This BetRivers Sportsbook Illinois review focuses on the bonuses, promotions, customer service, user experience, banking options, user experience, and security features that it offers. It will provide you with all the information you need before deciding whether to sign up for a BetRivers account.
BetRivers Sportsbook was among the first legal online Illinois sportsbooks. It aims to become the market leader in the state.
In this section, sports bettors in Illinois can learn more about the staples of BetRivers Illinois, such as the BetRivers Illinois promo code, app ratings and more.
Let's take a more in depth look at the promotions, features, and more to see if BetRivers sportsbook is a good fit for you.
Among many Illinois sportsbook promos, BetRivers Sportsbook offers a simple, appealing welcome bonus worth up to $500 with code SPORTS.
You can then make a qualifying first bet of $10 to $500 on any sporting event. BetRivers will match your wager in a free bet if you lose up to $500.
The best thing about this $500 2nd Chance Free Bet is that it only comes with a 1x rollover requirement attached. Many online bookmakers like DraftKings Illinois force you to play your bonus funds through several times before you can make a withdrawal, but that is not the case with the BetRivers Illinois promo code offer.
Thanks to the hyper competitive nature of the sports betting industry, every Illinois sportsbook strives to add as many active players as possible. Bet Rivers Sportsbook Illinois always provides an attractive Welcome Bonus for new users. The current offer is a $500 “Second Chance Bet”. Wager up to $500 on your first bet. If you win, you keep the money. If you lose, Bet Rivers Illinoiswill give you free bets for the value of the loss on your first bet, with a max of $500. You must deposit at least $10 to qualify and the Welcome Bonus only applies to your first bet. Bet Rivers gives you 30 days to use the free bets.
You can click on the “Join now” button to the right of the BetRivers Sportsbook homepage to create your BetRivers Sportsbook account:
BetRivers Sportsbook offers an ongoing program of short-term sports betting bonuses to reward existing players for their continued loyalty. The offers change throughout the year depending upon which major sports leagues are in season.
You can find details of all the BetRivers promotions, bonus offers, and deposits match bonuses by clicking on the “Promotions” tab on the homepage. There is no need to enter a BetRivers promo code to unlock the short-term promotions. These ongoing promotions for existing Illinois bettors may only require you to opt in from the "Promotions" tab within the sportsbook and be logged into your BetRivers Sportsbook account. You only need the main BetRivers bonus code to claim the flagship match deposit bonus when you register.
If you want to add some more fun to your NFL betting portfolio, Bet Rivers Illinois sportsbook runs a fun Same Game Parlay Contest throughout the season. If you have a Bet Rivers Illinois Sportsbook account, just place same game parlay wagers on NFL games each week during the contest period. The wagers must be $10 or more and have at least 3 legs. If your bet wins, you get points based on the number of legs multiplied by the dollar amount you risked. For example, a $20 bet with three legs earns you 60 points if it hits. The maximum points per SGP is 1000. The top 200 points leaders get placed on a Weekly Leaderboard and awarded prizes in free bets, with the top prize worth $1000 in free bets. There’s also a Season Long Leaderboard, and the top 1000 points earners win there. The top season prize is $25,000 in free bets.
No one loves just missing on an NFL parlay. But Bet Rivers Illinois has a cure to that. If you place a 4+ leg parlay and exactly 1 side misses, Bet Rivers will reimburse your stake back with free bets up $25. The legs can include any type of football betting, including NFL props. Free bets will load by 3pm Monday and must be used within 7 days.
Bet Rivers Illinois Sportsbook gives you a leg up on the college football betting weekend with a Friday night Bet and Get promo. Place a pregame wager of $25 or more at odds -200 or greater and Bet Rivers gives you a 20% odds boost on live wagers. The max wager is $25 and the winnings max out at $250.
Head over to the specials tab to find NFL odds boosts. During the season, these “House Specials” feature NFL betting plays, often boosts on pre-packaged parlays such as “Broncos to cover -1.5 in the 1st half and Over 22.5 1st Half Total Points” bumped from +250 to +275.
Players can rack up points to their BetRivers Illinois account by simply placing bets as part of the iRush Rewards program at BetRivers. A straight bet worth $6 earns you 1 point, while parlays are worth more points.
You will begin at Loyalty Level 1, and then climb up the ranks as you earn more loyalty level points. The top tier is Loyalty Level 10, which you will reach if you accumulate 20,000 BetRivers bonus store points. There is no need to enter a promotional code for the reward program.
BetRivers Illinois offers several helpful features that hand players greater flexibility and improve the overall wagering experience.
BetRivers Sportsbook Illinois has a vibrant live betting section that covers football, basketball, baseball, soccer, tennis, and hockey betting in Illinois, among other sports. An “Instant Betting” option allows you to bet on every single point in a tennis match, while you can choose from a huge range of live prop bets on several niche events as well as major sports events. For example, we found more than 60 live wagering options on a soccer game taking place in the fifth tier of English soccer when conducting our BetRivers Illinois review. You can also enjoy live streaming.
You can lock in profits or cut your losses by cashing out your wager early at BetRivers Sportsbook Illinois. Just visit “My Bet History” at the BetRivers app or the website to see a list of open wagers available for cash out.
Bet Rivers online sportsbook offers a Same Game Parlay builder. Just choose a game to wager, click on the “Same Game Parlay” button and choose from 2-12 legs from the choices provided. Enter your wager amount, hit “send” and your SGP is on.
BetRivers Illinois is an online sports betting and Illinois casino brand operated by Chicago-based parent company Rush Street Interactive. The business was created in 2012, and it owns Rivers Casino Des Plaines in Illinois, French Lick Casino in Indiana, Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh, Rivers Casino & Sports Bar in Philadelphia (formerly known as SugarHouse) and Rivers Casino Schenectady in New York.
The company branched out into online sports betting after the Supreme Court struck down a federal ban called PASPA in 2018. It appointed award-winning provider Kambi to power its Illinois online bookmaker and launched in several states, including Pennsylvania, Indiana, Michigan, Iowa, Colorado, Virginia and West Virginia. Rush Street Interactive went public on the NYSE in December 2020 following a SPAC deal, and it trades under the ticker RSI.
As far as Illinois sports betting apps go, the BetRivers Sportsbook app is one of the weakest areas for BetRivers Illinois. It is available both as an iOS and Android app, but it has received poor user reviews from many bettors.
The sports betting app is glitchy and tends to freeze, particularly when verifying a player's location. Users have also complained that they are unable to access their bet history and account statements easily, so the app clearly needs to be improved if the operator is to compete with the best legal betting site in Illinois.
If you value an exception mobile gambling experience, you may want to consider other bookmakers, such as FanDuel Illinois or BetMGM Illinois, who each have a stronger sports betting app.
✔️ Welcome bonus is really appealing | ❌ Mobile app is slow and glitchy |
✔️ Desktop site is very impressive | |
✔️ Offers competitive odds on many sports |
There are many options now for Illinois sports bettors. Caesars Sportsbook Illinois, PointsBet Illinois, and DraftKings Illinois are all great options. The space is extremely competitive and every player will likely offer welcome bonuses for the foreseeable future. The Bet Rivers $500 “Second Chance Bet” stacks up just fine vs the competition. PointsBet for example offers a $500 Free Bet if you lose on your initial bet, but issues the Free Bets in $100 increments and you must use the $100 blocks at once. Caesars free bet offer is currently $1250 with a similar structure to the Bet Rivers Welcome Bonus. DraftKings Illinois offers a 20% deposit match worth up to $1000.
Sports bettors should try to take advantage of as many of these as possible as they all result in some extra money in your pocket. And more sportsbooks mean more chances to get the best odds on your wagers. Bet Rivers Illinois makes deep markets with the standard -110 pricing spreads, and not every book lines up exactly with each other, so you will often see Bet Rivers post the best odds.
The BetRivers online is powered by prominent white-label provider Kambi. It covers a broad range of sports in excellent detail:
The BetRivers app goes deep with its coverage of these sports. Basketball fans can bet on NBA, WNBA, NCAAB, and a variety of leagues across Europe, while football fans can participate in NFL betting in Illinois, as well as NCAAF and CFL action. The soccer section features leagues from every continent, and the golf and tennis sections contain a busy schedule of tournaments. All in all, you can bet on thousands of different sporting events each week at BetRivers.
Whether you are a fan betting on the Chicago Bears playoff chances or just love wagering on football, Bet Rivers Illinois is a great spot for NFL betting. Just hit the “NFL” button on the top menu bar on the desktop and you will find NFL moneylines, spreads and totals for every game. Click on any game and you will still see all that, plus team totals, odds on halves and quarter, specific game combos, and player and team props galore.
College football is well represented too as Bet Rivers posts deep NCAA football betting lines for all the games. Click on the NCAAF button on the top bar on the desktop to find all the markets.
The range of betting options available at BetRivers Illinois Sportsbook is phenomenal. You can bet on more than 160 different markets within a single NHL game, and some soccer games contain around 400 different bet types for you to choose from, including a wealth of player props.
These are the most common wagering options at BetRivers:
A wager on a single sporting event. Spread bets are the most common form of a straight bet. This requires you to predict which team will prevail after the supposedly stronger team has been given a handicap, such as the Chicago Bears -6.5 points.
A prediction on whether the total points, runs, or goals will go over or under a certain line, such as over 6.5 goals in a Blackhawks game. In pro football betting this could be an over or under on the total combined score of a game.
A simple bet on which team will win a game. There are no point spreads here. For example, you can simply look at the football betting lines and bet on the team you think will win. The moneyline is what will ultimately determine how much you get paid out if you pick the winning team.
Combining several different predictions into one wager to accumulate higher odds. Parlay bets can be done in the same game or across different games in various leagues. You can use the football season to build NFL parlays, including same game parlays for football games.
A long-term prediction on a future event, such as the Chicago Bears Super Bowl odds. Whether you want to predict the outcome of the football season or the basketball season, you can place money on your prediction.
A wager on a specific event within a game, such as a QB to be sacked a certain amount of time, or the first team to score 20 points in an NBA game.
BetRivers offers a small range of online banking options for you to choose from when you want to deposit money, and withdrawals can be a little slow if you do not visit the casino cage or get a Play+ card.
You have just three options when making a deposit at BetRivers: credit card / debit card, online bank transfer (ACH) from your bank account, or a BetRivers Play+ card. All deposits are free and instant, and the minimum is only $10, but we would like to see BetRivers provide a wider range of deposit methods, such as PayPal, Skrill, PayNearMe and so on.
The withdrawal process is very straightforward, but bank transfer payouts can take three to five days. It is quicker to get paid out in cash at Rivers Casino Des Plaines or to use a BetRivers Play+ card. Both of those methods are rapid. You can alternatively request a good old-fashioned check by mail, but it will take 10 to 14 business days to arrive.
BetRivers runs a comprehensive program of contests and tournaments throughout the year in the various states in which it operates. Illinois bettors could vie for a share of the $100,000 prize pool in its recent Pick ‘Em NFL contest.
The Kambi platform is very easy to use. BetRivers IL has opted for a blue, gold, and gray color scheme, which looks reasonably attractive, while the text is very large.
Some bettors might be distracted by the rolling carousel of bonus offers and the busy list of recent contest winners to the right of the page, but otherwise, it is neat and intelligently designed. The search function works well on any search query, and there are lots of helpful shortcuts, while the bet slip populates effectively at the bottom right of the screen.
It is also nice to have such detailed stats to browse when deciding which team to bet on.
You might prefer to use the BetRivers Illinois online platform that is web-based over the BetRivers mobile app to circumvent some of those glitches and issues and better place bets. You will benefit from more visible features and easier navigation by doing so.
You have no need to worry about any security issues when using the BetRivers app or desktop site. It uses strong SSL encryption software to keep you always protected, and it is a licensed, regulated operator. Just follow basic security steps like choosing a strong password and not sharing it with anyone.
Anyone with a gambling problem can self-exclude or impose various limits on their play at the BetRivers Illinois. It provides links to helpful charities and advice on how to bet within your means.
Users can find a dedicated responsible betting page by clicking the link at the bottom of the homepage.
BetRivers does not offer 24/7 customer support, which is another slight shortcoming of this online betting. Some of its rivals will provide customer service around the clock, whereas it is only available from 9.30 a.m. to 2 a.m. ET here.
It also does not have a phone number for you to call, so you can only use live chat or email. On the plus side, we found the agents to be polite, helpful and diligent when we tested out the service during our BetRivers review.
BetRivers makes a great choice for anyone that likes to bet on sports from a desktop or laptop. It offers a high-quality user experience, fantastic bonuses and appealing lines on thousands of sporting events each week.
It is not such a great option for mobile users, as the app has a history of freezing and frustrating bettors. If BetRivers can improve the performance of its mobile app, it will be one of the best sports gambling sites in Illinois.
It is possible to bet on college football and college basketball when you log on to your BetRivers Illinois account, however, you are not allowed to bet on events involving schools located in Illinois. Read our BetRivers review to learn more about the sports betting options available on the BetRivers app and desktop site.
BetRivers was the very first online wagering site to go live in Illinois, so it is available statewide. You can download the BetRivers app or visit the desktop site, enter your promo code, claim a signup bonus and start playing. It also operates a retail bookmaker at Rivers Casino Des Plaines.
You must be 21 or older to play at BetRivers online wagering site. You will be asked to provide your date of birth and digits from your SSN as a registration requirement, and BetRivers Illinois will ask you to upload a scan of your photo ID to prove your age as part of a KYC procedure.
BetRivers online is available in several sports betting markets across the country: As of January 2023, BetRivers in Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. It operates as PlaySugarHouse in Connecticut.
Yes. BetRivers is the online sports betting and casino arm of Rush Street Gaming, a company based in Illinois. It operates Rivers Casino Des Plaines alongside many other casinos across the United States, and it is fully legal and licensed to run an online betting site in Illinois.
Rush Street Interactive is an experienced casino operator, and it has worked hard to offer a strong online casino. It allows you to play a variety of high-quality slots and table games online in states with legal online casinos and BetRivers is offered.
Sports fans will need to declare any winnings they make from playing at BetRivers Illinois. This includes any money you make from the deposit bonus funds unlocked by entering the BetRivers promo code. Be sure to consult with a tax expert if you have any questions.
BetRivers offers a wide range of live betting markets on thousands of sporting events each week. You can download the app and go to their in-game betting section to check out all the live betting markets available. Take advantage of a verified promo to stretch your betting dollars.
The BetRivers customer support team works from 9.30 a.m. to 2 a.m. ET. You can contact the agents via live chat or email, but there is no phone number. Their customer service team is quick to respond to player concerns or questions.
Author
Martin Green spent five years working at William Hill before becoming a journalist in 2009. He has a degree in English Literature and he has edited a number of magazines, newspapers and websites during his career. He began working as a sports writer and professional tipster in 2014, and his work has featured in a large number of top publications across the web.
Cited by leading media organizations, such as: