BetRivers vs. DraftKings: Which Sportsbook is Best for New Jersey Bettors?
BetRivers and DraftKings are firmly established as two of the leading online sites for wagering on sports in New Jersey. They both offer large bonuses, competitive odds, highly rated apps, secure payouts, and a wide variety of wagering options. That begs the question: which site is best, BetRivers or DraftKings? We will examine the key strengths and weaknesses of both apps and then provide our verdict.
BetRivers or DraftKings?
BetRivers and DraftKings are superior to most online sportsbooks in New Jersey. Here are some key features that distinguish these apps:
| BetRivers | DraftKings | |
|---|---|---|
| Welcome bonus | Second chance bet up to $250 | Bet $5 Get $150 in Bonus Bets Instantly, Plus Get up to $1,000 Deposit Bonus |
| Loyalty program | iRush Rewards | Dynasty Rewards |
| App Store rating | 4.6/5 | 4.8/5 |
| Google Play rating | 4.5/5 | 4.6/5 |
| Payout speeds | Instant | Typically within 24 hours |
| Best features | Live streaming, pregame stats, house specials, lively forum, 24/7 customer service | Pregame stats, daily free-to-play pools offering bonus credits as prizes, DK Network blog |
What is the difference between BetRivers and DraftKings?
BetRivers and DraftKings are rivals. They both offer impressive online casinos, too, which makes them key competitors in New Jersey and other states.
BetRivers was founded by Rush Street Interactive, a Chicago-based company that owns Rivers Casino resorts in New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Virginia. DraftKings started out by running popular daily fantasy sports contests in 2012. The Boston-based company then expanded into traditional sports wagering after the federal ban was overturned in 2018.
We decided to evaluate both sites and determine which one is best. To make the process as comprehensive as possible, we divided it into seven key categories:
- Welcome bonus
- Promos
- Wagering options
- Quality of the odds
- User experience
- Deposits and withdrawals
- Customer service
BetRivers vs. DraftKings: Welcome bonus comparison
BetRivers Sportsbook is offering new customers a second-chance bet of up to $250. If your first wager loses, you will get your money back as a bonus bet. The bonus bet will come with a simple 1x playthrough requirement, and the funds will then convert to withdrawable cash.
Meanwhile, DraftKings Sportsbook currently has a multi-part offer worth up to $1,150 in Bonuses. The offer actually involves two offers in one. There is a similar “bet & get” bonus worth up to $150 in Bonus Bets. You can also get up to a $1,000 deposit match bonus the first time you fund your account. Put together, that adds up to an attractive NJ sportsbook sign-up bonus.
While the BetRivers offer is good, the DraftKings offer is similar, with a deposit match bonus added on top of that.
Winner: DraftKings
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Spend $5+ Get $150 in Bonus Bets Within 14 Days
Plus Get up to $1,000 Deposit Bonus
Bet on All Your Favorite Sports With America's Top-Rated Sportsbook
To Claim: Click Play Now
Promotions and loyalty rewards
Both of these online sites provide existing customers with a steady stream of ongoing promotions:
- BetRivers offers regular odds boosts within the “House Specials” section of the app. There are occasional no-deposit bonuses too. For example, BetRivers gave all customers a $20 bonus bet to use on a same-game parlay to celebrate the start of the 2024 NFL season.
DraftKings customers can often claim profit boost tokens, no-sweat same-game parlay bonuses, and “Bet & Get” offers. - There are also daily free-to-play pools at DraftKings, which give you regular chances to earn bonus bets by making predictions on upcoming sports events.
- DraftKings’ Dynasty Rewards program provides customers with Crowns every time they bet on sports, play online casino games, or enter fantasy sports contests. The Crowns can be traded for DK Dollars, which have a 1x playthrough requirement before they can be cashed out. There is also a dedicated VIP program.
- The BetRivers iRush Rewards program is similar, but it places more of a focus on rising through the ranks and unlocking superior rewards each time you level up. It does not cover land-based casinos, such as Rivers Casino Philadelphia or Rivers Casino Schenectady in New York.
While both sites work hard to reward existing customers for their ongoing loyalty, the free-to-play pools swing this category in DraftKings’ favor.
Wagering options at BetRivers and DraftKings
This is an area in which both BetRivers and DraftKings excel. They offer a substantially larger selection of ways to wager than rivals like Caesars Sportsbook and Fanatics Sportsbook, but which site takes the crown?
The breadth of markets available at BetRivers is remarkable. There can sometimes be more than 300 different ways to wager on each regular-season NFL game. That includes alternative lines, loads of prop bets, and markets on each half and quarter. The same game parlay builder is also comprehensive.
Meanwhile, DraftKings also offers a wide selection of options for NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL games. This online site’s soccer, tennis, and golf sections are detailed, too.
Both sites offer a large array of futures markets and live options. They also make it easy to compile parlays, teasers, and round robins. However, BetRivers offers a slightly wider choice of props. It also covers more international leagues and obscure sports, such as bowling, so we awarded BetRivers a narrow win in this category.
Winner: BetRivers
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Up to $250 in Bet Credits
ONLY 1x Play Through!
Stream Pro Sports on Mobile or Desktop
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Quality of the odds
We conducted a detailed assessment of the odds available at BetRivers and DraftKings to determine which app offers the best value. The results were mixed.
For example, BetRivers tends to offer sharper MLB moneyline odds than DraftKings, so it should appeal to baseball bettors. However, we also noticed that BetRivers often charges more juice than DraftKings on its NFL and NBA sides and totals.
DraftKings always offers standard juice lines, so you will typically find odds of -110 on either side of a bet. BetRivers often publishes unusual lines, such as -117/-105 and -118/-104, which carry a larger house edge than the industry standard.
As football and basketball are the most popular sports in New Jersey, we have to give this round to DraftKings. That said, it would be advantageous to sign up for both apps. You can then compare their odds on each pick you make and quickly place your wager at the site that offers the best number.
Winner: DraftKings
Overall user experience
The BetRivers app and website are both powered by a Swedish software provider called Kambi. The user interface is clean and easy to navigate. It is also easy to create alternative lines, parlays, and same-game parlays at BetRivers.
Value-added features include pre-game stats and tips. You can also enjoy live streaming at BetRivers. The service covers certain NFL games, as well as soccer, tennis, cricket, and handball.
DraftKings runs on a software platform developed by SBTech, a major rival of Kambi. The company acquired SBTech as part of a SPAC deal in 2020, giving DraftKings its own in-house tech stack. That gives it an advantage over rivals like BetRivers, which rely on third-party providers.
The DraftKings app is fast, smooth, and reliable. It has higher average user ratings than BetRivers on both Google Play and the App Store, as well as a larger customer base. The layout is clean and uncluttered, and value-added features include pre-game stats. However, it does not offer live streaming, so we eventually marked this round as a tie.
Winner: Tie
Deposits and withdrawals
Both of these sites offer a wide range of banking options. For example, you can use Visa, MasterCard, Discover, Apple Pay, PayPal, Venmo, a Play+ card, a gift card, online banking, VIP Preferred, a wire transfer, PayNearMe, or cash at the casino cage to fund your DraftKings account.
BetRivers offers most of those deposit methods, too, but it also supports American Express. It is reasonably rare to find a site that accepts Amex, so it could appeal to bettors who prefer using that credit card.
There are no official deposit limits at either online site. However, DraftKings may be more suitable for casual bettors with modest budgets, as it has a minimum deposit of $5 and a minimum withdrawal of $0.01. By contrast, the minimum deposit and withdrawal at BetRivers is $10.
Yet BetRivers has an ace up its sleeve. The company has developed an automated payout system called RushPay, which approves most payout requests instantly. That means you will get your money right away via certain methods, such as Play+. DraftKings typically processes payout requests within 24 hours, but withdrawals are faster at BetRivers, so it scores another narrow victory in this category.
Winner: BetRivers
Customer service
BetRivers is the clear winner here. All customers can benefit from 24/7 live chat support. We tested it several times, and the agents responded quickly. They were friendly, helpful, and efficient, and the information they provided was clear and accurate.
DraftKings does not offer 24/7 live chat support. Customers are advised that the quickest option is to fill out a web form and wait for a reply. That is a slow, inefficient process, which is particularly unhelpful if you have follow-up questions. Players in the higher tiers of the rewards program will receive live chat support, but that is unavailable to most customers, so this is an area in which DraftKings could improve.
Winner: BetRivers
Final verdict: BetRivers or DraftKings?
It is easy to see why BetRivers and DraftKings are among the most popular sports wagering destinations in New Jersey. They both offer a high-quality user experience, attractive bonuses, regular rewards, competitive odds, a wide range of markets, and secure, reliable payouts.
DraftKings outshines BetRivers in a few areas. The app is more polished, the NFL and NBA odds are often sharper, and the free-to-play pools are great. However, BetRivers offers faster payouts, superior customer service, more leagues to bet on, and value-added features like live streaming.
It’s close, but in the BetRivers vs. DraftKings head-to-head, DraftKings is our overall winner by a small margin.
