People in New York now have full access to ESPN Bet, as the online sportsbook officially went live on Friday after a soft launch on Thursday. The Penn Interactive-operated brand finally has access to the country’s biggest betting market after plenty of effort.

approved Penn’s $25m acquisition of WynnBET’s New York license

It was only on Monday that the New York State Gaming Commission approved Penn’s $25m acquisition of WynnBET’s New York license, and the company wasted no time getting up and running before the weekend’s NFL action.

ESPN Bet joins eight other online operators in the Empire State; FanDuel and DraftKings dominate the sector which took in total handle of over $1.4bn in August. A hefty 51% tax rate is in place on sportsbook revenue, by far the highest of any state in the country.