Phil Hellmuth Signs to Become BetRivers Brand Ambassador

Phil Hellmuth, 60-year-old poker professional with a record 17 World Series of Poker bracelets, has signed a partnership with Rush Street Interactive (RSI). RSI is the owner of the BetRivers online gaming brand, and it is this brand that the “Poker Brat” will represent. The news was announced in a press release dated Jan. 13, 2025.

Details About the Deal

Phil Hellmuth will become a “brand and content partner” for BetRivers. This will encompass not only the BetRivers online poker site but will also include internet casino and sportsbook verticals as well as engagements at live casinos affiliated with BetRivers and filmings of the “Poker Night in America” show, which is produced by RSI.

Among the areas in which Hellmuth will participate are:

• Promotions for online poker, casino, and sportsbook
• Live Dealer games hosted by Phil, sports betting commentary, and interactive sessions with players
• VIP events, like a Super Bowl trip to New Orleans with players
• Events at brick-and-mortar casino partners, including poker tournaments
• Appearances on “Poker Night in America” and other streaming events
• Exclusive online poker tournaments and branded content

About Phil Hellmuth

Phil Hellmuth, Jr. is one of the most well-known poker players in the world and among the few who have name recognition with the public at large. His achievements include winning the Main Event of the 1989 World Series of Poker and the Main Event of the 2012 World Series of Poker Europe: just two of the record 17 WSOP gold bracelets he has collected in his poker career. Phil has earned more than $30 million in live poker tournaments and in 2007 was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame.

Phil Hellmuth Is the Newest BetRivers Ambassador

Apart from his stellar poker results, Phil is also infamous for his obnoxious table talk and ostentatious publicity stunts, like the time when he was carried into the Rio Casino on a litter dressed as Caesar. Phil often skips the first couple of blind levels in tournaments, allowing his chips to be slowly blinded off, as he believes that this early tourney play is too small-scale to be worthy of his attention.

Hellmuth has been associated with various brands in the past, like the beverage Brèinfúel and staking platform YouStake. However, for more than a decade, he has avoided involving himself with online poker sites. Previously, he was one of the main faces of UltimateBet, but the way that room failed spectacularly in 2011 probably left a sour taste in his mouth.

About BetRivers

Rush Street Gaming is the operator of several land-based Rivers Casinos. In 2012, they launched Rush Street Interactive (RSI) to develop online gaming products. In 2015, Rivers Casino Pittsburgh teamed up with RSI to create BetRivers: the online betting division of the casino. BetRivers first dabbled in play money games before refocusing its energies in the wake of real money online gaming legalization in several states.

Over the next decade, BetRivers expanded throughout the United States, including Pennsylvania, Delaware, New York, New Jersey, and Michigan, along with the Canadian province of Ontario and a few Latin American markets, like Mexico and Peru. It dealt in online casino gaming and sports betting with poker conspicuous by its absence.

However, in March 2022, RSI acquired the defunct Run It Once poker platform, which was the brainchild of respected poker guru Phil Galfond. It seemed that RSI was preparing for the introduction of an online poker product, and that is just what happened on Oct. 31, 2024 when it launched BetRivers Poker in Pennsylvania.

The BetRivers Pennsylvania Online Poker Website

Reactions

Phil Hellmuth had positive things to say about his new relationship with BetRivers:

Partnering with Rush Street Interactive and BetRivers is an exciting new chapter for me…I have been impressed with RSI's moxie, will, and determination to build a beautiful product – an online gaming experience that people love to use and play on.

It's no surprise that Phil is bullish on RSI's prospects. He had previously invested $300,000 in dMY Technology Group, a special purpose acquisition company that merged with RSI in 2020. Hellmuth sold his stake in 2024 for $1.65 million.

Richard Schwartz, the CEO of RSI, said:

Phil Hellmuth is a living legend whose influence extends far beyond the poker table to all gamblers, and we are excited to welcome him to the BetRivers family. Phil's unmatched passion, dynamic personality, and flair for entertainment make him the perfect ambassador as we continue to expand our offerings and elevate player experiences across our platforms…his involvement with our best-in-class mobile casino and sportsbook promotional games will create unforgettable moments for players and fans alike.

Potential Impact

Hellmuth's signing is big news for BetRivers. He joins a pretty large stable of ambassadors for the brand, including broadcaster Mike Francesa, football hall of famer Jerome Bettis, and former tennis great James Blake.

BetRivers Team Relatively Lacking in Poker Players Until Now

However, Phil is only the second poker practitioner to join the BetRivers stable after Phil Galfond. And Galfond almost doesn't count as a sponsored player because his role with the company focuses more on developing the poker product than necessarily representing the brand in marketing efforts.

One wonders why BetRivers bothered to sign such a big-name poker representative given that its online poker operations are restricted to just Pennsylvania. Not only that, but it's competing with four other licensed internet poker providers for market share within that single state.

Possible Expansion in the Works?

The only explanation that makes any sense is that BetRivers is planning to expand its poker profile greatly. This signing hints at an imminent expansion of BetRivers poker into new states.

Pennsylvania has confirmed that it will be joining the traffic sharing MSIGA compact sometimes in the first half of this year, and then all Pennsylvania-licensed internet poker operators will be able to combine their player pools across multiple states. However, RSI won't be in a position to capitalize on this development and will undoubtedly fall behind its competitors unless it introduces BetRivers Poker to several new states.

Of the states that are members of the interstate poker compact, BetRivers already has a presence in New Jersey, Michigan, Delaware, and West Virginia with its sportsbook and casino offerings. Thus, it could rapidly expand BetRivers Poker into these markets without too much difficulty.

No Need to Wait for BetRivers to Come to Your State

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