First online sportsbook hits Illinois

(PRESS RELEASE) -- Just in time for this summer’s return to live sports action, Rivers Casino in Des Plaines and Rush Street Interactive are launching the award-winning online sportsbook BetRivers.com at 10 a.m. Central time. Players can sign up from home.

BetRivers.com will offer players the chance to be among the first sports fans to ever place legal online bets in the state of Illinois. Premier League Soccer begins this week, the NBA, WNBA and NHL are scheduled to resume play next month. Bundesliga soccer, UFC, motorsports and professional golf recently resumed televised events with media reports of major league baseball returning soon. BetRivers.com sites will live stream hundreds of sporting events so that players can bet while they watch the action.

“We are excited to make history in bringing the first online sportsbook to sports fans in our home state just in time as American sports are coming back into action,” said Richard Schwartz, president of Rush Street Interactive.

Because of the COVID-19 crisis, Governor Pritzker’s 4 June executive order temporarily allows players to sign-up on-line or via mobile app and begin placing bets on BetRivers.com from the safety of their homes without first having to visit a casino as the Illinois sports betting statute otherwise provides.

“While entertainment options are limited as we seek to minimize the spread of the virus, we are focused on BetRivers.com providing sportsbook players with a high-quality on-line product with exciting sports betting options,” Schwartz said. “We will have great customer service with fast payouts and an overall friendly approach that treats every player with honesty and care.”

Players can register online and instantly place bets from anywhere in the state via desktop, on Android, or Apple mobile devices by simply visiting BetRivers.com. Based on the type of device they are using, players will be guided by prompts through the quickest and simplest way to get in on the action. Android users must go to the same BetRivers.com website to download the new Illinois app to wager on their mobile devices. Apple users can register and bet using the browsers on their mobile devices. The BetRivers iOS app for Illinois is expected to launch soon. Players will receive a match bonus up to $250 on their first deposit. Participants must be physically located within state borders and be at least 21 years old to wager.