Rush Street Interactive to Launch BetRivers iGaming in West Virginia Next Year

Posted on: December 14, 2020, 11:51h. 

Last updated on: December 15, 2020, 11:20h.

Steve Bittenbender Read More
Expertise: Legislation, Sports Betting, Horse Racing.

West Virginia will soon get a fourth mobile casino operator. On Friday, Rush Street Interactive announced it reached an agreement with Century Casinos to offer its iGaming app in the state.

BetRivers iGaming WV
Rush Street Interactive President Richard Schwartz announced that the company’s BetRivers brand will launch iGaming in West Virginia, pending state approval, likely by the spring of 2021. (Image: Rush Street Interactive)

That means Rush Street’s BetRivers brand will be available to bettors in the Mountain State as a skin to Mountaineer Park in New Cumberland. Pending the West Virginia Lottery’s approval, RSI expects to launch in the spring.

In a statement, RSI President Richard Schwartz said the company has become the market leader in Pennsylvania and looks to offer the same service in West Virginia.

Through October, RSI’s PlaySugarHouse online casino has reported a slots handle of $1.8 billion in Pennsylvania for the 2020-21 fiscal year. Statewide, the handle is $4.3 billion through the same period. No other iGaming slots operator has reached $750 million in that time frame.

In neighboring Pennsylvania, RSI is the clear leader in online casino market share, thanks to our secure and reliable platform, player-first attitude, transparent approach to customer service, large game library, fast payouts, and innovative playing experiences,” Schwartz said. “In partnership with Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack & Resort, we are pleased to have the chance to offer gaming fans in West Virginia the unparalleled experience and service our customers have come to expect via BetRivers.com.”

BetRivers will offer West Virginia players slots and table games. While the company awaits state approval, customers age 21 or older can register for an account now and play free-play casino games on the site.

Currently, DraftKings and BetMGM offer iGaming in the state. Last month, Golden Nugget Online Gaming secured an online skin with The Greenbrier.

West Virginia Bettors Drawn to iGaming

West Virginia approved iGaming in 2019, but it took more than a year for the state to approve and implement regulations. Besides West Virginia and Pennsylvania, online casino gaming is also legal in New Jersey and Delaware. Michigan will roll out its iGaming apps within the next few weeks.

Since its launch in September, mobile casino gaming has become quite popular in West Virginia. For the first three months, $288.7 million has been bet on online slots and table games. That has generated $7.3 million in revenue for the operators and $1.1 million in taxes for the state.

By comparison, sports betting, which started last year in West Virginia, has a total handle of $239.5 million for fiscal year 2020-21, which started in July. Of that, online accounts for $164.3 million since July.

Total revenue for the state’s sportsbooks is $18 million, with the state receiving $1.5 million in tax revenue.

About Rush Street Interactive

Rush Street Interactive offers online casino gaming in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and according to Eilers & Krejcik Gaming, the Illinois-based company is the top iGaming company in terms of revenue.

While Rush Street does not offer sports betting in West Virginia, it does have licenses in Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

In July, the company entered into an agreement with dMY Technology Group to go public. When the transaction closes, the new entity plans on taking the Rush Street name and trade on the NYSE under the RSI ticket symbol.