Chicago Bears Sign First Betting Partners
The Chicago Bears football team have announced that they have struck a deal with the team’s first-ever sports betting partners. The NFL team has signed an exclusive deal with Rush Street Interactive, a Chicago-based gaming group that operates BetRivers.com and Rush Street Gaming-owned Rivers Casino, the latter of which is also based in Chicago.
The Chicago Bears have struck a deal with their first-ever sports betting partner: Rush Street Interactive. The company is a Chicago-based gaming group that operates BetRivers.com and Rush Street Gaming-owned Rivers Casino. ©Pexels/Pixabay
Deal Will See BetRivers Become Bears’ Official Sportsbook Partner
Chicago’s main NFL team, the Chicago Bears, has announced its first-ever betting partnership, after signing an exclusive deal with Rush Street Interactive. The group is a Chicago-based gaming company that operates BetRivers.com and Rivers Casino, the second of which is also based in Chicago.
The National Football League (NFL) team and Rush Street Interactive signed a multi-year agreement between themselves, under the terms of which BetRivers will become the Chicago Bears’ official sportsbook partner, while Rivers Casino the team’s official casino partner.
As part of the deal, Rivers Casino and BetRivers will have their properties prominently displayed inside of the Bears’ stadium, known as Soldier Field, as well as additional print, social and digital materials.
Furthermore, BetRivers will become the title partner of the team’s customized Free to Play Game on the official Chicago Bears mobile application. Finally, BetRivers.com players can expect to take advantage of collaborative promotions for exclusive Chicago Bears goodies and experiences.
Bears and Rush Street Interactive are Excited to Be Working Together
In a press release sent out by Rush Street Interactive, Chicago Bears president and chief executive Ted Phillips expressed the team’s excitement to be working with the Chicago-based Rush Street, promising fans new and engaging ways to interact with the team:
“We are incredibly excited to announce BetRivers and Rivers Casino as our first multi-year exclusive partner in the Sportsbook and Casino categories. 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.”
For its part, executive chairman and co-founder of Rush Street Interactive and Rush Street Gaming Neil Bluhm reiterated the provider’s loyalty to its hometown team, hinting at new promotions and products for fans down the line:
“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. 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.”– Neil Bluhm, Executive Chairman and Co-Founder, Rush Street Interactive & Rush Street Gaming
Sportradar Recently Signed Deal with Jets and Ravens
The world of American sports betting partnerships has been quite active as of late, with the US division of popular Swiss-based sports betting platform Sportradar signing a major deal in May 2021 with two established NFL franchises — the New York Jets and the Baltimore Ravens.
Known worldwide for its sports betting marketing services and high-end technology solutions, the deal will see Sportradar provide its offerings to both teams in order to help the two franchises further grow and perfect their affiliate marketing plans, sponsorship programs, and marketing strategies for the legal sports betting partners they collaborate with.
Sportradar believes its data-driven product solutions will enhance the teams’ sponsor performance, while also opening up new potential inroads in the US sports betting market, the latter of which head of US advertising at Sportradar Mike Smith sees as holding much potential for both the Jets and the Ravens:
“Legalized sports betting presents new and unique opportunities for teams, as well as betting operators, and the Jets and Ravens are taking a step in raising the value of their brands for their respective betting sponsors. Our end-to-end platform provides each team a number of levers they can pull to ensure they’re delivering a personalized experience based on their distinct fanbases, while maximizing their marketing investment.”– Mike Smith, Head of US Advertising, Sportradar
Illinois Sports Betting Loopholes Were Discussed in May 2021
Though Illinois rolled out legalized sports betting just in time for the coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak in the United States in March 2020, some loopholes and grey areas still remain in the market.
This caused state politicians and legislators to convene as recently as May 2021 to discuss issues such as betting on college sports, as well as the risks of gamblers betting in neighboring states or through offshore websites or unlicensed machines — all of which are issues currently not covered in Illinois’ gambling laws.
One of the main issues covered was college sports betting, currently outlawed in the state, due to local colleges and universities being concerned that bettors may be in contact with players and unfairly throw games.
For now, an amendment has been put forward concerning the issue by Representative Zalewski, who himself is championing a bill to legalize college sports betting. The amendment argues that if a local university or college has strong evidence that there has been foul play, college sports betting can be suspended for up to six months.
