Golden Nugget Online Gaming founder joins RSI’s board of directors
Rush Street Interactive CEO Richard Schwartz welcomes Thomas Winter to the operator as he claims former DraftKings head will help drive the business forward
Rush Street Interactive (RSI) has appointed former DraftKings head Thomas Winter to its board of directors, with the operator’s CEO hailing his “invaluable” experience as a key benefit.
Winter officially joined the US- and Latam-focused operator on 16 December, with his addition seeing the RSI board return to nine members.
Industry veteran Winter’s first role in the sector was in January 2008 when he joined Betclic as COO, a position he stayed in for two years.
During that time, he was appointed COO and director of Expekt in December 2009.
From July 2010 he was promoted to the role of CEO of both Betclic and Expekt, before leaving the company in December 2011.
After just under two years as an independent consultant with JUMP Advisory Services, from January 2012 to August 2013, Winter became a non-executive director – first for Groupe Paris Turf for 11 months and then Metro Play.
In March 2018, he joined Superbet as a board observer, serving for four years.
Winter also founded and was president of Golden Nugget Online Gaming, where he took the operator public through a SPAC in December 2020.
In August 2021, DraftKings acquired the firm for $1.5bn, with the deal finally completed in May 2022.
While with DraftKings following the acquisition, Winter was named general manager of North America igaming. He left the operator in September 2023 to take a sabbatical.
He currently serves as a board member and senior adviser to Awager.
On Winter’s arrival to RSI, CEO Richard Schwartz said: “We are thrilled to welcome Thomas to our board.
“His proven track record in the online gaming industry and his strategic vision will be invaluable as we continue to expand our footprint and enhance our offerings.
“We look forward to his contributions and are confident that his expertise will help drive our future success.”
Speaking at the end of October, Schwartz said he didn’t expect further tax increases in the US after Illinois scrapped its 15% flat rate in July and introduced a sliding scale from 20% to 40% based on operator’s revenue.
Arnold Ash is EGR’s Executive Recruitment Partner. They support ambitious organisations to identify and attract industry leading executive talent. Find out more here.