This one’s for grandma.
Pittsburgh resident Jason Schwartz just earned $125,000 by winning the grand prize in the BetRivers.com and PlaySugarHouse.com Pro Football Pick’em. He finished this season with the most correct picks out of all the entrants in order to capture the six-figure prize.
It’s a massive payday that Schwartz still has a hard time believing.
But perhaps the most interesting part of his story belongs to the person who he credits with helping him win.
His grandma.
Schwartz’s late grandmother was an avid sports bettor. He used to call her every football Sunday to talk about NFL betting and the day’s wagers.
Sadly, this past fall was the first NFL season that Schwartz had without her. But that doesn’t mean Schwartz didn’t feel her presence somewhere out there, maybe helping him along.
“I like to think she played a part in this,” Schwartz said. “It’s a bittersweet win.”
Extra effort and analysis also fueled Schwartz’s win
Schwartz, 37, started out the season by picking games purely on instinct. But as the weeks passed and his correct picks piled up, he knew he had a chance to win. So he started digging a little deeper, doing more research, analyzing stats and data and trends – and anything else that might give him an edge.
Then, he got the call and heard the news.
“You won.”
The top prize – $125,000! – was his.
“I never imagined this,” Schwartz said. “Not even in my wildest dreams. I didn’t sleep for two days.”
He plans to use the money to pay off some debts and maybe take a nice vacation this summer.
$500K paid out over BetRivers Football Pick’ em contest
Perhaps he’ll even try it again next season, when Rush Street Interactive (the parent company of BetRivers and PlaySugarHouse) rolls out another edition of the online Pro Football Pick ‘Em contest.
After all, you don’t have to be the grand prize winner to get paid. The top 500 entrants receive cash prizes at the end of the season. The entrant with the most incorrect picks also receives a $2,500 payout. And each week, the top score earns $2,500.
Overall, $500,000 was paid out to entrants this season. Mattias Stetz, C.O.O. of RSI said:
“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. 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.”
Year starts with some big jackpots for BetRivers casino players
Schwartz isn’t the only big winner in 2021 already at BetRivers. Rush Street’s two PA online casinos have also paid out big time to two online slot players.
Just after New Years, a 40-year-old woman from La Belle, PA hit the Divine Fortune jackpot for $425,278 at BetRivers online casino on a $1 bet.
And just this week, another hit. A Harrisburg, PA woman hit on the same slot for $127,247 on an $88-cent bet. Amazingly, she hit it while playing on her mobile phone at PlaySugarHouse.com. Stetz commented:
“We love when our players win large jackpots, especially with small bets. It shows that no matter the size of the bet, anyone can be a winner!”
The Divine Fortune progressive slot has hit 18 times since RSI launched online casino back in July 2019.
NFL Playoff odds are live for this weekend’s games
So Schwartz ends this season as the grand champion and the poster child for Rush Street’s Pro Football Pick ‘Em. But the NFL season isn’t over just yet. There are plenty of playoff games remaining and certainly many bettors who will make their own wagers in the weeks ahead.
Then next season, the third edition of the contest will begin.
And before long, a new winner will be crowned.
But this one is for grandma.
Lead image credit: AP Photo/Justin Berl
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