BetRivers’ Spokesperson Explores the Modern Day After Being Frozen in the 1970s

BetRivers Sportsbook & Casino debuts a new series of films starring the time-travelling legendary party boy, Bert Rivers. Directed by Golden LA’s Tim K for TMA, the BetRivers spots feature the incredibly entertaining fictional spokesperson, Bert Rivers, being frozen in the 1970’s and waking up today where his beloved casino is now in everyone’s pockets.

The hilarious stylized films perfectly showcase the player-first casino and sportsbook app, leaning into several cinematic hallmarks of the 1970s. Enhancing Bert Rivers' amusing fish-out-of-water character arc, each wildly engaging spot has animated title cards and a musical earworm stinger that perfectly complements the Bert Rivers vibe. Golden LA and TMA teamed up for a three-day shoot in Toronto to bring the saga of Bert Rivers to life. Following Bert’s journey from being frozen in the '70s to defrosting in the present day, his high learning curve and enthusiasm for betting, gaming, and gambling demonstrate how easy it is to learn the ins and outs of the BetRivers “pocket casino.”

Nine scripted vignettes directed by Tim K show the BetRivers app's many features, including modern in-app customer support and old-school fun. With Tim K’s unmatched comedic prowess and pitch-perfect dialogue from TMA, BetRivers told an original character-based story based around its innovative product. Bert Rivers’ path from awe and confusion to quick acceptance and unbridled excitement is the perfect proxy for a viewing audience learning how simple it is to use the BetRivers app. The ad campaign kicks off with the Bert Rivers origin story: the BetRivers spokes-character wanders into a casino’s walk-in freezer looking for a late-night snack, where he gets locked in—upon waking in the 21st century, he asks where the nearest casino is and quickly finds a woman playing slots on her phone. From there, his captivating escapades expand to the world of BetRivers, cargo shorts and their huge pockets, hair salon banter with wry grandmas, and more.

Tim K says of directing these spots, “I was immediately drawn to this character. I haven’t seen anything like it in the mobile or gambling space, and I was excited to build this world around him. The ‘70s was such an iconic time for movies, culture, and human behaviour, so with Bert as the perfect embodiment of everything that made that period so memorable, bringing him into 2024 made for instant comedic gold. Our performers were wonderful to work with, and I’m very proud of these BetRivers spots."

“Tim knocked this out of the park,” remarked Matthew Marquis, managing director of Golden LA. “He’s an incredible comedic director. His sense of humour elevates everything from the script to the camera movements and cinematic technique. This character is also infectiously fun— sometimes when talking to Tim about the project, that fine line between him and Bert grew fuzzy. He was becoming Bert. the metamorphosis was real!”