Rush Street Interactive tapped former Chicago Bears Super Bowl-winning coach and pro football Hall of Famer Mike Ditka as a brand ambassador for its online sports betting platform. Rush Street sees Ditka as a way to improve its position in Illinois.
Ditka has been the face of the Bears since the early 1960s and the coach for the only Super Bowl won by the team in 1985.
“Mike Ditka was successful at every level of the game, from player to coach to analyst, and we’re thrilled for him to bring his knowledge and passion to our sports betting arena at BetRivers,” said Richard Schwartz, president of RSI, in a statement.
The Bears selected BetRivers as their exclusive online sportsbook partner in June with Rivers Casino in Des Plaines the official casino partner, according to Sports Handle.
Ditka will participate in promotions and events across BetRivers’ platforms. He will pontificate on NFL games via “Da Coach’s Picks of the Week.” He’ll do a weekly web video series “Beat Da Coach.”
“BetRivers strives to develop trusting relationships with its players. I’m really looking forward to helping strengthen those bonds even further by offering advice to its players on how to win,” Ditka said.
Illinois is a top-three market in handle, and BetRivers has produced $1.1 billion in bets since mobile wagering began in June 2020.
Through the first six months of the year, BetRivers accounted for 16.4 percent of the online handle with nearly $512 million, but that market share has dipped to 15.4 percent ($315.4 million) since Barstool’s entry in March. In terms of revenue, its $42 million is 17.4 percent of the state’s online total in 2021, but the $25.3 million over the last four months represents 15.6 percent of the $161.7 million for all six online sportsbooks in that span.
