Chicago’s own Rush Street Interactive kicked off mobile sports betting in Illinois with the launch of BetRivers Sportsbook in June 2020.
Rush Street Interactive is the online betting subsidiary of Rush Street Gaming, which is a prominent casino operator in the region and parent company of Rivers Casino Des Plaines (also home to a retail sportsbook).
Now, BetRivers Illinois offers mobile betting across the state to customers who are 21 or older. iOS and desktop users can visit BetRivers.com to bet online with no download necessary while Android users can visit the website to download the official mobile app.
Indiana Online Sports Betting @ BetRivers Sportsbook - The Best Indiana Sportsbook Experience! Live Betting & Live Streaming - Claim your bonus for SPORTS BETTING in Indiana! You are welcome to register from any state in the U.S., but must be 21+ years old and physically located in PA to wager. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.The gaming service is brought to you by Rush Street Interactive PA, LLC, licensed by PGCB, address of record 1001 N. Delaware Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19125. Most sports bets, Exclusive slot games + Free $250 Welcome Bonus @ BetRivers Online Casino & Sportsbook. Get your bonus and play online casino, slot games and find the best sport odds Join Now! This BetRivers Sportsbook site/app is 100% legal and regulated by the Virginia Lottery Board (VLB). In fact, all games on this site/app have been tested, and successfully certified, as being fair by the VA VLB’s technical lab (which is the same lab that tests and approves for fairness on all of the physical slot machines in land-based casinos). As well as the sportsbook, BetRivers casino is available on the regular website and mobile app in Pennsylvania. There is a fantastic range of exciting slots and table games to play. BetRivers PA online casino has just added a range of live dealer games to the casino platform, becoming one of the first PA live dealer online casinos to the market.
As the state’s first mobile sportsbook, BetRivers launched with early mover advantage and no shortage of brand name awareness. These advantages got Rush Street Interactive off to a quick start, but the following BetRivers Illinois review will take a critical eye to the individual experience so readers can decide if this is the right online sportsbook in a state that will soon suffer no lack of options.
The BetRivers Rundown
- Established: Rush Street Gaming established in 2009; Rush Street Interactive in 2012
- Mobile Apps: Dedicated Android app; mobile website for iOS users
- Website: Desktop and mobile users can bet online atil.betrivers.com
- Sports Covered: All major professional and college sports in the US and abroad
- Welcome Bonus: 100% up to $250
- Bonus Code: 250MATCH
- License Status: Approved by the Illinois Gaming Board (confirmation here)
BetRivers Illinois Bonus
All new BetRivers Illinois customers qualify for a 100% match on their first deposit for up to $250 in bonus funds.
Use the bonus code 250MATCH when signing up for an account to claim this offer.
There are bigger offers out there, but the key advantage the BetRivers bonus offers is low wagering requirements of 1x. This means customers must place a total sum of wagers equal to the bonus amount in order to withdraw it.
Note: only wagers placed at odds of -200 or longer count toward the wagering requirements. This means wagers placed on heavy favorites at odds of -200, -400 and so on do not count toward the rollover. Wagers placed at -190, +110, +200 and so on do count.
iRush Rewards Loyalty Program
The iRush Rewards Loyalty Program extends to all BetRivers customers by default with no action needed on their part and ties into the Rush Rewards program at Rivers Casino Des Plaines.
The rewards program consists of two separate but complementary aspects: a tiered VIP program that unlocks increasingly valuable benefits and a bonus points store in which customers can redeem points for additional rewards.
VIP Program
Every wager placed with BetRivers Sportsbook automatically earns loyalty points, which are used to determine each player’s level in the VIP program. The higher the level, the greater the rewards. At the higher levels, customers can receive benefits such as birthday gifts, VIP concierge service, invitations to VIP events, thank you dinners and even Apple/Android devices.
Bonus Points Store
Customers also automatically earn bonus store points at the same rate as loyalty points when placing wagers. Bonus points can be redeemed at the bonus store by logging in, visiting “My Account” and then “Bonus Store.” Once inside, customers can claim special promotions, bonus wheel spins and scratch cards.
Earning Points
Loyalty points and bonus store points are earned simultaneously at the following rate:
BetRivers Illinois Specials
BetRivers users can log in and visit the “specials” tab from the main navigation menu to view a lineup of wagers designed just for Illinois customers. Some of these “offers” are just standard wagers that may appeal to IL sports fans, but some actually provide enhanced odds that result in bigger payouts for winning wagers.
For instance, a peek at the Illinois Specials tab when this review was being written revealed enhanced odds offers on the Chicago White Sox winning the AL Central, an over/under on the Chicago Bears season wins and more options along those lines.
Mobile App Review
The BetRivers mobile betting interface provides full sports betting, in-play wagering and live streaming functionality for all mobile devices.
Android users can download the standalone mobile app directly from the BetRivers website or place wagers through their browser with no download needed.
iOS users do not have a dedicated mobile app as of yet but BetRivers says one is in development. In the meantime, iPhone and iPad users can visit the responsive BetRivers website to place wagers.
In terms of functionality and features, there is little discernable difference between the mobile app and mobile website. In both cases, customers may participate in live betting, watch streaming video and manage their accounts with ease.
Mobile betting screenshots:
BetRivers Live Streaming Video
BetRivers has been particularly active in striking deals with outside providers to deliver live streaming video to customers for certain sports.
Rush Street Interactive struck a deal with data and video services provider IMG Arena in 2019 allowing BetRivers to stream high level tennis matches, including the French Open and other events. BetRivers has since added live streaming for other, more niche sports such as Korean baseball and international soccer.
BetRivers does not yet offer live streams for the major pro US sports, but the trend is moving in that direction.
Betting Markets and Types of Wagers
BetRivers covers all major professional sports and college sports in the United States and elsewhere. If there is a major event taking place, BetRivers Illinois has wagers on it – often including in-play betting markets.
Illinois regulations (11 Ill. Adm. Code 1900) allow wagers on college and pro sports with the following exceptions:
- Wagers on minor league sports prohibited
- Wagers on events involving Illinois college teams or Illinois college players
- Note: IL sportsbooks may accept wagers on tournament or season-long outcomes that involve Illinois teams
- Wagers on sports in which the majority of participants are under 18 are prohibited
Sports covered: Athletics, Baseball, Basketball, Boxing, Cricket, Darts, Football, Golf, Ice Hockey, Mixed Martial Arts, Motor Racing, Olympics, Rugby League, Rugby Union, Soccer, Tennis, Table Tennis and other events as approved by the Illinois Gaming Board (IGB).
Types of wagers offered: moneyline, 3-way moneyline, correct score, over/under (totals), odd/even totals for points and other stats, head-to-head, triple-head, half-time/full-time, period outcomes, tie no bet, point spread, Asian handicap, teaser, pleaser, double chance, futures, each way, goal minutes, Grand Salami, race to x points, first team to score, first player to score, props, parlays, round robins and in-play betting
BetRivers Deposit Methods
Illinois sports betting regulations allow licensed sportsbook operators to accept deposits through all the most common methods. BetRivers therefore accepts the following deposit options.
- Credit and Debit: Visa, Mastercard and Discover accepted
- VIP Preferred: This is an ACH eCheck that moves money directly from the customer’s bank account to his or her betting account
- Online Banking: Use the customer’s existing online banking feature to authorize a transfer of funds without revealing private banking details – works with most major banks
- PayPal: Transfer funds from a PayPal balance to the customer’s betting account
- Cash: Customers may select this option to receive a VanillaDirect barcode, take it to a nearby participating store and pay with cash
- BetRivers Play+ Card: This option allows customers to sign up for a Play+ account to make instant online deposits and to also receive a prepaid card that can be used to receive withdrawals, withdraw cash at ATMs and to make purchases in-person anywhere Discover is accepted
- Cash at the Cage: Customers may fund their accounts and receive cash payouts in-person at Rivers Casino Des Plaines
Customer Support
BetRivers offers live chat customer support daily from 9:30 AM to 2 AM EST plus e-mail support and a large knowledge base. The knowledge base is one of the more extensive of its kind, which makes it easy to find answers to most questions. However, the lack of 24/7 phone support is a miss.
Security
11 Ill. Adm. Code § 1900.1430(i) requires all licensed betting sites to meet certain security standards “including but not limited to” network security, identity verification, location detection, error detection and data security. Additionally, licensed operators are required to keep records of all wagers for at least ten years.
On a more practical level, BetRivers provides encrypted communications between its servers and players, and provides customers with additional security features such as:
- Two-factor authentication: Customers can activate two-factor authentication when signing up or by visiting the settings area. When active, two-factor authentication sends a temporary authentication code to the player’s registered e-mail address when a login is attempted. That code must be entered by the person attempting to login or else they will be unable to login.
- Login notifications: customers are notified every time they successfully log in to their accounts, which is useful for detecting unauthorized logins. This feature is enabled by default but can be disabled by the user at any time.
Betrivers Mobile App Android
Responsible Gaming Options
Under 11 Ill. Adm. Code § 1900.1250, online and mobile operators “shall permit a patron to voluntarily impose limitations or restrictions on wagers that can be placed” and allow prohibitions on the amount wagered, new deposits or all wagering.”
To that end, BetRivers Illinois provides customers with the following responsible gaming features.
Betrivers App Google Store
- Deposit limits: Restrict the amount deposited per day, week or month
- Spending limits: Set a maximum loss allowed per day, week or month
- Time limits: Restrict the number of hours a player may spend logged in per day
- Wagering limits: Restrict the total amount wagered per day, week or month
- Self-Exclusion: Customers log in to BetRivers, visit “My Account” ->“Responsible Gaming” -> “Self-exclusion” to restrict themselves from all online gambling in Illinois for a period of 1 or 5 years. This decision cannot be reversed.