Summary

With sports betting legislation sweeping the US and bookmakers attempting to stake their claim in the market, I decided to take a look at one of the smaller online bookmakers that covers numerous states, BetRivers.

They might not be a household name, but after I spent some time with the BetRivers sportsbook, it became clear that they have an offer to match many of the industry's big hitters. They don’t have famous faces behind their brand in the same way that sportsbooks like FOX Bet and BetMGM do, but once you check out some of their lines, you'll see that BetRivers can easily stand up to them in terms of the value they offer.

Why Should You Choose BetRivers?

So they may not have the star power or the heritage to match some of their rivals, but where BetRivers can and do compete is with the juice on their odds. They provide some of the best value on the market for NHL betting across the major markets, as well as being one of the top options for moneyline betting on the NBA.

One thing I particularly liked is how easy it was to access BetRivers' stats feature right from the betting dashboard. Select a bet and you'll see a big button to view the stats in a pop-up window, and although it ran a little slow for me (because it's external content), it was useful to have that extra insight right there.

It's not all sunshine and roses though. I think they do trail behind some of their rivals when it comes to the welcome offer and it's all pretty standard when it comes to the sports they cover and the quality of the mobile app. However, the boosts they offer are some of the best on the market and they offer numerous weekly ones, including NHL on Friday and NFL on Sunday.

Bonuses

You can claim a welcome bonus worth up to $250 when you join BetRivers. I should make it clear that this is a 100% first deposit match, so if you only want to start with $10 then that’s fine too – you’ll still get an extra $10 to wager with.

The maximum deposit match of $250 isn't as high as some of BetRivers' competitors, but the playthrough requirement is just 1x, which makes it much more appealing. It pales in comparison to some bigger rivals, such as FanDuel and BetMGM, which offer deposit matches of up to $1,000, also with just a 1x playthrough, but it certainly isn't the worst offer out there.

Once you're signed up and you've made your first deposit, you'll want to look out for the sportsbook's Profit Boost promo. Place a bet of up to $25 and if it comes in, your profits will be boosted by 20%, up to a maximum of $250. If, like me, you like to bet on a wide range of sports, you'll be happy to know that the BetRivers Profit Boost covers many different markets throughout the week: NFL Sundays, NCAAM, NHL, and NCAAF, to name a few. I also took advantage of the 20% Live Profit Boost that’s available on NBA games each Wednesday, on my way to watching the Pistons lose again.

Sticking with any multi-sports fans out there, you'll also want to take advantage of the offer that allows you to claim a $10 free bet on the NFL when you wager $25 or more on NHL games. I think it's commendable that BetRivers are looking after their existing customers with promos like these.

Depositing and Withdrawing

BetRivers is one of the sportsbooks that will let you deposit funds into your account in person, using the Cash @ Cage option or via your BetRivers Play+ card.

But, if like me, you prefer to do your wagering online, you’ll find that BetRivers accepts many of the main credit and debit cards (Visa, Mastercard and co), some eWallets like PayPal, and online banking via ACH. Here’s the full list:

• Cash @ Casino Cage
• Pay with Cash
• PayNearMe
• BetRivers Play+ card
• Credit/debit card
• PayPal
• VIP Preferred ACH
• Online banking ACH

I actioned an online banking transfer and the money was in my account within three days – right in the sweet spot of their quoted 2-5 day turnaround time. If you want to, you can actually collect your winnings from a BetRivers property – this will be available to you right away.

Here’s a look at BetRivers’ stated withdrawal times:

Withdrawal Method	Expected Time
Cash @ Casino Cage	Immediately
BetRivers Play+	Immediately
Online banking / ACH	2-5 business days
Check	10-14 buiness days

It’s pretty easy to sign up for an account. All you need to do is fill in the usual online forms asking for your name, date of birth, and so on – you know the drill. There are some verification checks that are carried out in the background, and should you have any issues you can contact customer support. I found the support team to be readily available and helpful during my testing.

You can switch on responsible gaming tools at any point as well, including deposit, spending, time limits, and if you want to you can impose a cooldown or self-exclusion period on your account.

The BetRivers payments process was exactly as I expected it to be. My deposit went into my account straight away, and when I came to make my withdrawal it was with me in the expected timeframe. I'd prefer there to be more deposit/withdrawal options to use, particularly eWallets, but on the whole, there’s not a lot to complain about.

The Mobile App

BetRivers offer eight different Android apps on Google Play - one for each of the states that the sportsbook operates in. The same goes for iOS, although I couldn't find an app for PA on the App Store. Given how the regulations around sports betting can differ between states, it comes as no surprise that there are separate apps, but a lot of other sportsbooks manage with just one. I suppose if you spend a lot of time out of state it might be a minor inconvenience, but for everyone else it won't really matter.

What do matter are the reviews, and it's telling that all of the BetRivers apps have consistently average to poor ratings on Google Play, varying from 1.6 to 3.6 out of 5. I didn't experience any technical issues with the app, but common complaints seem to concern issues with the geolocation and user interface. For the record, I used the PA version.

If you've used a sports betting app before, the BetRivers app will offer no surprises in terms of its layout and navigation. You can swipe through a range of sports at the top of the screen and select one to jump to the relevant markets. Tap a line and it will be added to your bet slip.

There's also a collapsible menu, which gives you access to a range of markets, including live betting, as well as a menu at the bottom of the screen, which you can use to access the latest promos, the BetRivers casino, and your betslip. The effort BetRivers have gone through to make it easy to navigate the app is appreciated, but if anything, the layout feels a bit cluttered on a smaller screen. Other sportsbooks manage to pull this off much more cleanly.

All in all, I don't have any major criticisms of the app, but neither did it blow me away. Seasoned bettors won't have a problem placing their bets in a few quick taps, but those newer to the sports betting scene might be a little overwhelmed by all the options presented to them.

Betting Options

There are so many different sports on offer at BetRivers, and I focused mainly on the US markets – NBA, NFL, NHL, and the MLB, plus some college sport. But you can try your luck in soccer, tennis, boxing, UFC, golf, motorsport, and more.

I’m a big NFL guy, so I was delighted to see how many markets were available per game. There’s all the usual suspects – spreads, moneylines and, total points – plus a whole array of player props, from touchdowns and passing to rushing and receiving yards. Honestly, I’ve seen more prop lines at other sportsbooks, but all of the major bases are covered.

I bet on the Super Bowl every year and last season I took a punt on Tom Brady to be named the Super Bowl MVP for the fifth time in his career - that earned me a few bucks. With that win still fresh in my memory, I looked at what odds BetRivers are offering for the winner of this season's Super Bowl. Surprisingly the Buccaneers are priced at +525 to win the Superbowl for the second successive year. I now consider this franchise to be my lucky charm, so I backed them again.

I also found a bunch of other NFL futures, including division and postseason winners, MVPs, even Comeback Player of the Year. These bets are simple to understand and there's a great range of them available - I can see this appealing to novice bettors in particular.

The current trend for same game parlays has caught my eye, and BetRivers allow you to build your own wagers in this way. There’s the option to cash out your bets too, and many of you will really enjoy the live streaming feed where there are NHL games, so you can watch the Arizona Coyotes to your heart's content, if you're into that.

Vig/Juice Comparison

When it comes to comparing odds from one sportsbook to the next, one of the definitive factors is the vig that each book deploys.

As far as BetRivers are concerned, they actually stack up pretty well against the likes of DraftKings, FanDuel and co. For their main NBA markets, BetRivers actually charge amongst the lowest juice around on their moneyline odds, and they’re also competitive on the point spreads, with an average of 4.4%.

For NFL bettors, you should note that BetRivers aren’t that great when it comes to moneyline odds, but for spreads and totals they offer much better pricing – their vig of 4.4% and 4.8% respectively compares to 5.2% and 6.3% at DraftKings.

BetRivers are also one of the value plays when it comes to your NHL bets, with lower-than-average vig charged on all three of the main markets – their 4.3% on the moneyline option is actually amongst the lowest around amongst the mainstream US sportsbooks. It's also worth noting they have the same prices as Unibet and TwinSpires as they all use the standard Kambi lines. Currently, Barstool also uses Kambi, but they do have different lines.

What Other Betting Products Do They Offer?

Depending on which state you access BetRivers from, there is an online casino channel that sits alongside the sportsbook.

It’s worth noting that you can use your welcome bonus to play these casino games, which include blackjack, roulette, craps, baccarat, and more besides. There are dozens of slot games too, video poker and even jackpot titles – Divine Fortune and Mercy of the Gods had prize funds well in excess of $75,000 the last time I visited the site.