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BetRivers Sportsbook Hawaii

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As soon as the USA permitted sports betting, BetRivers was one of the first companies to go to the market. Today, it operates in 13 states across the country and is expecting to open in more when they become available to the betting industry.

For the moment, Hawaii is not one of those states. However, when the islands are ready to say ‘Aloha’ to sportsbooks, we can guess how a BetRivers Sportsbook Hawaii might look. Based on what we can see elsewhere in the U.S., this guide will give you the lowdown on what to expect from a Pacific edition of this leading gambling platform.

Is BetRivers Sportsbook legal in Hawaii?

No, currently there are no legal, licensed HI online gambling sites anywhere in the state. Therefore, neither BetRivers nor any other company can legally offer their services to the public. However, this may change. Since 2018, more and more states have taken advantage of the freedom to make their own laws on gambling.

Pros and cons of Betrivers Hawaii

BetRivers is one of the biggest gambling platforms available in the USA. It is often among the first to get licensed and start operations in new markets as different states move to allow sports betting. But is it any good? Let’s take a look at some of the pros and cons.

Pros

  • Flexible bet slip. This is a handy little feature that reverses the usual way of calculating your bets. Instead of choosing your stake, and finding out how much you could win, the BetRivers flexible betslip allows users to nominate how big of a win they want and calculates the required stake. It’s especially good if you are looking to place a cover bet that can lock in a guaranteed win on a multiple bet, for example.
  • Large selection of odds. It’s tempting to assume that all sportsbooks offer roughly the same markets. Clearly, everybody will provide the same core prices on the big money lines and spreads. But the best platforms stand out because they offer a vast range of alternatives. BetRivers is one of the best for alternative lines and special prop markets, so bettors have more options and greater control over their wagering.
  • Great live betting sections. Online betting relies heavily on live betting. The opportunity to bet on the action at any time during the game is transforming the industry. However, live markets change fast. Therefore, it’s essential that Hawaii sportsbooks have easy-to-use, responsive in-play betting services. BetRivers is one of the best in the business for this, with a better-than-average range of live betting markets and an intuitive, user-friendly interface to place in-running wagers.

Cons

  • Different apps per state. Many sportsbooks create a single, all-purpose app and use geolocation services to ensure that players are permitted to access the platform from their current location. BetRivers, though, requires customers to download a separate app for each of the states where it operates. That’s frustrating if you like to wager while traveling: who wants to download an app to fill in a couple of hours in an airport lounge?
  • Annoying newsfeed on the screen while playing. Yes, we get that live betting requires up-to-the-second information about the latest scores. However, we only need info pertaining to our wagers. The BetRivers newsfeed provides a steady stream of irrelevant data about other people’s wins. It’s neither useful nor inspiring and, frankly, we’d love the option to mute this.

How to sign up with BetRivers Hawaii

We are still waiting for BetRivers sports betting site Hawaii to get approval to operate in Aloha State. However, when it does go live, we can expect the registration process to be similar to its counterparts in other U.S. states.

  1. Visit the official website or download the BetRivers Hawaii app – You can access BetRivers for your state via the home page at www.betrivers.com. The app is available for download from Google Play or the App Store.
  2. Click “Join now” to create an account – You’ll find a big, friendly, orange button in the top right-hand corner of the page. This leads straight to the sign-up page, where you can register as a customer.
  3. Choose a preferred username and password – It’s up to you. But remember to pick a strong password and don’t forget that you won’t be able to change your username once you sign up. Also, you can expect to be asked for contact details and the last four digits of your SSN to confirm your ID and protect against fraud.
  4. Pick a payment method you want to use – BetRivers accepts several payment systems. You can make online deposits using the BetRivers Play+ card, PayPal, Trustly online banking, VIP preferred ACH, or your debit card. Note that it is not possible to withdraw funds to a debit card.
  5. You can place a bet – Once you make your first deposit, you can take those funds out to play. Search through the markets on your favorite sport, click on the odds you want to take, and enter your stake in the pop-up bet slip. If only picking a winner was that easy.

BetRivers locations

In many states, licensed sportsbook operators are obliged to partner with existing land-based gambling venues. Therefore, sportsbooks often open a brick-and-mortar venue at a sports stadium or raceway. However, Hawaii has no major sporting arenas. Nor does it have casinos. And, at present, it has no legal sports betting. Therefore, there are currently no BetRivers venues operating in the state.

If and when sports betting becomes legal in Hawaii, it will be interesting to see whether the state expects gambling companies to establish a brick-and-mortar presence. Other states chose to do this to build a connection between existing betting venues and the new generation of online operators. However, unlike most mainland states, Hawaii has never had casinos on Indian land, or on riverboats or cruise ships. Therefore, it would be difficult to make the same connections.

Sports you can bet on at Betrivers HI

Hawaii does not have any major league franchises. The island’s remote location makes travel impractical, and the state’s relatively small population means it is a tough market to turn a profit. However, Hawaiians still love their sports and follow the big leagues as avidly as the rest of the country. Here’s a look at some of the most popular events.

  • Baseball. America’s pastime is a big deal in its newest state. For a time, Hawaii’s Winter League was a conveyor belt of major league talent, nurturing more than 150 future MLB players. The league no longer operates, but the islands retain a lot of love for the game, and in particular for California’s big hitters like the San Francisco Giants and the LA Dodgers.
  • Basketball. It’s a similar story on the basketball courts. There is a lot of local pride invested in the Rainbow Warriors, the state’s representative in the NCAA. And there’s plenty of interest in the NBA, with support gravitating towards LA and rooting for the Lakers or the Clippers.
  • American Football. Once again, Hawaii doesn’t have a pro team. The short-lived Hawaiians team played in the WFL in the mid-70s but soon folded. Therefore, once again, local fans look to California for their big league allegiances. The 49ers tend to be the top draw in the NFL, while the Rainbow Warriors attract good support for their NCAA campaigns.
  • Kanaloa. Developed by a German gaming company, Kanaloa is a board-based card game inspired by Hawaiian mythology. Players draw cards and seek to lay tricks to move ahead in a race on the game board. The winner is the first player to lap an opponent as they circle the board. Games are for three to five players and last for up to 25 minutes.
  • Roller Derby. This fast and exciting sport is undergoing a renaissance in Honolulu. Once it was a choreographed event, akin to WWF wrestling. Today, the new-look roller derby is a true sporting contest. Pacific Roller Derby’s Hulagans compete across the USA and internationally, attracting ever-increasing interest as they go.

BetRivers HI online betting experience

Sportsbooks tend to have similar layouts, so if you have used other sports betting sites you will probably find BetRivers easy to understand and use. It all starts in the top right-hand corner, where existing customers can log in and new players can set up their accounts. Once you are logged in, you’ll also be able to access the cashier from here.

After that, much of the experience is familiar. The left-hand menu gives a list of all available sports. The center is given over to available markets, with an emphasis on the biggest events on today’s card. You’ll also find a pictorial menu for quick access to the most popular sports and the latest promos. Those sporting pictograms also serve to break up a page that is very text heavy. Unlike other sportsbooks, BetRivers chooses not to use any kind of photo — not even generic images of sporting action — to enliven its display. Placing a bet is simple enough. Just click on the odds you like and a bet slip will open in the right-hand column. The odds are generated by Kambi, which also powers competitors FanDuel and Fox. This means you’ll see reasonable prices but won’t enjoy spectacular value.

So far, there is nothing to get excited or upset about. However, in an attempt to innovate, BetRivers decided to put a ‘news feed’ down the right-hand side of the screen. This could be useful if it was providing up-to-the-minute sports news with details of player injuries, team selections, and stats about recent form for the day’s upcoming action. Instead, though, it simply lists other people’s wins. Maybe it is intended to inspire bettors with tales of others’ success. In reality, though, it merely irritates and distracts.

BetRivers Hawaii customer service

In a perfect world, we wouldn’t need to worry about customer service. However, if things go wrong it’s important to know that your platform has your back. BetRivers claims that its customer support in other states is ‘award-winning’, but does it live up to the hype? The BetRivers site has a big FAQ section. This includes pre-prepared articles grouped under key themes and will explain much of the detail of gambling with BetRivers. So, for general ‘how to’ queries, we’re pretty much covered.

Sometimes, though, players need help with a specific problem concerning their account. That’s when the BetRivers online live chat comes into play. This quickly connects you with a member of staff, who can answer your questions and advise on the solution to your problem. It’s an efficient service: we tested it at 4 am in New York and had a response within a minute. BetRivers also offers email support in each state (the NY address, for example, is nysupport@betrivers.com). This promises a reply within 24-72 hours and is perhaps best used for issues where customers want a paper trail for future reference.

Although it is not widely advertised, there is a telephone customer support option as well. A live chat operative can provide the appropriate number for your state.

FAQ

How old do I need to be to play at BetRivers Hawaii?

Under current laws, Hawaii has no minimum age for gambling. This is because there is no legal framework for offering wagering services in the state, so age limits are a moot point. However, it's reasonable to assume that as and when the state permits gambling, it will adopt a 21+ age limit in common with most other states.

Is BetRivers HI a safe sports betting site?

Yes, BetRivers is a safe and reputable site for sports betting. Although the company is not yet operating in Hawaii, it has a good reputation for its licensed sportsbooks elsewhere in the USA. Since it started operations in 2018, BetRivers has moved into 13 states and counting, complying with all relevant local licensing requirements.

What are the withdrawal methods at Betrivers Hawaii?

BetRivers sportsbook supports five different withdrawal methods: BetRivers Play+ card, online banking, PayPal, cash via Casino Cage (at land-based venues only) or a check sent through the mail. Note that debit cards cannot be used to withdraw funds. If you choose to deposit using your debit card, you will need an alternative means of withdrawing any winnings.