BetRivers

About BetRivers

Even though the US sports betting market is still in its nascent phase, the brands occupying it are far from inexperienced. Most sportsbooks are run by existing casinos or fantasy sports brands, giving these new sites a significant head start when compared to new bookies in other parts of the world. One such example is BetRivers, operated by Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh, PA.

Founded in 2018, this bookmaker started growing exponentially immediately upon its launch. They haven’t changed their approach to sports betting that much, but many mistakes ended up ironed out in quick fashion. While there’s still more work to be done, BetRivers is indubitably on an upwards trajectory.

From summer 2022, BetRivers incorporated PlaySugarHouse sportsbook, with players from the latest brand being able to access their customer accounts directly on BetRivers.

To be frank, BetRivers doesn’t have a UI that is designed to stand out. And that’s completely okay. Too many bookmakers prioritise innovation and uniqueness over functionality, which is what most bettors are looking for. Using their trademark color combo of yellow and navy blue, BetRivers managed to create a UI that’s pleasant, but not that smooth. There are too many banners and announcements, which brings loading time down quite a bit.

We also feel like everything on the site is too big. Yes, we know that most browsers allow you to zoom out, but there’s a limit above which such decisions are just a reckless filling out of valuable screen real estate. Nevertheless, the site may seem a bit rough around the edges, but is very simple and allows you to navigate to whichever section you want without too much hassle. Given the fact that BetRivers is not even two years old, this is not as nearly as big of a problem as it might seem at first glance.

Out of all US bookmakers, BetRivers quite possibly has the best banking section. VISA, PayPal, MasterCard, PayNearMe, Discover, and wire transfer all available for bettors to use. If you ask us, this is the essential group of payment platforms that every US-oriented bookie needs. While some players consider the lack of niche options a flaw, we wouldn’t quite agree. All the popular providers are there, with further demands being unnecessary.

It’s 2020, people. 24/7 should be a standard for all bookies, which makes us perplexed at the sight of BetRivers only taking inquiries between 9:30am and 2:00am. They offer support via live chat, Twitter, email, and phone. While this is a nice combination and agents really are polite, the unavailability during nighttime is inexcusable in this day and age.

Sports and Betting Odds

The sporting events that users can bet on within BetRivers are numerous. Among the covered sports are: basketball, tennis, football, American football, Ice hockey, UFC/MMA, baseball, cricket, cycling, darts, golf, motorsports, rugby, snooker, surfing, table tennis, volleyball. Betting odds at BetRivers are competitive overall. Soccer betting margin is 5.2%, tennis betting margin is 7.5%, ice hockey betting margin is 7.6%, basketball with 5.6% and so on. The overall betting margin is 6.5%. These betting margins have been calculated using odds from different events in each sport. Please note that margins may be different from a sport to another, and even from a league to other.

Betting Features

BetRivers offers a wider variety of sports than most legal US sportsbooks, as they’ve obviously taken notice of the European, diversity-first approach. However, this doesn’t mean that market depth is the same everywhere. After basketball, baseball, hockey, American football, and soccer, the drop off in market quantity is noticeable. Still, BetRivers is more than suitable for casual and intermediate bettors.

Security and Fairness

Officially legal in six states, BetRivers is licensed by six different gaming regulatory body. This is basically a guarantee that this bookie is 100% legitimate. However, we don’t know that much about their security protocols. Therefore, we can recommend them to bettors, as things such as SSL encryption and the presence of a firewall as important to those that fear for the fate of their personal data in bookmakers’ hands.