David Purdum has signed a new, multiyear contract renewal with ESPN in which he will continue working in his role as a sports betting reporter. Purdum, a member of ESPN since 2014, will report on several aspects of the sports betting industry pertaining to business and odds in addition to creating industry features. Throughout his time covering sports betting, which began in 2008, he has worked on numerous stories pertaining to both former and current athletes. One of his recent stories looks at the impact Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James and Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes have had on the betting market.
“David is a well-established, well-respected reporter, who has done a great job covering the sports betting industry for ESPN, especially during the unprecedented growth of the space since 2018,” Scott Clark, vice president, fantasy and betting content at ESPN, said in a statement. “He has anchored our sports betting editorial coverage, and we’re excited to have him continuing that for years to come.”
Purdum also works closely with the ESPN investigative journalism team on stories, some of which have consisted of the betting scandals surrounding former NBA player Jontay Porter. Moreover, he has coordinated with the department on stories pertaining to player suspensions for members of the Detroit Lions and wagering investigations surrounding Iowa and Iowa State.
“In my eyes, ESPN remains the perfect platform to cover the wild world of sports betting, something I’ve been blessed to do for the last 10 years,” Purdum said in a statement. “The future is going to be even more fascinating, as the fledgling American betting market continues to mature into what most experts believe will be one of the largest in the world. I can’t wait to tell the stories along the way.”
Purdum frequently appears on ESPN BET Live, the daily sports betting news and information television show, and has also worked on Outside the Lines. Over the years, his work has appeared in various media outlets such as The Sporting News, Sports Business Journal, UPI and more. Before working at ESPN, he covered professional, collegiate and high school sports for the Sports Xchange and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Purdum began his journalism career with the News & Eagle in Enid, Okla. as its Oklahoma State football beat writer and columnist, and he later became the sports editor for Sentry-News in Slidell, La.
