BetRivers Sportsbook will not pursue a Massachusetts gaming license at this time.
BetRivers was expected by many to be a player in the Massachusetts sports betting market. Parent company Rush Street Interactive offers the BetRivers sports betting brand in 15 US states — Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia — as well as Ontario.
Suffolk Downs, a former thoroughbred horse racing track that now offers simulcasting, was expected to be BetRivers’ partner for market access in Massachusetts.
BetRivers submitted a Notice of Intent to compete in Massachusetts ahead of the August 31 deadline. However, that notice does not serve as an application. Rather, it was used by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission to determine how many companies intended to compete for a Massachusetts retail or mobile license.
BetRivers declined a request from Gaming Today to comment on this story.
What’s Ahead for Sports Betting in Mass
News that BetRivers is not entering the Massachusetts gambling market comes on opening day for Massachusetts retail sportsbooks. Three sportsbooks opened within casinos on Tuesday, Jan. 31 under Category 1 licenses: WynnBET (partnered with Encore Boston Harbor), BetMGM (MGM Springfield), and Barstool Sportsbook (Plainridge Park Casino).
Online sports betting in Massachusetts is expected to go live in late February or early March, in time for March Madness 2023. No specific launch date has been announced for mobile betting in the state.
These mobile-only sportsbooks (which, under Category 3 licensing, do not have to partner with a casino or racetrack) have been approved by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission:
- DraftKings Massachusetts
- FanDuel Massachusetts
- Bally Bet
- Betr
- PointsBet Massachusetts
- Betway
See the Tweets: Massachusetts Rings In Sports Betting as Retail Sportsbooks Open
photo by: Michael Sean OLeary
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