Play SugarHouse sportsbook is a product of parent company Rush Street Interactive. It is also known for its BetRivers online gambling brand, and brick-and-mortar casinos located throughout the US.
SugarHouse Sportsbook first launched in New Jersey in August 2018. It was a perfect companion to the brand’s highly regarded online casino. It has been a prominent entity since its inception, performing well financially and becoming a popular brand in the state. In August of 2022, the NJ product officially rebranded to BetRivers.
More recently, SugarHouse went live in Connecticut in October 2021. It partnered with the Connecticut Lottery to be one of just three online sportsbook options in the state. Not surprisingly, FanDuel and DraftKings are the other two.
However, as of March 31, 2023, Play SugarHouse ceased sportsbook operations in Connecticut.
SugarHouse was live solely in the state of Connecticut, but that is no longer the case. Its sister site, BetRivers, has opened up shop in PA, IN, NJ, and several other states. For all intents and purposes, SugarHouse is an exact clone of BetRivers, only with a different coat of paint.
That’s certainly not a bad thing. With an exceptional loyalty program, robust betting markets and custom software, you won’t regret giving your business to the site.
In what states is SugarHouse Sportsbook legal?
The SugarHouse sportsbook brand was only in Connecticut before operations were halted. The site’s parent company favors the BetRivers brand. It has used that name going forward as it launches online sportsbooks in new states.
We will keep you up to date if the Play SugarHouse brand name is used in any states moving forward.
Bonus/welcome package for new customers
SugarHouse Sportsbook offers players a rare deal when it comes to online sports betting bonuses. New players will receive a 100% match up to $250 on their first deposit, with an unheard of play through requirement of just 1X.
SugarHouse Sportsbook Bonus Details
Deposit Bonus
100% Match Up To $250
Platforms
Desktop/iOS/Android
Launch Date
Aug. 2018
As far as bonus terms and conditions are concerned, SugarHouse’s welcome package is very easy to understand. With the site matching first deposits at 100% up to $250, players could, for example, deposit $200, and receive an additional $200 in bonus money.
That bonus money can’t be cashed out right away, but would need to be wagered at least one time (the entire $200) in order for it to convert to withdrawable cash.
Most sportsbooks have a larger play-through requirement (3x or even 10x, for example), so this is a very good deal. There are no restrictions on which bet types you can make, but you’ll need to clear the requirement within 30 days.
SugarHouse Sportsbook basics
For starters, you must be located in a state where SugarHouse is legal in order to use any version of the sportsbook. The law requires that SugarHouse (and other sportsbooks) use geo-tracking technology to make sure players are physically inside the state.
You must also be 21 years old to use legal U.S. sportsbooks.
The SugarHouse Sportsbook offers a robust menu of sports betting options — for the most part, the same or similar kinds of wagering as in other legal U.S. sports betting states and available with offshore operators:
Spread bets
Moneyline wagers
Totals (team, quarters, halves, etc.)
Props (player, team and scoring props)
Futures (such as who will win the Super Bowl or NBA championship for example)
Live and in-game wagering
Note that Kambi also powers the DraftKings Sportsbook on the tech and pricing/odds side. SugarHouse does have some similar components and features. That said, even sportsbooks sharing the same suppliers and vendors have been offering different prices and lines on the same games/props.
Mobile app
Overall it’s smooth and easy to use. The “menu” button on the top left is pretty much your home base. Use that to navigate around.
Unique to the mobile app: Just below the “Menu” there’s “More Sports”. Depending how you bounce around, you may need to hit that button to pull up another league or sport you want to view. Once you tap the sport/league, hit the “X” or the portion of the screen on the right side to go forward and view the games/lines for that sport/league.
On the top of the mobile window you’ll see a carousel with different banners and promotions. That include a “Game of the Day” or casino promotions. These can be a bit intrusive or distracting at times; however in the web-platform it’s a non-issue. More on user experience in the section below.
On the download time/buffering speed, there’s some light buffering when navigating different areas in the platform. It’s not perfect, but acceptable. Registering on mobile versus the web platform is about the same and requires the same information.
SugarHouse summary of Play Store & App Store reviews
We compiled a few ratings and reviews from people that have used both the online casino and sportsbook run by SugarHouse. We’ve included users’ thoughts from both Play Store as well as the App Store. Here are the standout reviews and sentiments from gamblers about this wagering app.
Here’s what people thought:
This app has generally been a positive experience for users, especially ones that like online casino rather than the sportsbook. Most people have had no issues with depositing funds, and withdrawals are relatively fast. It appears to be easy to use, though some people have experienced some glitches and SugarHouse is missing some features available on other apps. People also seem to like the in-app chat and trivia, as well as the view of what other people are winning. However, there have been some complaints of freezing games and lack of cash out options.
Web-based platform
All the same options as on mobile but better user experience. One benefit is that the menu of sports on the left side will remain static, and likewise for the betting on the right hand side. So you don’t have to toggle around — it’s all right there in sight.
Every sport is easy to find, listed in a row on top of the page and on the left side. The most popular upcoming events are right on the home page. The betting slip is helpfully kept hidden until you are ready to make a wager. The SugarHouse browser version has everything you need to make all your bets quickly and easily.
Pricing and betting options
The pricing is competitive among legal U.S. sportsbooks for spread, moneyline, totals and other bets. On football spreads, they’re almost all 20 cents, or typically -110 on both sides. In many cases we observed the prices to be a bit higher than some competitors.
For example, during testing, an upcoming WNBA playoff game had the moneyline listed at +190/-245 on SugarHouse and +205/-255 on DraftKings. The spread was -6/+6 -113 on both sides (26-cent pricing spread) as opposed to -6/+6 -105/-115 (20-cent spread) on DraftKings.
SugarHouse’s prices provided value on one side of the bets, but overall the spreads were not as tight as DraftKings. That is a bit surprising because they both use Kambi technology. This is yet another good example of the importance of shopping around to find the best lines.
One innovative and pretty cool SugarHouse feature is the ability to “Cash Out.” What’s that? You placed a wager and no longer like that bet based on the game situation or just a gut feeling? You can “Cash Out” for an amount the sportsbook will offer.
If the game (or season) is going favorably for you, you may have the option to cash out for a profit and walk away. If things aren’t going your way, you may accept an amount less than your wager. Kind of like taking insurance in blackjack if the dealer is showing an Ace. The “Cash Out” is an interesting twist and a nice option to have.
Other options
For other betting options, SugarHouse generally offers the same options as others in the market — as far as straight bets, parlays, teasers, futures and props. For most NFL games, there’s a number of alternative lines available. You can’t “buy” a point or half-point for straight bet, but you can probably find your desired line on an alternative line menu.
For teasers, when you select multiple wagers, the “Teaser+” option will show up toward the bottom. For football, you can choose between 6- 6.5 or 7-point teasers, priced correspondingly.
One of our favorite features at SugarHouse is truly great pricing on teasers and parlays. Instead of traditional 2.6:1 on parlays for example, SugarHouse prices out a lot of alternative lines, and generates prices based on those lines.
We’ve done a lot of testing and in probably 95 percent of cases, you can get a better teaser or parlay price on SugarHouse as compared with competitors that do not use Kambi pricing/risk-management.
Overall user experience
Overall it’s good and the navigation is intuitive. There are a few odds and ends to learn and a short learning curve as with any online sportsbook.
Betting slips
When you pick a wager, betting slip will pop up in a menu at the bottom. You can easily “X” out wagers you want to dismiss, or hit the down arrow (at right) to pull the menu down to continue viewing the sportsbook and possible add another pick.
When you get to the football menus (or basketball), use the dropdown “Money Line” to switch to Spread and Total Points. Ideally SugarHouse will consolidate the spread, moneyline and totals into one menu. It’s not necessary to toggle between the options.
When you pull up your betting selections and hit “Place Bet,” your wager processes right there. You don’t have to re-enter a password or anything, which could be costly when dealing with live betting.
Speaking of live betting, the lines are constantly getting updated. They offer a ton of live betting options on seemingly every sport that’s available to bet. Not sure what’s happening live when you’re logged in? Hit “Live Right Now” and get directed to those events.
At any time you can stop into “Sports Bet History” — check out “all,” “open” or “settled” bets to see how you’ve performed and what’s open. Hit the calendar button on the right upper side (this is on the desktop version only) to pull up a specific timeframe.
Parlay and teaser wagering
On parlay and teaser wagering, it’s nice that the betting slip updates the odds in real time. You can see what kind of payout you’re looking at when you add or subtract a team/total. It’s also very easy to remove a pick from your slip.
On mobile (or desktop) can easily “X” out wagers you want to dismiss, or hit the down arrow (at right) to pull the menu down to continue viewing the sportsbook and possible add another pick.
On the browser version, there’s a “news feed” that appears on the right side of the page, highlighting wins by other users. It’s distracting and unnecessary.
Search and Live chat
On both the mobile app and web, sportsbook also has a useful search feature. You don’t have to go scrolling up and down to try and find Old Dominion @ Charlotte for example. You can search for a league, team or sport.
At the bottom left of the screen on both, you’ll find a chat box where you can get real, live support from an agent if you’re having an issue. We’ve tested it and there appears to be real humans at the wheel who can look at screenshots to resolve an issue if you’re having one.
Cach out and Odds Boost features
Recently like other Kambi-powered books, such as DraftKings and 888sport, SugarHouse began offering a “cash out” feature. You can lock in a win during the contest, or before the future bet is decided. For EV+ bettors, it’s probably inadvisable, but there may be circumstances where you want to pull the trigger on an offer.
SugarHouse also offers “Odds Boosts” — for example, offering a promotional increase on the potential payout for a prop bet, such as first player to score a touchdown in a certain football game. We saw a boost on Saquon Barkley from +550 to +800 for instance.
Deposits and withdrawals
SugarHouse is a licensed, regulated sportsbook so you can have confidence your funds are safe and secure. Here are the methods you can use. The same deposit/withdrawal methods are available on mobile and the web platform:
Online Banking (ACH)
Play+ Card
PayPal
Visa/MasterCard
PayNearMe
Wire transfer
During testing, we deposited using the ACH/eCheck method by connecting with a bank account. The deposit was processed in only a few minutes. Two weeks later we withdrew funds and it came through back to the bank account in about 48 hours.
You can withdraw with PayPal if that’s what you used to deposit, likewise for ACH/eCheck. You can laso get cash at the Golden Nugget Atlantic City or with a SugarHouse+ prepaid card account.
Regarding funds, you can see your deposits, funds withdrawn, bets, wins and bonuses if you navigate:
My Account → Statements → Summary
You can filter this over a given time period to track your performance over a given stretch.
SugarHouse Review Verdict
BOTTOM LINE
SugarHouse is an excellent sportsbook that we highly recommend including in your rotation. There are some areas where it could improve, namely fixing the menus and U/I and removing some clutter, but these are small gripes.
Mobile App
Web Platform
Pricing and Betting Options
User Experience
Deposits and Withdrawals
THE GOOD
Great teaser and parlay pricing
Live betting menus are solid
Loads of alternative prices available on most games
Live chat reps available almost always available
THE BAD
Some screens require unnecessarily toggling/hard to navigate
Some screens a bit cluttered with casino promotions and such
Brett Smiley is editor-in-chief and co-founder of Sports Handle, which joined forces with the US Bets team in November 2018. He focuses on the sports betting industry and legislation. He's a recreational sports bettor and DFS player himself, focusing on the NFL. In a past life, Smiley practiced commercial litigation in New York City and previously wrote for FOX Sports and SI.com. He lives in New Jersey with his family.
When you pick a wager, betting slip will pop up in a menu at the bottom. You can easily “X” out wagers you want to dismiss, or hit the down arrow (at right) to pull the menu down to continue viewing the sportsbook and possible add another pick.
