BetRivers was the first online sportsbook to open in Illinois. The popular Rush Street Gaming operator is inviting new customers to try out its robust betting platform and receive a fantastic welcome bonus.
BetRivers is offering a 100% deposit match up to $250 when you sign up for its sportsbook. That means you can receive up to $250 in free bets, with only a 1x playthrough requirement. Read on to find out more about this fantastic welcome offer and BetRivers Sportsbook in Illinois.
BetRivers’ welcome bonus is almost unbeatable as far as we’re concerned. The sportsbook is offering all new Illinois customers a 100% deposit match bonus, up to $250, simply for registering. What makes this BetRivers bonus offer a winner, however, is that you only need to roll over the bonus amount once in order to withdraw it.
It’s easy to claim the bonus cash. Visit BetRivers Sportsbook here, open a new account, and make your first deposit using the BetRivers promo code 250MATCH. The sportsbook will then double your money, up to $250. Once the cash hits your account, you’ll have 30 days to wager the bonus amount through once.
Online Sportsbook | BetRivers Sportsbook |
---|---|
Promo Code | 250MATCH |
Deposit Bonus | 100% up to $250 |
Last Updated | January 2021 |
Once you’ve played through your first lot of bonus cash, the likelihood is that you’ll be on the hunt for more great offers. BetRivers IL has a “Promotions” section where you can keep track of all available offers. The site offers good daily odds boosts, varying from moneylines to props and parlays.
BetRivers compensates its most-loyal players through its rewards program, iRush. Every time you place a bet, you’ll earn Loyalty Level Points (LLP) that contribute toward a tiered system, and Bonus Store Points (BSP) that you can use to purchase rewards in the the BetRivers Bonus Store.
Collect LLP points to climb the loyalty ladder and receive better rewards. In the bonus store, you’ll be able to redeem for BetRivers Sportsbook free bets, free money and the chance to spin a prize wheel using your BSP.
We like that this is a multi-part rewards program, keeping it interesting and fun to watch your points total grow as you bet.
Yes, not only is BetRivers Sportsbook legal in Illinois, but it was the first online sportsbook to launch in the Land of Lincoln.
Sports betting became legal in Illinois thanks to the Sports Wagering Act, which became law in June 2019 when Gov. JB Pritzker signed it. On March 9, 2020, BetRivers accepted the first sports bets in the state. On June 18, 2020, BetRivers went live with its online sportsbook in the Prairie State.
Illinois law requires you to create a sports betting account at the casino. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the governor repeatedly rescinds the rule via executive order. You can check the status of the state’s registration requirement here.
One final note on sports betting law in Illinois: Betting on Illinois college teams aren’t allowed.
Getting started at BetRivers Illinois sportsbook is pretty simple, but until the end of 2020, you will need to finish the sign-up process by visiting Rivers Casino Des Plaines in person.
Fortunately, the steps are simple:
BetRivers utilizes simple but effective software that makes sports betting easy for every user. The site is split into three neat sections, making it easy on the eye and not as cluttered as other online sportsbooks out there.
On the left-hand side of the screen, you’ll find the sports and bets menu as well as your personal betting history. This displays all the popular betting markets and BetRivers promotions for the day. To find an A-Z list of all the sports BetRivers offers, scroll down.
Click on a sport and all the games and markets for it will appear in the middle section of the site. The panel on the far right-hand side of the page is dedicated to the BetRivers newsfeed. This shows the number of bets being won by users in real-time. It’s probably unnecessary for the home page, but interesting nonetheless.
Your bet slip will pop up from the bottom of the screen whenever you select a bet. To navigate to the BetRivers casino, promotions, or help pages, use the bar at the top of the screen.
BetRivers recommends using Google Chrome when placing bets, but the site also works very well on Mozilla Firefox and Internet Explorer.
Customers in Illinois can also access the sportsbook by mobile. The BetRivers mobile app is responsive and easy to navigate, with access to most of the same features as the desktop site.
What’s disappointing, however, is that the app is currently only available to Android users. There’s a small workaround to access the site on your Apple device that we’ll tell you about below. Here’s how to use BetRivers on your mobile.
The Google Play Store doesn’t list gambling apps, so you’ll need to visit the BetRivers IL site to get your hands on the Android app. Here’s how to do it:
You can find the BetRivers sportsbook app in the Apple App Store and on the BetRivers website.
The BetRivers sportsbook app is a breeze to use. With clear navigation menus, large action buttons, and a clean aesthetic, customers are able to place wagers in a matter of minutes. The BetRivers app also gives users access to statistics in order to make the most educated bets possible.
Through the sports betting app, you’re able to claim the welcome bonus, watch games live, and place wagers. It’s designed to be a scaled-down version of the desktop site, so you’ll have no problems making your way around it.
While almost all online sportsbooks in Illinois offer an array of sports to bet on as well as a varied selection of bets to make, we wanted to tell you about three of the best features that BetRivers Sportsbook has to offer.
Up until now we have detailed a lot of the top features and best aspects of BetRivers online sportsbook, but we’d be remiss if we did not also offer up some of our critiques of the Illinois sportsbook. So here we have detailed three aspects that could do with some improving.
The BetRivers IL sportsbook has a particularly decent range of betting options available. The site offers the usual moneyline and point spread betting, but makes things a little more interesting with futures, props, parlays and live betting.
The most popular betting options get the most screen time. The live betting section can be opened from the left-side menu, where you’ll be able to see all the sports currently open to bets. Clicking on a game will display live stats. You’ll always be able to find moneylines, spreads and totals when live betting, and BetRivers Sportsbook IL will occasionally offer live props.
Prop bets for all major sports, including the props on the MLB, NFL and the NBA, are available. Place bets on a number of different aspects of your favorite sports to keep betting interesting. Prop bets are also particularly handy when you’re not confident about what the result of a game is going to be.
Futures wagers are great for fans of particular sports who are ready to stick around for the long-haul. With BetRivers IL, you’ll be able to bet on the winner of the US Open, the MVP in the NBA finals, or even the winner of the Super Bowl way in advance. Odds for these bets are updated as the season plays out.
Alongside futures and props, the sportsbook also offers a few interesting options. You can find the specials menu within the left-hand panel, above the sporting list.
The sportsbook also features its “Jackpot Parlay” tool that allows you to filter sports, types of bets and timeframes to build your multi-part bet. You can put parlays together manually, too.
Once you fund your account, it’s easy to go through the site and place your bets. Make sure to pay attention to the odds of each bet, as these can change quickly. BetRivers gives you the chance to choose how odds are displayed. Users can pick between American odds, decimal and fractional. Here’s how to place a bet at BetRivers Sportsbook in Illinois:
Let’s check out the futures market at BetRivers Sportsbook in Illinois. Here are futures bets you can make on the local pro teams from the state:
BetRivers offers a pretty large selection of betting markets. To browse them, scroll down on the left-hand panel to find an A-Z list. The plus sign next to every sport will reveal the leagues available for that particular game. Here’s what you can expect:
More sporting events are added as they come into play throughout the year — the menu changes based on the sporting calendar and public interest.
There are seven professional sports teams from the Prairie State that you can wager on using the BetRivers Sportsbook app. In this section, we present to you a short overview of each franchise and the types of bets available at BetRivers.
It’s easy to deposit and withdraw money from your BetRivers Sportsbook account. The banking section is under the “Cashier“ button at the top, right-hand corner of the screen. A drop-down menu will then appear, displaying the amount of money in your account available for withdrawal, any active bonus money and your current balance. Below the figures, you’ll find “Deposit” and “Withdraw” buttons to begin a new transaction.
When you click on the “Deposit,” you’ll see several ways to add money to your account. The default is online banking, but you can change your selection using the blue menu on the left-hand side. It lists all available depositing methods:
Once you’ve made a selection, enter the amount of money you’d like to deposit. You’ll get the chance to enter a promo code at this point. Enter your banking details and click “Deposit” to add the money to your account balance.
Click the “Withdraw” tab in the cashier menu to take winnings out of your account. The page will recommend a payment method to you, but you can change your selection using the blue menu on the left of the page. Transactions can spend up to 72 hours in the review stage. Withdrawal methods include:
The best sportsbooks have a great customer support team behind them, and BetRivers certainly doesn’t disappoint. The “Help Center” can be accessed easily from the navigation bar at the top of the page. In there, you’ll find an extensive FAQ menu with a search tool making finding the right articles fast and easy.
If you can’t find your answer within the FAQ page, you can use the sportsbook’s live chat feature to speak to a customer support member. The team answers most requests instantly, providing you a message within the hours of 9:30 a.m. and 2 a.m. EST, and is friendly.
If you’d rather email customer support, there’s the option to do that too. Simply submit your request from the help center.
BetRivers retail sportsbook is at Rivers Casino in Des Plaines. State mitigation efforts due COVID-19 may affect when the Illinois casino is open.
It features an LED-HDTV wall with a premium setting to watch all the sports you can handle. The 26-person bar also includes tabletop video poker machines.
BetRivers is not the best sportsbook in Illinois, in our opinion. BetRivers Sportsbook still is a good option for players looking to join either their first sportsbook in the state or who are considering having more than one sportsbook account.
BetRivers does have a few things we like about it (check out our best features section below), but all in all, the sportsbook isn’t quite up to the status of PointsBet, William Hill and BetMGM, in particular.
With sports betting having only started in the state in early 2020, though, there’s no reason why BetRivers can’t climb the ranks to become the top sportsbook in the future. And no matter what happens, BetRivers Sportsbook will always have the distinction of taking the first legal sports bets in the state and opening the first online sportsbook in Illinois.
BetRivers is owned by the gaming company Rush Street Gaming, which is based in Chicago. Rush runs a number of casinos in the Northeast. The operator’s sportsbook launched in June 2019 when sports betting laws were changed by the US Supreme Court. The site was originally available in Pennsylvania but has since expanded to reach Indiana, Colorado and now, Illinois.