BetRivers Sportsbook Review: Rating

Our BetRivers Sportsbook review finds that the site has some unique features and is a great overall sportsbook but we wish they’d give their user interface an upgrade.

A product of Rush Street Gaming, BetRivers planted its roots in the state of Michigan back in January 2021. The brand reached a partnership agreement with the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, a tribe that operates the Little River Casino Resort in Manistee, Michigan.

Existing customers have the ability to use a BetRivers promo code only if it’s a promotion geared toward existing patrons. If it’s a new customer bonus for instance that requires a promo code, you will be ineligible to qualify for said promotion.

BetRivers Sportsbook generally has a few different bonuses for existing users to benefit from. Have a look at the current offers at BetRivers Michigan below:

BetRivers Michigan has a quality refer-a-friend program that gifts you a $100 bonus bet if your referral completes the necessary steps to qualify. There’s a bit of a catch with their referral bonus though, as you must at least be in loyalty level 2 to have this opportunity.

This $100 bet bonus—which you can benefit from three times—will be entered into your BetRivers MI account if your referral makes an account and deposits as well as places a real money bet of at least $50 in the first 30 days of signing up. If the criteria is met, you’ll receive your $100 bet bonus within 48 hours. 

Once you’ve completed these steps, you’ll be redirected to the screen where you can log in. After you’re logged in, you can make your first deposit. Make sure you deposit at least $10 to qualify for the BetRivers Michigan welcome bonus.

BetRivers has a nice range of key features, from your basic but essential ones like live betting to a unique feature that really piqued our interest. 

At this point in the world of online sports betting, live betting has become a standard feature at sportsbooks. Luckily, BetRivers MI has this feature and the operation runs smoothly. BetRivers also provides a live streaming feature, which is a bit harder to come by. While it’s not a massive library of live-streaming options, you are able to stream events like the French Open, certain baseball games, and smaller tennis events.

This is an entirely unique feature to BetRivers that we adore, but it’s specific to the UFC. If you’re a UFC fan, this feature might draw you to BetRivers all on its own. BetRivers receives official data from the UFC Event Center during the broadcast, allowing for the most up-to-date stats on the market. BetRivers is the go-to sportsbook for live betting on UFC fights.

We were very impressed with the vast selection of betting markets available at BetRivers Michigan. You can bet on every major market in addition to a wide range of niche sports. You’ll also find numerous different bet types for most sports. All of the betting markets and bet types at BetRivers MI can be found below: 

After reviewing all of the available betting markets offered at BetRivers Michigan, we determined that they cover every base better than almost all of their competitors.

We compared both daily moneyline bets and futures at a handful of different prominent sportsbooks with that of BetRivers in order to figure out how their odds stack up against their competition. What we found was that BetRivers has as good or better odds than its competitors when it comes to moneyline and futures betting.

Our research showed that BetRivers consistently outdueled the odds found at BetMGM Sportsbook, and they were right on par (sometimes better, sometimes worse) with that of DraftKings and FanDuel. 

BetRivers offers a downloadable mobile app for both iOS and Android users, which owns a user rating of 4.5 and 3.4, respectively. That 3.4 out of 5 star rating on the Google Play Store is largely due to patrons claiming it’s “glitchy” and “horrible”. Those are adjectives you don’t want to hear when looking for an online sportsbook’s mobile app.

However, our experience couldn’t be categorized as either of those words. Actually, we were happy with the mobile app aside from the outdated design and feel. It’s also nice not having to learn a new layout, as the BetRivers mobile app and desktop version are designed nearly the same.

The blue, yellow and white color scheme is still in play. We found the bottom ribbon of buttons to be ideal, with it containing the following icons: casino, sports, promos, support and bet slip. Meanwhile, the middle of the homepage features the top games that are currently in progress.

All in all, we didn’t find the BetRivers mobile app to be “glitchy” or “horrible”. Rather, we believe it to be a solid online sportsbook app that’s just a few adjustments away from being elite.

We discovered that the desktop version of BetRivers Sportsbook is very user-friendly, despite feeling a little outdated like the mobile app. It won’t take you much time at all to master the navigation when perusing the desktop version. 

The homepage is packed with a lot of information, but BetRivers does a good job of handling and relaying all of this info in a presentable manner. You’ll find the day’s top games front and center, with promotions and the most popular sports located towards the top.

Meanwhile, there’s a vertical bar on the left-hand side that has both the most popular sports as well as a list of all the betting markets offered at BetRivers MI. On the right-hand side of the page you’ll see predetermined “SGP Quick Picks” with a list of “Real WInners” located just below that. Honestly, we’d prefer the betslip to be in this spot, as the “SGP Quick Picks” are placed in two different spots on the homepage—a poor use of space. Also, seeing the “Real Winners” gets boring and useless after an initial glance.

The state of Michigan permits in-person betting at all of their 24 retail casinos that are currently in operation. BetRivers is partnered with the Little River Casino Resort, which is owned and operated by the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians.

BetRivers offers a trio of customer support methods for you to pick from: live chat, phone and email. Unfortunately, neither of these three methods are available 24/7, which is a big negative in our view. 

Of note, BetRivers has a FAQs page on their website where help is offered in the form of answers to frequently asked questions.

One of the very first things you should look at when betting on sports online is the sportsbooks’  platform security. How much can you trust this site where you’re giving your personal information?

Fortunately, BetRivers is as safe and secure as they come. From requiring a strong password and a pair of security questions, to offering two-step authentication for extra security—BetRivers covers all angles of this topic. 

Additionally, they’re here to help if you worry you might spend too much money on the site. There is an option for you to implement spending control and even place a hold on your account for a period of time.   

Our comprehensive 2023 BetRivers Michigan sportsbook review concluded that the sportsbook earns a rating of 9.3 out of 10, which falls right in line with the previously mentioned tiers. BetRivers’ best qualities include its bonuses and promotions, security and its banking options. 

Meanwhile, we had a lower score for the sportsbook’s overall user experience and most of all, its customer support, which we found to be average. 

All in all, BetRivers MI is an underrated betting option in our opinion. It doesn’t get the love or recognition that the industry’s biggest brands receive, but it deserves to be viewed highly in the eyes of bettors.