BetRivers Sportsbook review: Is it legal and how to bet

Note: The content on this page was updated on July 24, 2023.

Like a number of the sportsbooks that are live and legal in New York, BetRivers Sportsbook was born out of a successful casino operation. You may already be familiar with their resort in Schenectady, or their other properties in Pennsylvania and Illinois.

Whenever we review sports betting sites that have been “tagged on” to a casino operator, there is always that thought of “is this just a token gesture”? The good news, as we’ll discover in this review, is that BetRivers has doubled down on its investment by creating an excellent sportsbook site and app that adds something new and exciting to the sector in the Empire State, and New York residents can score a solid BetRivers promo code offer in the form of a $100 second bet, which refunds your account in bet credits if it loses.

Our New York betting guide reveals everything you need to know about sports betting in NY, and that includes how to identify the best sportsbooks for your particular needs. As we will learn from this comprehensive review, BetRivers might just be your new favorite wagering site, and you can activate your account using this link.

Is BetRivers Sportsbook legal to use in New York?

After legalizing online sports betting for the first time in New York back in 2021, former governor Andrew Cuomo handed over the running of the sector to the state’s gambling regulator. The New York State Gaming Commission then began to welcome applications from interested parties, and they decided that nine operators were up to the mark and handed them a license straight off the bat.

BetRivers was one of the chosen few, and in January 2022 it was one of four operators to launch online and mobile sportsbooks on the first day of legal sports betting in New York.

So yes, BetRivers Sportsbook is legal to use in NY, as it is in ten other states including Michigan, Colorado and Illinois.

How to sign up with BetRivers Sportsbook

If you decide that BetRivers is your pick of the New York sportsbooks, you’ll be delighted to hear that registering for a new customer account is a quick and painless process.

All you have to do is head to their website through this link, which will whisk you off directly, before tapping the “Join Now” button.

Once you’ve done that, just follow these easy steps:

1. Enter your personal details (name, date of birth and so on)
2. Decide upon your username and password
3. Make your first deposit
4. Enter our promo code if prompted

The good news is that you don’t need to visit a BetRivers casino in person to register. The process can be completed online and you can even sign up through the app if you wish. Once your identity has been verified (you may be asked for additional I.D. Don’t worry, this information is kept perfectly safe), you will be free to bet and withdraw any winnings that might come your way.

How to bet with BetRivers Sportsbook

Once your account is up and running, you will be able to take full advantage of BetRivers’ comprehensive sportsbook offering.

Fire up the website and you’ll be met with an array of links to the most popular sports and competitions, including NFL, NBA, MLB and so on, as well as shortcuts to wager specifically on the Giants and the Jets.

You can also scroll down the left-hand side using the All Sports menu, use the central console to see upcoming events that are about to start or, alternatively, click the Live tab if you want to wager on some in-play action.

To place a wager with BetRivers Sportsbook, all you need to do is:

1. Ensure you are logged in to your account
2. Find the game and bet type you want
3. Click on the selection’s odds
4. Enter your stake on your bet slip
5. Double check the amount and confirm your bet

Once the game is underway, you can check the progress of your pick in the Live channel. If your wager wins, you will see your payout added to your account in a matter of minutes after the game has finished.

Where can you bet with BetRivers?

As mentioned, at the time of writing, the BetRivers Sportsbook can be accessed in eleven different states, but this continues to change as more and more states legalize sports betting which are:

• New York
• New Jersey
• Michigan
• Arizona
• Colorado
• Illinois
• Pennsylvania
• Iowa
• Louisiana
• Indiana
• Virginia

Although Rivers Casino owns the BetRivers brand, the brains behind it are Rush Street Interactive, which is licensed to operate in each of the states listed here.

If you find yourself in New Jersey, it’s worth noting that BetRivers is actually called PlaySugarHouse there.

BetRivers sports and bet types

As you would expect, there’s a comprehensive range of sports that you can wager on at BetRivers Sportsbook, with many of the leading competitions and events available for both individual games and futures betting.

• Basketball
• Football
• Hockey
• Baseball
• College sports
• Soccer
• Tennis
• Golf
• Boxing
• MMA
• Cycling
• Aussie Rules
• Handball
• Lacrosse
• Motorsport
• Rugby
• Snooker

You can also wager on ‘House Specials’ at BetRivers, which is a curated selection of wagers often at enhanced odds. And, just as a point of order, you should note that you can bet on college sports in New York, although wagering on games involving state teams in NCAAF competition is prohibited.

BetRivers welcomes a wide array of bet types. You can wager on futures, which is betting on longer-term selections like who will win the Super Bowl, NBA Finals, World Series etc, as well as on individual games. If you want to start your sports betting journey at BetRivers today, use this link to activate your new customer account.

The most popular bets fall under the categories of money line, totals and spreads, while BetRivers also offers unique game ‘combos’ like money line and points together in the same wager.

We’d like to see more player and team props ideally, although these are catered for, as are other multiple bet types such as parlays, teasers and round robins.

BetRivers Sportsbook odds

We compared BetRivers Sportsbook’s odds to those of the other best sports betting sites in New York, and we found them to be competitive, for the most part, rather than extraordinary.

Our analysis started by looking at the Super Bowl futures market, and we examined the top-ten teams. For these, BetRivers was the best price for three of them (the Chargers, Broncos and Cowboys) but only a point or two behind their competition for the other most-backed franchises.

On a game-by-game basis, BetRivers was lagging a little behind in money line odds, although they were often industry best-price for the two different spread lines that they offered. They were also a value sportsbook for totals betting, although it should be noted that may be because they only offer two different options, as opposed to a wider range of points/goal/run lines.

Live streaming at BetRivers Sportsbook

You can’t miss the live streaming channel at BetRivers. It’s housed under the giant ‘Stream’ tab at the top of the main betting menu. Not only can you watch the drama unfold in a wide variety of sporting events around the world, including basketball, soccer and tennis, but you can also wager in-play without clicking away from the video stream, which is an excellent feature.

In our testing, the BetRivers Sportsbook live stream worked like a charm, with minimal lagging and buffering.

Deposits and withdrawals at BetRivers

When it comes to making payments into and out of your BetRivers Sportsbook account, there is no shortage of options that you can deploy.

It’s easy to make a deposit. Just click on the button you can see in your dashboard and you can choose between these different methods:

• Credit/debit card (Visa, Mastercard, American Express etc)
• Paypal
• Skrill
• PayNearMe
• VIP Preferred ACH

For the most part, these deposit methods are instantaneous, so you can be betting within moments. That’s essential if you have found some last-minute value before a game is about to start.

With regards to making a withdrawal, BetRivers typically processes requests within around 48 hours, and then the amount of time it takes to receive your winnings is determined by the payment method chosen. You can withdraw via PayPal, VIP Preferred ACH, Play+ and online banking.

BetRivers Sportsbook review verdict

Now that we’ve given BetRivers the once over, where do rank amongst the best sports betting apps in New York?

The answer is pretty highly, because this operator delivers what we might describe as a complete betting experience.

The comprehensive range of sports is matched by a diverse selection of bet types, and while props betting is thin on the ground, that is more than made up for by the huge selection of pre-game and live odds.

BetRivers offers a generous welcome bonus and a slate of ongoing promotions for both new and existing customers, and the fact that Rush Street Interactive is on board, home of the iRush Rewards program, is another feather in their cap, as is the fact that experienced sportsbook software outfit Kambi powers the website and app.

All things considered, we’re happy to award the BetRivers Sportsbook a full four stars out of five, with that rating set to improve as BetRivers expands their availability across the United States.

Dimers.com provides exclusive sports betting content to Syracuse.com, including sports new, picks, analysis and sportsbook promotions to help bettors get in on the action. Please wager responsibly.