BetRivers Casino

BetRivers Casino Quick Facts

PlaySugarHouse in New Jersey was the company’s first online casino.

The company’s legal online gambling branch Rush Street Interactive was created in 2012 on the heels of the 2011 ruling by the Department of Justice giving individual states the power to make online casinos legal in their state.

A year later, legalized online casino gambling was up and running in New Jersey. However, Rush Street Interactive did not launch its first online casino until 2016. That online casino, which was for New Jersey players exclusively, was originally called PlaySugarHouse.com but was rebranded as BetRivers.com in August 2022.

In August 2018, shortly after online sports betting also became legal in New Jersey, PlaySugarHouse added a sportsbook. It thereby became the first online gambling operator in New Jersey to offer both casino games and sports betting on the same platform. Since Rush Street Gaming did not own a land-based casino in New Jersey, it chose Golden Nugget Atlantic City as its land-based partner.

Pennsylvania Was Next

Pennsylvania became the second state to which Rush Street Interactive turned its attention. In fact, on May 31, 2019, PlaySugarHouse.com became Pennsylvania’s first online sportsbook. An online casino was added in July. Their land-based partner is Rivers Casino (formerly Sugarhouse Casino) in Philadelphia.

Rush Interactive launched a second online sports betting site, BetRivers Online Sportsbook (in partnership with Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh), on June 25, 2019. An online casino (in partnership with Rivers Casino in Philadelphia) was added on January 20, 2020.

BetRivers Today

Since opening in Pennsylvania, Rush Interactive has opened additional BetRivers betting sites in eight more states. Also, the phasing out of the Sugarhouse and PlaySugarHouse brands and rebranding as Rivers and BetRivers, respectively, is now complete.

Games Offered at BetRivers Online Casino

If you are new to online casino gambling, or at least, you have never played at BetRivers Online Casino, take a guess as to how many games this NJ online casino offers. 100? 200? 500? WRONG!!! By today’s standards, an online casino with 100 games or less might be considered small, while one with about 300 games might be considered medium-sized, and any casino with 500+ games would be considered large. This behemoth of a casino is home to a whopping 1,211 games!

Actually, the staggering size of BetRivers NJ Online Casino should come as no surprise because the operating principle of its Atlantic City partner, Golden Nugget, has always been the bigger, the better.

By the way, the other three BetRivers online casinos, though nowhere near as enormous as the one for New Jersey players, now offer a very respectable number of games as well. As of this writing, the Michigan casino is second in size with 698 games, the Pennsylvania casino is third with 447 games, and West Virginia is the smallest with 261 games. However, these numbers are only temporary, as new games are frequently being added.

BetRivers Casino Games

If you know the exact title of the game you wish to play, you can find it instantly by simply typing it in the search games bar in the top left-hand corner of the homepage. Otherwise, you can scroll down the homepage and pick a category from the following list; then scroll across to see the possibilities and make your choice.

New games
The week’s top 10 slots
$50K Coin Combo Promotion Games
Live Dealer games
Featured games
Essentials: This is where you will find many of the casino’s most popular slots, including Cleopatra, Raging Rhino, and Stinkin’ Rich, just to name a few.
Blackjack
Popular Asian Slots
Hot games
Jackpot games
Classics from the casino floor: Along with the above-mentioned Cleopatra, Raging Rhino, and Stinkin’ Rich, some other popular slots any frequent brick and mortar casino player will recognize are China Shores, Double Diamond, Golden Goddess, Siberian Storm, Treasures of Troy, Wolf Run, and Zeus.
Megaways
Slingo
Video Poker
Steppers
Roulette
Baccarat
More Table Games

Alternatively, you can scroll from left to right across the top of the page to make your selection based on the type of game (slots, blackjack, live dealer, other table games, video poker, or Slingo or from one of the following additional categories:

Tourneys
Hot games
Top wins: Games with the biggest payouts of all time
Game manufacturer (Scientific, IGT, NetEnt, Konami, Red Tiger, DGC, Everi, Lightning, or BTG)

What could be better

When you click on a particular game, you will also find a short description. What this BetRivers Online Casino Review found missing, however, and would make the information provided for each game more complete are the Return to Player (RTP) and minimum and maximum bets.

Also, it would be helpful to offer the option to play a game for free in demo mode before deciding to bet real money. Golden Nugget Online Casino includes all of these features.

Now let’s take a closer look at this casino’s most popular game categories.

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Slots

As in any online casino, the overwhelming majority of the games are slots. So, with hundreds of slots to choose from, there are probably more than a few calling your name. But how do you find them?

Rather than plow through the entire collection, we recommend choosing from a particular category of slots. Two great places to start with are “Essentials” and “Classic Games from the Casino Floor.” That is where you will find many familiar favorites, including some of the casino’s most popular games that have stood the test of time.

Alternatively, if you are partial to certain types of slots such as Asian-themed games, Steppers, Megaways, or progressive jackpot games, you can narrow down your choice on that basis. If there is a particular manufacturer you gravitate toward, that is another criterion you can use for your search. If you’re eager to try something new and different, click on “New Games.”

Progressive Jackpot Slots

BetRivers NJ Online Casino offers more than 30 jackpot games, most of which have a progressive jackpot. All of the games display the top jackpot amount at the moment. If this is your lucky day and you spin the reels on the right game at the right time, a life-changing jackpot could be yours!

Blackjack

BetRivers NJ Online Casino players can choose from the following 13 blackjack games:

Blackjack (two different games with this title, one from NetEnt and the other from IGT
Multi-Bet Blackjack with optional side bets*
Single Deck Blackjack*
Blackjack Xchange
Multihand Blackjack
Blackjack with Surrender
Poker and Pairs Blackjack
Multihand Blackjack with Surrender
777 Blazing Blackjack
Poker & Pairs Blackjack with Surrender
Lightning Blackjack – First Person
Atlantic City Blackjack

*Exclusive to this casino

Since blackjack is the most popular casino table game by far–both online and offline–it is nice that BetRivers offers so many varieties. However, it is disappointing that the very general descriptions provided omit the rules and RTP, which are important information to have because even small differences in the rules can affect the likelihood of winning.

Furthermore, because blackjack is not just a game of luck but also a game of skill, it is unfortunate that playing for real money is the only option at this casino. Without the opportunity to practice in demo mode, brushing up on basic strategy so you have it down pat is a must. Also, stick to the basic plays and avoid gimmicky games and side bets with a higher house edge.

Roulette

This casino’s players can also choose from 16 varieties of roulette. Some of them have intriguing names like Double Bonus Spins Roulette, Lightning Roulette, Blazing 7s Roulette, and even Space Invaders Roulette. Both frequent and occasional roulette players will enjoy these fun twists on the game that keep it from becoming boring and have the added appeal of the opportunity to win big prizes.

But whether you choose to play basic roulette or any of the many varieties, the bottom line is whether the game is played with just one zero on the wheel (European or French Roulette) or both a single and double zero (American Roulette). The extra zero in American Roulette raises the house edge to a hefty 5.26 percent (higher than many online slot games), so you are much better off playing single zero roulette with only a 2.7 percent house edge. Lightning Roulette and Space Invaders Roulette use the European Roulette format, while Double Bonus Spins Roulette and Blazing 7s are played as American Roulette.

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Live Dealer Games

All of the top NJ online casinos now offer live dealer games, and for a very good reason. They are extremely popular. Players love these games because, far more than any other online casino games, they bring you the same type of social interaction you experience in a real casino. Instead of playing alone and having the game controlled by an RNG, you play at a full table where a real live dealer spins the wheel or deals the cards and pays you when you win. All of the action is live-streamed in real-time from a studio directly to the screen of your desktop, phone, or tablet, and you can even use the live chat option to carry on a light conversation with the dealer and other players.

These are the 11 live dealer blackjack games you can choose from at BetRivers:

Blackjack
Infinite Blackjack
Free Bet Blackjack
Lightning Blackjack

While the rules for live dealer blackjack are not as favorable as those for some of the regular online blackjack games, that doesn’t seem to be much of a deterrent. Despite high minimum bets and less than ideal rules, live dealer blackjack tables fill up very quickly. That’s why some players might prefer Infinite Blackjack, Free Bet Blackjack, or Lightning Blackack instead. Since every player gets the same two starting cards against the same dealer up-card, these games can accommodate an unlimited number of players.

In Infinite Blackjack, the minimum bet is only a dollar. In Free Bet Blackjack, players with certain qualifying hands automatically get a free double down or split! In Lightning Blackack, after a winning hand, a randomly determined multiplier of 2-25x the bet is applied if the next hand also wins.

American Roulette

This game has a 5.26% house edge due to the extra double zero on the wheel.

Lightning Roulette

This very fast version of European Roulette appeals to high rollers. It is different from other live dealer games because it uses an RNG rather than a live dealer. The game offers many extra chances to win because on every spin, from 1 to 5 numbers are “struck by lightning,” awarding players who bet on that number up to 500x their bet.

Dream Catcher

This live dealer game uses a big wheel with 54 slots, 52 of which display the number 1, 2, 4, 10, or 40. The lower the number, the higher the frequency. The other two slots display a 2x or 7x multiplier. If the wheel lands on the same number the player bet on, the player wins the bet multiplied by that number. If the wheel lands on the 2x or 7x multiplier, that multiplier is carried over to the payout on the next winning number.

Other Live Casino Games At BetRivers

Craps
Baccarat
Ultimate Texas Hold’em
Three Card Poker

BetRivers NJ Online Casino Welcome Bonus

If you are not already signed up with BetRivers and based on what you have read so far, it sounds like a good fit, we have more great news. Rather than a sign-up code offering you free bets when you join, BetRivers has an even better offer. The BetRivers Online Casino deposit bonus for new players is one of the best

100% match bonus on your first deposit up to $500!

This offer is valid through December 31, 2022. To claim the offer, make a single deposit with one of the casino’s accepted deposit methods using the bonus code CASINO500 You then have up to 30 days to meet the wagering requirements of 10x the bonus. All games except roulette and baccarat–not just slots—count 100% toward clearing the bonus. So, if you prefer a different game like blackjack or one of the live dealer games, no problem.

Although some casinos’ welcome bonus comes with a higher cap, the combination of very reasonable wagering requirements with up to 30 days to meet them and all games counting equally is hard to beat.

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