Rush Street Interactive names Sapp as first chief marketing officer

Sapp joins the Rush Street Interactive executive leadership team and reports directly to CEO Richard Schwartz. The appointment represents his first role in the gambling industry.

He assumes the newly created role after almost three years as head of growth for virtual reality game Rec Room. Sapp also spent three and a half years working for video games developer Jam City.

Earlier in his career, Sapp had a spell at the WB Games San Francisco division of Warner Brothers. Here, he served as director for digital publishing, covering user acquisition, analytics and monetisation.

Sapp has also worked for social and mobile apps business Tapjoy and EMI Music Publishing, while he founded music discovery site FuzzedOut.com. In addition, he has been a start-up advisor and investor for the past eight years.

Sapp aims to continue momentum at RSI

Speaking about his appointment, Sapp said he was pleased to be joining RSI at what he said is an exciting time for the business.

“I am thrilled to join Rush Street Interactive at a time when the company has such strong momentum,” Sapp said. “RSI’s customer-first focus really resonated with me as a marketer who understands what it takes to succeed in a competitive mobile landscape.

“I look forward to leveraging my experience and expertise to drive forward our marketing initiatives during RSI’s next phase of growth and deliver exceptional experiences to our customers.”

CEO Schwartz also hailed the appointment, saying Sapp will support the company’s ongoing growth plans.

“As we continue to grow and expand across the Americas, a marketing leader with Brian’s unique blend of gaming and mobile experience, strategic insight and creativity will be additive to the team as we shape the future of our brand and continue to innovate our customer first experience,” Schwartz said. 

“We are thrilled to welcome him aboard to lead our marketing strategy, team and operations.” 

Rush Street Interactive exceeds earnings target for 2023

The appointment comes after RSI last month revealed it exceeded earnings targets for 2023, helped by a record fourth quarter.

Revenue jumped 16.7% year-on-year to $691.2m (£546.1m/€636.7m). This was at the upper range of $630.0m to $700.1m guidance issued in early 2023.

While RSI remained at a net loss for the full year, the $18.3m loss was far lower than $38.6m in 2022. In addition, adjusted EBITDA came in at a positive for the year, beyond RSI’s hopes of just a positive second half.

RSI also took the opportunity to talk about possible expansion in 2024. This will centre on the US and Canada, with the business monitoring several markets.

Areas of interest include New York, Maryland and Illinois, as well as provinces in Canada such as Alberta.