Rush Street Gaming CEO and Co-Founder Greg Carlin departs, replaced by CFO Tim Drehkoff

Rush Street Gaming announced Wednesday the planned departure of Greg Carlin, CEO and Co-Founder, and the promotion of longtime Rush Street Gaming executive Tim Drehkoff from CFO to CEO, in a transition to become effective May 1, 2022. 

Drehkoff has been working with Rush Street Interactive and Rush Street Gaming Chairman Neil Bluhm for nearly 20 years, and has been the company’s CFO since 2012. His leadership has been focused on Rush Street’s vision for developing Chicago’s growing casino industry, along with other emerging U.S. and international gaming markets.

He has spearheaded more than $2 billion in capital investments and $8 billion in successful debt financings across multiple gaming jurisdictions during his tenure. Prior to Rush Street Interactive, he was a vice president with LAMB Partners, Bluhm’s family office. Drehkoff earned an undergraduate degree in economics and his MBA both at The University of Chicago.

Carlin served as CEO of Rush Street Interactive until last summer, when he was succeeded by Richard Schwartz, but stayed on atop the parent company.

In an official statement, Bluhm said, “We thank Greg for his many contributions and for helping to build a great business. Greg has a proven eye for recruiting and developing top talent, of which Tim is a great example. We wish Greg the very best and look forward to many future successes under Tim’s leadership.”

Greg Carlin also spoke about his departure from the company and said: “Rush Street is in great hands with Tim as CEO, and we’ve never had a more talented group of executives at all our properties. It has been the honor of a lifetime to start a business with Neil and develop and operate six successful casino projects, all of which have had a positive impact on their host communities. I’m especially proud of the culture we’ve built, and I’m excited about the path ahead for Rush Street Gaming and for myself. My sincere gratitude to the entire Rush Street Gaming team.”

Rush Street Gaming’s early success included the 2004 opening of Fallsview Casino Resort in Ontario, Canada. This past week, the company was granted a license by iGaming Operator Registration from the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) to operate in the new online gaming market in the Canadian province, which will launch April 4. 

In an official press release, RSI stated it plans to satisfy all remaining regulatory requirements and launch its BetRivers online casino and sportsbook in Ontario on the market’s first operational day. 

RSI is currently live in Ontario with its free-to-play social gaming platform, CASINO4FUN, which is accessible from BetRivers.ca and is powered by the same proprietary technology behind RSI’s real-money platform.