Las Vegas-based VSiN is partnering with BetRivers, the interactive gaming site associated with Rush Street Gaming, on a daily sports wagering telecast from the sportsbook from the Rivers Casino Des Plaines near Chicago.
In the announcement Monday, VSiN and Rush Street leadership said the partnership would include the launch of Rush Hour, the first national sports betting show to broadcast from a sportsbook in Illinois, as well as a cross-platform BetRivers.com consumer acquisition marketing initiative.
Des Plaines is roughly 20 miles north of downtown Chicago near O’Hare International Airport.
The deal is the second agreement the sports betting network has announced with a casino operator. Last week, VSiN and BetMGM – the sports wagering platform co-owned by MGM Resorts International and GVC Holdings – announced a collaboration for Betting Across America, a new sports wagering information program. The show will be broadcasted live from BetMGM sportsbooks and from studios in large sports betting markets across the country, pending regulatory approval.
The new show, which launches Tuesday, will air from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., CT, on SiriusXM (Channel 204), Comcast Xfinity, SlingTV, fubo TV, and at VSiN.com.
Rush Hour will be hosted by Chicago native Danny Burke, who is currently the host of “Bet on, Chicago” on VSiN. Before joining VSiN, Burke was a sports reporter, worked behind the scenes producing live content, and did live play-by-play for both TV and radio, including the ESPN radio affiliate in Lincoln, Nebraska. He grew up in the Chicagoland area.
VSiN CEO Brian Musburger said in a statement that the BetRivers gaming market is growing across the U.S. He also noted that Chicago, his former hometown, is where the idea for VSiN started. VSiN is headquartered at the South Point Casino in Las Vegas and is opening a second studio in October at the new Circa Resort Casino in downtown Las Vegas.
He also noted the rollout this summer of the Illinois sports betting market, which is expected to see a boost with the National Football League beginning play in two weeks as well as the start of the reduced college football season.
“It’s amazing to come home and partner with BetRivers to deliver the most credible sports betting news and analysis available in the industry,” Musburger said.
Rivers Casino Des Plaines General Manager Corey Wise said the property’s sportsbook “is a perfect backdrop for the new Rush Hour betting show.”
Betting analysts from multiple BetRivers locations will call into the show to join Burke to deliver regional perspectives on the sports betting markets as the odds and lines move.
Rush Hour will offer insights and access to live sports betting data from across the U.S., leveraging proprietary data from Rush Street Interactive and/or BetRivers’ current presence in six states (Illinois, Indiana, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Colorado).
BetRivers is planning to launch sports betting in three additional states over the next six months.
“We are excited to connect the BetRivers brand nationally with VSiN’s passionate and growing base of sports bettors,” Rush Street Interactive President Richard Schwartz said in a statement. “We plan to work closely with the talented VSiN team to generate betting content that entertains and informs their listeners.”
Musburger launched VSiN more than a year before the Supreme Court ruling that opened the rest of the U.S. to legalized and regulated sports betting. Slightly more than two years after the SCOTUS decision, there are now 18 states that allow sports betting at casinos, racetracks, and online, with another four states set to launch by the end of the year.
Nationwide gaming revenue from sports betting is up 10.4% for the first six months of 2020, according to the American Gaming Association.
Musburger likens VSiN to business-centric networks, such as CNBC and Bloomberg, in how they handle breaking gaming industry news.
Howard Stutz is the executive editor of CDC Gaming. He can be reached at hstutz@cdcgaming.com. Follow @howardstutz on Twitter.
