Online slot tournaments will be just the start of RushArena multiplayer events coming soon from BetRivers Casino, its parent company announced Thursday.
Rush Street Interactive detailed the RushArena launch in a news release, as BetRivers is embroiled in its own competitive race with other Michigan online casino brands.
BetRivers will join Stars Casino as Michigan operators with online slot tournaments, though RSI said more head-to-head events are on the way.
“Enhancing the player experience remains our top business strategy,” said Richard Schwartz, CEO of RSI, in the news release. “We listen to our customers, and by owning, building and innovating the framework, we can tailor our games to deliver what our casino players, or insights obtained from them, have told us they want. We use these ground-breaking game mechanics to create new experiences, which is consistent with our goal to increase retention, loyalty, and business KPIs.”
RushRace online slot tournaments simulate land-based events
Slot machine tournaments are among the more popular events at Michigan land-based casinos.
Here, BetRivers Casino is looking to tap into that popularity. But where land-based tournaments stick players at one machine for a duration of time, RushRace online slot events differ in a variety of ways, including how players can:
- Join at any time in the tournament window
- Mix and match slot selections throughout a tournament
- Start with different balances and win based on a wide range of different outcomes
- Adjust wager amounts based on desired strategy
- View leaderboards and player positions updated in real time and can be viewed while competing
- Earn tournament entries through the bonus store
More types of online RushArena competitions coming
The company said the RushArena initiative builds off popular bingo games at BetRivers Casino. You can earn free entries to bingo games simply by playing BetRivers Casino games for certain periods of time.
The announcement was not specific about different game tournaments arriving in the future, but one can imagine table game tournaments, such as blackjack, would be part of the fold.
RSI also said peer-to-peer tournaments also will allow for patrons to challenge each other in rewarding battles.
BetRivers a strong No. 4 for Michigan internet gaming
BetRivers has somewhat quietly built a strong online casino brand in Michigan. That’s despite not having the same name recognition as industry leaders BetMGM, DraftKings and FanDuel. Nor does BetRivers have online poker to add to revenue totals, as Stars has with PokerStars MI.
The Chicago-based RSI has built a strong BetRivers brand in Michigan, earning $52.3 million of revenue through September. That total was good for fourth in the market.
Through September, the top five brands for Michigan internet gaming revenue were:
- BetMGM, $289.6 million
- FanDuel, $133.0 million
- DraftKings, $127.9 million
- BetRivers, $52.3 million
- WynnBET, $34.5 million
BetRivers also has the third-most online casino games in the market, checking in with 347 games in our latest count, including 305 slots.
RSI also operates the PlaySugarHouse and RushBet brands, which are not available in Michigan.
