Rush Street Interactive Has Launched BetRivers Poker In Pennsylvania

iGaming giant Rush Street Interactive has announced the launch of its online poker app, BetRivers Poker, in Pennsylvania. The company has partnered with poker pro Phil Galfond for the launch and said they have worked with poker pros to help ensure that the poker platform is the best it can possibly be. They have pointed to the variety of games and the included reward systems as being the main draws to Penn players.

iGaming is only legal in seven states of the US. New Jersey was the first state to legalize online casinos and poker and was primarily responsible for changes to federal laws that paved the way for state-based regulations, but Pennsylvania was one of the first adopters. Today, players can bet at some of the latest online casinos licensed in the state. According to gambling expert Vlad Grindu, there are plenty of offshore and out-of-state options that US players can enjoy too.

While poker does not bring in the same revenue or taxes as online casino gambling, it is still popular. It affords players the opportunity to pit their wits against other real players with the chance to win cash games or partake in online tournaments. It enjoyed considerable success in the early 2000s when tours like the World Series Of Poker made their bow on mainstream TV services. While its popularity is not quite the same as it was at its peak, millions of people still enjoy the game today.

And, thanks to Pennsylvania’s online gambling laws, players in the state are especially well placed to enjoy the game. Rush Street Interactive has jumped at the opportunity to provide online poker services to players in the state. RSI claims that BetRivers Poker offers some of the lowest rake in the state and say that the app has been developed in partnership with enthusiasts who know what players are looking for. The company also partnered with pro Phil Galfond who helped develop the app.

Galfond won three World Series of Poker bracelets in 2008, 2015, and 2018. He went on to appear on GSN’s High Stakes Poker for several seasons and now owns and runs Run It Once Poker and Run It Once Training. His career earnings from physical poker were approximately $3 million as of 2020, although he did appear in this year’s WSOP Main Event, and he is well known for playing high-stakes online poker tournaments. In order to continue playing online poker, Galfond left the US and moved to Canada in 2011. He is known to have won more than $10 million at Full Tilt Poker, where he plays with the screen name OMGClayAiken.

Rush Street Interactive was founded in 2012 and as well as its new BetRivers platform, it also owns Rushbet and Sugar House. It is the only operator currently offering online casino and sports betting in Delaware: a position that has come under scrutiny recently, despite it improving total handle compared to the previous operator 888Bet. Some have claimed that RSI’s success has potentially led to the call being made. The company’s gross gaming revenue was more than $37 million in the first half of 2024.

BetRivers will offer a range of poker games, including both cash games and tournaments. It will accommodate low and high rollers, and there will be bonuses and other offers to entice new players and retain existing players. It will compete against the likes of PokerStars PA, BetMGM Poker PA, Borgata PA, and WSOP PA for a share of the market. Online poker has revenue of approximately $2 million per month in the state, which is a small fraction of the $140 million iGaming revenue.