to ESPN Bet, launched in November 2023. | US online sports betting (OSB) and iGaming company with the #2 market share in US OSB behind FanDuel. DraftKings also operates daily fantasy sports and has expanded into casino gaming in states where iGaming is legal. |
| Investor focus | ESPN Bet market share growth and path to profitability, regional casino performance, and whether the ESPN brand can overcome DraftKings/FanDuel market share dominance. | Revenue growth from new state legalization, hold rate improvement, profitability path, and structural gross margin expansion as markets mature. |
- →ESPN Bet benefits from ESPN's 100M+ monthly app users and deep sports content integration — a brand that reaches more sports fans than DraftKings or FanDuel
- →Regional casino business provides steady cash flows that partially fund ESPN Bet's promotional spending
- →ESPN partnership gives PENN access to sports content that other betting operators cannot leverage for marketing
- →DraftKings has built the #2 US OSB market share through significant promotional spending and product quality — near-duopoly with FanDuel across most states
- →iGaming expansion provides a higher-margin gaming channel alongside sports betting
- →As OSB markets mature, promotional spending requirements decrease and structural profitability improves
- →Barstool Sportsbook was a failed bet ($400M+ loss) — ESPN Bet must succeed where Barstool failed to validate PENN's online strategy
- →DraftKings and FanDuel have entrenched first-mover advantages and market shares that are extremely difficult to displace
- →ESPN Bet promotional spend is significant — losses in the digital segment are material and timeline to profitability is uncertain
- →FanDuel leads DraftKings in market share in most states — displacement as #1 is very difficult
- →New state legalization pace is slowing as most major states have legalized — growth increasingly depends on retention vs new market acquisition
- →ESPN Bet is a well-capitalized competitor that could pressure DraftKings' market share if ESPN brand traction improves
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