Rush Street Interactive Launches Multi-State BetRivers Poker Network, Unifying Players Across Four States
- Expansion to three new states (Delaware, Michigan, West Virginia) creates larger player pools and more competitive gaming
- Partnership with renowned poker professionals Phil Hellmuth and Phil Galfond adds credibility and expertise
- Planned expansion to New Jersey market later in 2025 shows continued growth
- Integration with physical Rivers Casinos in Pennsylvania provides both online and in-person gaming options
- Innovative features like Dynamic Avatars and Cub3d Sit & Go Tournaments with 1500x potential returns
- None.
Insights
RSI's multi-state poker network launch significantly expands its footprint and revenue potential in the regulated U.S. online poker market.
Rush Street Interactive has made a strategic expansion of its BetRivers Poker platform, creating a unified player pool across four states—Pennsylvania, Michigan, Delaware, and West Virginia—with New Jersey planned later this year. This move represents a significant competitive advancement in the regulated U.S. online poker market.
The cross-state liquidity is particularly important for online poker, which unlike casino games, relies on player-versus-player competition. By combining player pools across state lines, RSI addresses the critical "liquidity challenge" that has historically limited U.S. online poker growth. Larger player pools create a virtuous cycle: more players attract additional participants, which generates increased transaction revenue through rake and tournament fees.
RSI's approach of developing a proprietary poker platform rather than licensing third-party software gives them greater control over the player experience and potentially higher margins. Their partnership with poker celebrities Phil Hellmuth and Phil Galfond provides both marketing appeal and product development expertise that distinguishes their offering in a competitive landscape.
The integration with Rivers Casinos in Pennsylvania creates omnichannel opportunities, connecting online play with live poker rooms—a strategy that has proven effective for building player loyalty in regulated markets. Their content creation strategy through Poker Night in America and PokerBratTV establishes additional revenue streams and customer acquisition channels outside traditional marketing.
For RSI, this expansion represents an important diversification beyond sports betting into the higher-margin online poker vertical, potentially improving overall profitability metrics while creating more stable revenue patterns through reduced seasonality compared to sports betting alone.
Backed by two poker legends, Phil Hellmuth and Phil Galfond, BetRivers Poker Expands from Pennsylvania to the states of Michigan, Delaware, West Virginia
CHICAGO, June 10, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rush Street Interactive, Inc. (NYSE: RSI) (“RSI”), a leading online casino and sports betting company in the United States and the rest of the Americas, today announced the launch of its proprietary online poker platform, BetRivers Poker, into Delaware, Michigan, and West Virginia. Following a successful debut in Pennsylvania last November, this multi-state expansion marks a major milestone: merging player pools across four states to create a larger, more competitive network. Players can now compete across state lines, resulting in bigger tournament prize pools, deeper cash-game fields, and more consistent action.
The launch of a unified cross-state player pool significantly enhances the BetRivers Poker experience,” said Richard Schwartz, CEO of RSI. “By expanding the network, we’ll bring more players to our tables, offer a wider variety of games, and raise the stakes with larger tournament prize pools. We're thrilled to strengthen our poker footprint and deliver best-in-class competition and community-driven play across multiple states.”
RSI also plans to launch BetRivers Poker in New Jersey later this year. Additionally, the RSI platform remains integrated with Rivers Casinos in Pennsylvania, providing players with in-person poker opportunities and live events.
Built by Poker Players, for Poker Players
BetRivers Poker was developed with direct input from the poker community, led by poker pro and industry innovator Phil Galfond, who helped design the platform’s gameplay, features, and rewards.
“As poker players, we built this platform for the players - all of them,” said Galfond. “From brand-new poker players to seasoned pros, we focused on fairness, fun, unique features, and meaningful player rewards. I’ve been involved from day one to help shape BetRivers Poker into a platform that delivers the best possible player experience.”
Recently joining Galfond is 17-time WSOP champion and global poker icon Phil Hellmuth, who brings his larger-than-life personality and passion for the game to the BetRivers Poker brand. Hellmuth brings his competitive insight to the brand, amplifying reach and player engagement through media, live events, and digital content. “I’ve won more bracelets than anyone in history because I know how poker players think and BetRivers delivers what they want: real competition, big moments, and a championship experience,” said Hellmuth.
Innovative Features and Varied Formats
BetRivers Poker offers a comprehensive suite of game formats, including cash games, Sit & Go tournaments, and Multi-Table Tournaments (MTTs). Notable features include:
- Dynamic Avatars: React to gameplay with playful, real-time expressions
- Cub3d Sit & Go Tournaments: Players can win up to 1500x their buy-in
- Intuitive, Player-Driven Design: Based on community feedback
Expanding Poker's Reach through Content and Community
BetRivers Poker continues to grow its digital presence through its long-running Poker Night in America (PNIA) televised show and the new PokerBratTV on YouTube. Poker fans can engage with exclusive content, player interviews, live-streamed events, and even compete alongside legends like Hellmuth and Galfond.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. RSI's actual results may differ from their expectations, estimates and projections and consequently, you should not rely on these forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Words such as "expect," "estimate," "project," "budget," "forecast," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "may," "will," "could," "should," "believes," "predicts," "potential," "continue," and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, RSI's expectations about its online poker offerings and its multi-state launch, potential future market launches, what RSI's anticipated offerings and benefits arising from its online poker offering will include and its future performance with respect to the same. These forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from the expected results. Most of these factors are outside RSI's control and are difficult to predict. Factors that may cause such differences include, without limitation, changes in applicable laws or regulations, unanticipated product or service delays, and other risks and uncertainties indicated from time to time in RSI's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, including those under "Risk Factors" therein, and in RSI's other filings with the SEC. RSI cautions that the foregoing list of factors is not exclusive. RSI cautions readers not to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. RSI does not undertake or accept any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect any change in its expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.
About Rush Street Interactive
RSI is a trusted online gaming and sports entertainment company focused on markets in the United States, Canada and Latin America. Through its brands, BetRivers, PlaySugarHouse and RushBet, RSI was an early entrant in many regulated jurisdictions. It currently offers real-money mobile and online operations in fifteen U.S. states: New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Virginia, West Virginia, Arizona, New York, Louisiana, Maryland, Ohio and Delaware, as well as in the regulated international markets of Colombia, Ontario (Canada), Mexico and Peru. RSI offers, through its proprietary online gaming platform, some of the most popular online casino games and sports betting options in the United States. Founded in 2012 by gaming industry veterans, RSI was named the EGR North America Awards Customer Services Operator of the Year five years in a row (2020-2024), the 2022 EGR North America Awards Operator of the Year and Social Gaming Operator of the Year, and the 2021 SBC Latinoamérica Awards Sportsbook Operator of the Year. RSI was the first U.S.-based online casino and sports betting operator to receive RG Check iGaming Accreditation from the Responsible Gaming Council. For more information, visit www.rushstreetinteractive.com.
Contacts
Media: lisa@lisajohnsoncommunications.com
Investors: ir@rushstreetinteractive.com
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