BetRivers vs DraftKings looks lopsided on paper — 15 states against 27 plus D.C. — and in raw footprint, it is. But the two maps don’t nest inside each other the way that gap suggests. BetRivers is live in Delaware, a state DraftKings’ sportsbook hasn’t reached. Flip to online casino and the same swap happens in reverse: DraftKings has Connecticut, BetRivers doesn’t. Two operators, same regulatory model, two different maps that overlap almost everywhere except the one state each side would probably point to first.
A regional casino chain vs a solo public company
BetRivers is the online arm of Rush Street Interactive, a Chicago company built around the physical Rivers Casino properties and the older PlaySugarHouse brand. It went public on NYSE as RSI and posted Q1 2026 revenue of $370.4 million, up 41% year over year — real growth, but a fraction of DraftKings’ scale. DraftKings is a solo Nasdaq-listed company (DKNG) that started as a daily fantasy sports operator in 2012, years before any state had legalized sports wagering, and grew the sportsbook on top of that base. Different starting points, same end product: a state-licensed app answering to a named regulator, not an offshore operator hiding behind a Curaçao license.
BetRivers vs DraftKings, side by side
| BetRivers | DraftKings | |
|---|---|---|
| Operator | Rush Street Interactive (NYSE: RSI) | DraftKings Inc. (Nasdaq: DKNG) |
| Founded | 2018 (sportsbook/casino) | 2012 (as DFS) |
| Sportsbook footprint | 15 states | 27 states + D.C. |
| State BetRivers has, DraftKings doesn’t | Delaware | — |
| Casino states | DE, MI, NJ, PA, WV | CT, MI, NJ, PA, WV |
| Third product | None | DFS, wider map than the sportsbook |
The Delaware / Connecticut swap
It’s a small detail that matters if you live in either state. Delaware sportsbook bettors have BetRivers as an option and, as of September 2026, no DraftKings sportsbook to compare it against. Connecticut casino players have the reverse: DraftKings Casino is live there, BetRivers Casino is not. Neither absence reflects licensing trouble — it’s simply where each operator chose to launch first. A reader assuming the larger brand automatically covers every market the smaller one does would get Delaware wrong.
Is BetRivers as safe as DraftKings?
In a state where both are licensed, yes, on the fundamentals that actually protect a player: a named state gaming regulator, geofencing that enforces the state line, and standard responsible-gambling tools like deposit limits and self-exclusion. RSI being a smaller public company than DraftKings doesn’t weaken that oversight — both answer to the same category of regulator, and neither company’s size changes the house edge on either app.
Which one for who
Live somewhere only one of the two is licensed? That decides it, full stop — check each brand’s own review before this page. Live where both are available? Pick DraftKings for the wider footprint and the DFS fallback if the sportsbook ever goes dark in your state. Pick BetRivers if you already use a Rivers Casino property, if Delaware is where you’re betting from, or if a smaller operator with a physical-casino pedigree appeals more than the biggest name in the category. Betting is entertainment either way, never income. 21+ in live states; call 1-800-GAMBLER for help.
Check the state, not the brand size. A bigger national footprint doesn’t mean DraftKings is live everywhere BetRivers is — Delaware is the proof. Confirm your own state on each brand’s review page before assuming either one has you covered.