Two Illinois institutions, the iconic NFL Chicago Bears and elite sports betting provider brand Rush Street Interactive, Inc. (RSI), operator of BetRivers.com and Des Plaines-based Rivers Casino announced a multi-year Official Sportsbook and Casino Partnership deal on Tuesday. The Bears already have an existing Official Sports Betting Partnership deal in place with PointsBet, but the BetRivers deal aligns them with not only a sports betting provider but one of its main retail casino facilities as well.
“As a lifelong Bears fan, I am thrilled to have BetRivers and Rivers Casino partner with our hometown NFL team, the Chicago Bears, as the organization’s only Official Sportsbook and Casino Partner,” said Neil Bluhm, executive chairman & co-Founder of Rush Street Interactive and Rush Street Gaming, in a statement. “We look forward to expanding our relationship with the Bears and their dedicated fan base and offering innovative products and promotions as we remain committed to delivering a first-rate customer experience. This partnership also reinforces our commitment to hometown teams in states where we have our online and land-based sportsbooks.”
About the Relationship
The Chicago Bears/BetRivers partnership deal follows the template set out by the host of other similar alignments that have been forged in the broader US legal sports betting scene the last few years. It is said to be a multi-year agreement that will be mutually beneficial for both parties involved.
Rush Street Interactive looks like the biggest winner as wagering providers typically are in such an instance. They immediately secure “a mix of prominent in-stadium signage, and digital, social and print assets,” and become the title partner on the team’s elite-level betting app in Illinois. Exposure is always the goal of the provider and that is what they get through one of Illinois’ most beloved sports franchises.
BetRivers, which will have a strong presence everywhere the Bears happen to be, will, in turn, offer Bears fans unique and valuable sportsbook promotions such as Bears merchandise, game tickets and other team-related perks for users.
The Chicago Bears will benefit from even more exposure than they already have and the chance to enhance their fans’ overall viewing experience through their newfound relationship with Rush Street. It will be, after all, in Rush Street’s best interest to heavily promote their hometown Bears at both their retail casino and their online platform.
“We are incredibly excited to announce BetRivers and Rivers Casino as our first multi-year exclusive partner in the Sportsbook and Casino categories,” said Bears President & CEO Ted Phillips. “We look forward to connecting with our fans in fun and unique ways through these avenues and couldn’t be prouder to be building this relationship with a hometown company.”
Rush Street’s Focus On Illinois
Rush Street and BetRivers have made their home state of Illinois a focus since the launch of the jurisdiction’s legal sports betting platform. The betting provider was the first to launch in Illinois with a retail and mobile platform. It has since become the top performing sports betting company in the state, even though competition is stiff in Illinois, and is littered with all the top providers in the country.
Domination of the Illinois market makes good sense for Rush Street. Illinois has consistently landed within the top-5 legal sports betting states with regard to the amount of betting dollars taken in, with little reason to think that their status will slip anytime soon.
Recently RSI was named the 2020 Global Gaming Awards Digital Operator of the Year and the 2020 EGR North America Awards Casino Operator of the Year and Customer Service Operator of the Year.
Takeaways
Illinois is poised to remain in the elite tier of sports betting states and Rush Street, thanks in part to their dedication to the Illinois scene is poised to remain a big part of that.
Partnering with the most iconic Illinois pro team and one of the most recognizable clubs in the country is a coup for the betting provider. Having a hometown success story in their corner is a coup for the Bears. Everybody wins in the latest sports team/betting provider deal from the NFL team itself to RSI to the fans that will be treated to some intriguing sports betting perks just by signing onto the BetRivers app.
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