Famed investor says Disney’s most profitable asset could be far from family friendly in near future

‘I think that in the end, Disney is going to spin it out as a separate public company,’ Bibb said

A famed investor believes The Walt Disney Company’s sports-gambling products will be its most profitable asset in the near future, a far cry from the family friendly image the Mouse House has long fought to protect. 

Earlier this week, PENN Entertainment announced a $1.5-billion partnership with Disney's ESPN to create a sports betting company. PENN will pay Disney’s sports arm $1.5 billion in cash over 10 years to rebrand its current sportsbook and relaunch as ESPN BET this fall in the 16 legal betting states where PENN is licensed.

Journalist-turned-investor Porter Bibb, who was Newsweek’s White House correspondent and the first publisher of Rolling Stone before pivoting to a lucrative career in finance, feels Disney CEO Bob Iger is just getting started. 

"Iger and Disney are sitting on top of an enormous potential revenue and profit generator in ESPN, and he's taken the first step with PENN Entertainment deal that is just the beginning of what ESPN is going to generate as a monster online sports betting behemoth," Bibb told Fox News Digital. 

PENN, DISNEY'S ESPN $1.5B DEAL SCORES WITH INVESTORS

A famed investor believes The Walt Disney Company’s sports-gambling products will be its most profitable asset in the near future, a far cry from the family friendly image the Mouse House has long fought to protect.  (iStock)

But Disney has long been protective of the company’s family image, and ESPN largely stayed away from gambling in the past as a result. The network began dabbling over the past few years as online betting became legal in many states, but mentioning point spreads on air is small potatoes compared to actually