$125,000 win from BetRivers Pro Football Pick’em

(PRESS RELEASE) -- Rush Street Interactive, Inc., today announced that a 37-year-old salesman from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, won the grand prize in the BetRivers Online and PlaySugarHouse.com Pro Football Pick’em. Jason Schwartz won the guaranteed top prize of $125,000, in the overall prize pool of $500,000, for picking the most winners at the end of the season in the state’s second annual online Vegas-Style Pro Football Pick ‘em contest.

Schwartz said he couldn’t believe he actually won the contest and was in shock when he got the call that the grand prize was his.

"I never imagined this," the 37-year-old said. "Not even in my wildest dreams. I didn’t sleep for two days."

Schwartz started off the season by picking teams through instinct, but when he realized he might actually have a shot at winning, he spent a lot of time researching the teams and looking up different player statistics and betting lines. He plans to use the money to pay off some debts and possibly take a vacation this summer.

He attributes the win to his late grandmother, who was an avid sports bettor. Schwartz said he used to call her every Sunday to give her betting advice during the football games. This was his first NFL season without her. "I like to think she played a part in this," Schwartz said. "It’s a bittersweet win."

Each week of the NFL season, players picked the winners of Sunday and Monday pro football games and whoever picked the most winners at the end of the season collected the guaranteed $125,000 prize. Overall, the top 500 pick’em winners were paid out cash winnings at the season’s end, in addition to the top weekly score on each site earning $2,500 each week. The entrant with the most incorrect picks also received a $2,500 payout. In all, $500,000 was paid to entrants.

Following the success of the first pick’em contest last NFL season, Rush Street Interactive, the digital sports wagering and gaming supplier of Pennsylvania’s first two online gaming sites, was excited to once again offer NFL fans a rewarding way to show off their pro football knowledge.

"This was certainly an unusual NFL season, and this was a great way for sports betting fans to stay involved and get in on the game action," said Mattias Stetz, C.O.O. of Rush Street Interactive, which operates BetRivers.com and PlaySugarHouse.com. "After seeing its popularity last season, we were excited to offer this Pick ‘em contest again. We love when our players win huge cash prizes."