BetRivers Poker is edging closer to its highly anticipated official launch, as the operator enters what is expected to be the final round of invite-only beta testing.
As previously reported, BetRivers is preparing to debut peer-to-peer online poker in Pennsylvania, having already conducted several closed soft-launch real-money sessions in the state since September.
Over the past month, BetRivers has quietly held around half a dozen test sessions, inviting a select group of players to participate. These sessions have featured limited stakes and select games, available for just a few hours at a time. Testers have been rewarded with incentives, including $50 in free cash, free tournament and Sit & Go tickets, and access to exclusive freerolls, pokerfuse understands.
The last two testing phases are scheduled for today (October 17) and Saturday (October 19). If all goes smoothly, the official launch could happen as early as next week.
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Regardless of when the platform finally launches, BetRivers Poker PA will become the newest option for real-money online poker in the US and the sixth in Pennsylvania. Interestingly, Sports betting giant DraftKings recently beat BetRivers to market by launching its standalone lottery Sit & Go game, Electric Poker, just a few days ago.
However, BetRivers Poker PA’s launch is highly anticipated, having been in development for more than two years. Unlike DraftKings, BetRivers will introduce a full-fledged online poker platform with cash games, tournaments, and its own lottery-style Sit & Go format called Cub3d, available from day one.
BetRivers Poker’s software is actually a spinoff of Run It Once Poker, the brainchild of legendary poker pro Phil Galfond. Rush Street Interactive (BetRivers’ parent company) acquired Run It Once Poker in 2022 for $5.8 million.
The new BetRivers Poker will bring back many of the innovative features that made Run It Once Poker stand out in the global market. These include Dynamic Avatars, randomized aliases, Splash the Pot, a built-in HUD, Cub3d jackpot Sit & Go, blind seating with fixed buy-ins, and more.
Additionally, the platform will launch with a mobile app and tournaments will be available from day one — both features that were missing in the past.
BetRivers will also carry over the tagline “Fun. Fair. Rewarding,” a marketing message championed by Galfond, which helped define the Run It Once brand when it first launched.
What Lies Ahead for BetRivers Poker
BetRivers Poker will enter a competitive market, going up against established operators like PokerStars PA, WSOP PA, and BetMGM Poker PA, as well as Borgata Poker PA, with the latter two sharing the same player pool. DraftKings is also a recent addition, but its peer-to-peer poker offering is limited to a single format.
This marks an exciting time for online poker in Pennsylvania. The state has just welcomed two new poker platforms and is on the verge of joining the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA), which would allow licensed PA operators to merge their player pools with states that are already part of the compact, such as New Jersey, Michigan, and Delaware.
On October 10, Governor Josh Shapiro directed the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) to begin the process of joining the compact, positioning Pennsylvania to become its sixth — and largest — member.
While it is unclear when this will happen, it’s likely to take several months before the first operator is approved to offer interstate online poker in Pennsylvania.
If that happens, which we anticipate could occur by Q1 2025, BetRivers Poker will have the ability to merge its player pool with other states. But for that to happen, BetRivers will need to launch in those markets. The operator has already expressed plans to expand into states like New Jersey, Michigan, Delaware, and even West Virginia, though no specific timeline for these launches has been provided yet.
