Paul Wierbicki – Rush Street Interactive

Some careers unfold through steady, predictable growth. Paul Wierbicki’s began amid collapse. As an undergraduate at Vanderbilt University, he interned for Enron Corporation just before its historic bankruptcy—an experience that would define his approach to business and the law. Where others saw chaos and scandal, he saw lessons in transparency, risk, and accountability. Watching a global enterprise crumble from the inside ignited his fascination with corporate structure and the mechanics of failure and recovery.

Paul Wierbicki | Rush Street Interactive | Chief Legal Officer

That curiosity guided him to New York University School of Law, where he focused on corporate bankruptcy and restructuring. While his classmates debated litigation and public service, Wierbicki immersed himself in the world of balance sheets, contracts, and the strategic calculus of saving struggling companies. It was an unconventional path for a law student, but one that led him to Kirkland & Ellis, where he would spend nearly a decade advising clients in high-stakes Chapter 11 proceedings.

The work was intense and all-consuming. His clients, often companies fighting for survival, depended on him and his colleagues to stabilize operations, negotiate with creditors, and rebuild trust.

“When you’re representing a company going through restructuring, you’re not just drafting documents,” Wierbicki says. “You’re seeing what it really takes to keep a business alive.”

Those experiences gave him a deep understanding of how law, finance, and leadership intertwine—and how a calm, strategic voice can steady even the most turbulent environments.

From law firm to business leader

After years of guiding companies through crises, Wierbicki wanted to move closer to the business decisions shaping their futures. His next step came through a Chicago-based investor, Neil Bluhm, whose family office managed an array of real estate and gaming ventures. Wierbicki joined as general counsel, where he began to apply his restructuring instincts to growth and investment strategy.

The move was transformative. He discovered he had not only the skill but also the temperament to operate as a business partner rather than a purely legal technician.

“I started to see myself less as a lawyer who advised executives and more as an executive who happened to be a lawyer,” he says. “It changes how you think about risk and opportunity.”

That perspective served him well when the Bluhm family took Rush Street Interactive public in 2020. Founded in 2012 by gaming industry veterans, the company operates under the BetRivers, PlaySugarHouse, and RushBet brands and has become a market leader in online casino and sports betting across the U.S., Canada, and Latin America. Rush Street Interactive’s mission centers on providing players with friendly, fun, and fair experiences that emphasize community, transparency, and responsible gaming.

In 2021, Wierbicki became the company’s chief legal officer, leading a department responsible for legal affairs, government advocacy, data protection, and security. The online gaming industry was exploding, yet its regulatory framework remained fragmented and volatile. Each jurisdiction had its own licensing requirements, consumer protection rules, and advertising restrictions. Wierbicki’s challenge was to turn that complexity into a competitive advantage.

Navigating a shifting industry

Online casino gaming occupies a tricky position in the United States. Sports betting has gained broad legalization momentum, but online casino play—slots, poker, and digital table games—lags behind, still restricted in most states. Wierbicki and his team devote significant effort to advocating for expansion while maintaining rigorous compliance in every market Rush Street Interactive serves.

“There’s a misconception that regulation is the enemy of innovation,” Wierbicki says. “In reality, good regulation creates the environment where businesses like ours can thrive, and players can feel protected.”

He often compares the industry’s evolution to the gradual acceptance of legalized cannabis. Both have faced stigma, both involve competing state interests, and both reveal the risks of gray-market activity when legal frameworks fail to keep up with consumer demand. For Wierbicki, it’s frustrating to see millions of Americans play online through unregulated operators, thereby forfeiting the consumer protections and tax benefits that a licensed system provides.

His legal team’s work goes far beyond lobbying and compliance filings. They collaborate closely with marketing to ensure creative campaigns remain authentic and engaging while complying with advertising regulations. They oversee contracts with game suppliers, requiring an understanding of not just the legal language but the customer experience those games create. They continually prepare for cybersecurity incidents that could threaten player trust.

“We hold an enormous amount of personal information,” he explains. “Our players expect us to safeguard it. You have to assume an incident may happen and be ready for it.”

That readiness comes from structure, communication, and leadership. The department’s 20 members span North America, Europe, and Latin America. They meet monthly as a group, conduct weekly one-on-ones, and gather in person once a year for a few days of reflection and planning. Wierbicki insists that every conversation includes a non-work component.

“We talk a lot about mental health,” he says. “You can’t separate how people are doing personally from how they show up professionally.”

Leading with trust

At Rush Street Interactive, Wierbicki is known for his steady temperament and collaborative style. He views his role as architecting a team that others across the company see as a problem-solving resource rather than a roadblock.

“If your legal department is seen as the department of ‘no,’ you’ve already lost,” he says. “Our job is to help the business move forward responsibly.”

He hires for integrity, curiosity, and an instinct for strategy over simple rule-following. Candidates who come to interviews without researching the company’s products or the gaming industry as a whole don’t get far.

“You have to understand the business,” he says. “You can’t give good legal advice in a vacuum.”

That philosophy extends to how he manages his team. Each lawyer and specialist is encouraged to own their projects end-to-end, from negotiating vendor agreements to navigating international data protection laws. Wierbicki offers guidance but resists micromanagement.

“If you build trust and stop second-guessing their work, you give people room to grow,” he says. “That’s how you scale a team.”

He also views leadership as an evolving discipline, one that requires intentional time set aside from daily demands. Balancing the immediate with the long term—handling contracts while mentoring, putting out fires while planning for next year—requires discipline.

“It’s easy to get lost in the day-to-day,” he says. “You have to carve out time to think about whether you’re fulfilling your role as a leader.”

Wierbicki’s measured approach stems in part from his life outside the office. He and his wife share a love of international travel with their 13-year-old son, a passion that he says gives him both perspective and energy. Their next trip will take them to Japan and South Korea, with their son planning much of the itinerary himself.

“Travel teaches you to be flexible and curious,” Wierbicki says. “Those are the same qualities that make a good lawyer and a good leader.”

Balancing risk & reward

For all its volatility, Wierbicki believes the online gaming industry offers immense opportunity to build something lasting. This transparent, responsible model brings entertainment to millions while contributing to state economies. His goal is to continue expanding into new regulated markets, strengthening partnerships, and proving that compliance and growth are not opposites but allies.

Inside Rush Street Interactive, he wants his department’s influence to grow as well. Legal, government affairs, and data protection already operate as a single integrated function; the next step is to deepen their role in strategic planning. By aligning legal foresight with business innovation, Wierbicki aims to keep the company adaptable in an industry that changes by the month.

The lessons from Enron remain with him: that unchecked ambition without accountability can destroy even the mightiest enterprise. But where that experience once served as a warning, it now acts as inspiration—a reminder that transparency, integrity, and sound judgment are not constraints but competitive advantages.

Wierbicki’s journey from a collapsing energy giant to the forefront of a booming online gaming industry has come full circle. He began by studying what makes companies fail; today, he’s helping one succeed by ensuring it plays by the rules while rewriting them for a digital age.