- Chicago based online gaming platform provider Rush Street Interactive has announced an expanded partnership with Spain’s LaLiga soccer circuit.
- The company’s RushBet brand will be LaLiga’s exclusive wagering throughout South America.
- Rush Street is better known in the US for their BetRivers and PlaySugarhouse iGaming and sports betting brands.
Here in North America, it’s easy to forget just how big sports betting is on a worldwide basis. This is especially true as it relates to soccer betting which is by far the most popular wagering sport in the world. Sports betting has always been big throughout Europe, but it’s now expanding around the world into previously untapped markets. One such market is South America.
Chicago based Rush Street Interactive (RSI) is best known for their US sports betting and iGaming brands–PlaySugarhouse and BetRivers. The company now has retail and/or online market access in thirteen US states: Pennsylvania, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Michigan, Indiana, Virginia, Colorado, Iowa, West Virginia, Arizona and Louisiana. They’ve also launched in the booming Ontario market.
What fewer people are aware of is that RSI is also a major player in the Latin American market. Columbia, in particular, is a very strong market for RSI under their RushBet brand. Earlier this year, they announced a huge partnership focused on that market–the RushBet brand became the exclusive Columbian wagering partner of Spain’s LaLiga soccer league. In addition to the LaLiga ‘seal of approval’, RSI received branding rights for official league logos and trademarks. They will also be creating content specifically for the Colombian market.
That ‘huge partnership’ has gotten even bigger. Earlier today, RSI announced that the partnership with LaLiga has been expanded throughout the South American continent. In a three year deal, RushBet gains the intellectual property rights for the league’s top two divisions — LaLiga Santander and LaLiga Smartbank. The rights include use of team names, shields, players’ pictures and competition logos. Former LaLiga players will serve as brand ambassadors, and RushBet will give away LaLiga swag like jerseys and balls.
Valentin Birnstein, General Manager of RSI Colombia, understands the significance of LaLiga soccer to the South American market:
“LaLiga is one of the most popular leagues across the globe, and we are thrilled to be able to bring our valued customers up close to this important league. We are committed to providing RushBet players with top-tier content and high-quality entertainment, and expanding our partnership with LaLiga helps to achieve those objectives.”
Oscar Mayo, Executive Director of LaLiga, thinks that this move will help his organization strengthen ties with fans throughout South America:
“This new expanded agreement will bring LaLiga even closer to our fans, sharing all the excitement and emotion that LaLiga has to offer. As our fans know we have played with passion for many years, now, we are thrilled to share all the adrenaline of LaLiga with RushBet’s customers in Colombia and other countries.”
RushBet was recognized as the “Sportsbook of the Year” for Latin America at the SBC Awards Latinoamérica 2021 ceremony in Miami, in October. RSI was recognized for the successful performance of its online sportsbook in Colombia over the past year and for the strong user experience and originality of the RushBet platform. The deal with LaLiga should help the company expose their product to an even broader audience.
