Rush Street Interactive’s BetRivers online casino and sportsbook is sponsoring CBC/Radio-Canada’s broadcast of the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 as it begins to recruit customers in Alberta.
This month’s Winter Olympics, which runs from Feb. 6-22, is the third Olympic Games for which BetRivers has collaborated with CBC. The partnership makes the brand the exclusive sports betting and online gaming partner of the event on Canada’s national pubic broadcaster, which RSI said in a Friday announcement reinforces its long-term commitment to the Canadian market.
BetRivers will present CBC’s daily free-to-play trivia show throughout the tournament, ‘The Game,’ wherein fans across Canada have the chance to test their Olympic knowledge each day for a chance to win premium prizes, including an all-expenses-paid getaway to the Mexican Riviera.
The ultimate benefit for RSI is that Ontario-licensed BetRivers will again get prominent, nationwide visibility and brand recognition across one of Canada’s leading news and sports platforms. It’s received that benefit before through its previous Olympics partnerships with CBC/Radio-Canada; this time around it comes at a more important time than ever.
BetRivers opens Alberta sign-ups
As first reported by Canadian Gaming Business earlier this week, BetRivers has officially applied for a license with Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC) to enter Alberta’s online sports betting and online casino market when it opens later in 2026.
In tandem with the Winter Olympics sponsorship announcement, RSI confirmed it has launched pre-registration for Alberta, giving players in the province the opportunity to sign up for early access and an exclusive offer ahead of the province’s regulated iGaming market launch. Operators like BetRivers and PointsBet that have formally applied for registration with AGLC are allowed to let users open accounts in advance, per the provincial gaming regulations.
“Canada continues to be a priority growth market for BetRivers, and Alberta represents an exciting next step,” said RSI CEO Richard Schwartz. “With an office and large employee base in Toronto and a growing presence across the country, we’ve been building and investing in Canada for years.
“We’ve seen strong momentum in Ontario since launching in 2022, and through our continued partnership with CBC and our Olympic activations, we’re showing that we’re all-in on Canada for the long term.”
‘Slots-first casino approach’ drives BetRivers in Ontario
BetRivers is an online casino-first platform that offers real-money gaming in 16 regulated markets across North America, with a focus on those where online casino is legal. That includes Ontario, as well as the key iCasino states of Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. It holds monopoly status as the lone authorized sports betting and online casino operator in Delaware, and is live with sports betting in all of the aforementioned markets, plus several other U.S. states.
Since launching in Ontario in 2022, BetRivers has continued to see strong growth, which it says is driven by its “slots-first casino approach and commitment to product quality.” It pointed in its Friday release to its wide range of unique and “extra gamified” features such as Rush Packs, Wheel Spins and various slot and bingo tournaments.
In RSI’s most recent earnings call in October, Schwartz reported that BetRivers had its best quarterly performance in Ontario in nearly two years, with 24% year-over-year revenue growth. The gains were even greater in online casino, with revenue up 34% from the same period in 2024. RSI’s monthly active users rose 34% in 12 months, the fastest quarterly user growth rate in over four years. For iCasino specifically, that year-over-year growth was 46%.
Schwartz called the company’s upcoming entrance into Alberta “a significant online casino opportunity that leverages our proven success in similar markets, such as Ontario.”
Not dissimilar to another Alberta door-knocker in BetMGM, while online casino is BetRivers’ main revenue driver, RSI sees the value of prominent sports partnerships as it looks to extend its successful Canadian footprint. For the next few weeks, the BetRivers name will be all over the Winter Olympics.
