Mike’s On again.
Chicago-based Rush Street Interactive (RSI) announced Tuesday that legendary New York sports radio host Mike Francesa has been named a brand ambassador and has been signed to an exclusive brand and content deal with BetRivers Sportsbook New York and PlaySugarHouse.com.
Francesa spent more than 30 years dominating New York sports radio, co-hosting the popular Mike and the Mad Dog program with Christopher Russo on WFAN. Fancesa later had a solo show, called Mike's On.
Francesa spent more than a decade at CBS Sports as a studio analyst for college football and men’s college basketball. He also had his own show on MSG Network and a local Sunday sports recap show on local affiliate WNBC-TV Chanel 4 in New York.
“I’m eager to begin a partnership with RSI,” Francesa said in a news release. “Joining the BetRivers team will allow me to share my passion for sports in a variety of new ways while at the same time providing valuable sports betting advice to fans in New York and in BetRivers and PlaySugarHouse markets throughout the country.”
What Francesa Will Do
The radio Hall of Famer will provide exclusive network and social media content for both of RSI’s two sports betting sites, BetRivers.com and PlaySugarHouse.com. He will host a podcast series twice a week from New York, starting next week, as well as a series of digital videos that will appear on BetRivers and PlaySugarHouse's various platforms.
Francesa also will go to several events, where he will create special “on the scene” videos for NY sports betting fans.
“We are thrilled to have Mike Francesa, the radio 'King of New York,' join our BetRivers family of brand ambassadors,” RSI CEO Richard Schwartz said. “He is an icon in sports radio. We know our players will love his passionate personality and knowledge of sports, which will make their betting experience on our platforms that much greater.”
BetRivers New York Since Mobile Launch
BetRivers New York, which launched in the Empire State on Jan. 8 with Caesars Sportsbook New York, DraftKings New York and FanDuel New York, has generated more than $89.1 million in total mobile sports wagering handle through March 13 and $3.94 million in total gross gaming revenue (GGR).
Currently, that ranks sixth overall in total mobile sports wagering handle of the eight live mobile sports betting platforms in the state to date. FanDuel has a commanding lead in handle ($1.39 billion) and Caesars is first in GGR ($91.8 million). Bally’s New York is licensed but not yet in operation. Bally's could launch next month.
For the week ending March 13, BetRivers generated its third-highest weekly handle to date in the state with $10.65 million. The number placed them fifth for the week out of the eight providers.
