Bovada Review

Licensed In	N/A
Deposit Options	VISA, Mastercard + 5 others
Free Welcome Bonus	Welcome Bonus up to $750

The Bovada betting site is one of the most visited gambling sites in the United States. In fact, it is hands down the most popular online sportsbook in the country and this is thanks to its stellar reputation in the online gambling scene. Pulling off such a fete is incredibly difficult in today’s highly competitive and rapidly evolving gambling industry but Bovada has been able to pull it off through a set of neat features that are very appealing to modern bettors.

With its amazing sportsbook and racebook as well as its full-featured online casino and poker room, Bovada is among the best online gambling offerings on the planet. This review is meant to give you some insight into some of the amazing things that you can expect when you choose to place your sports wagers with the Bovada sportsbook.

Bovada’s History

Bovada is a Costa Rica-based online gambling website created by Morris Mohawk Gaming Group (MMGG). In addition to offering wagers on major US sports leagues, it has a thriving casino with slots, table games, blackjack, and several other gaming options for its US players. The website’s range of services also includes a racebook and poker room where frequent online poker tournaments are held.

Bovada officially began operations on December 14, 2011, five years after the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 was passed. The Act, which prohibited businesses from accepting payments from gamblers who placed illegal bets online, led to a sizeable migration of gambling operators from the sector. This, in turn, created a big enough opening for MMGG, to slip in a new player for its US audience.

MMGG, Bovada’s parent company, is owned and operated by prominent Native American businessman Alwyn Morris. He is a respected member of the Aboriginal Canadians, the Mohawk people of Kahnawake, located on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River, Quebec. Due to the ancestral and tribal rights granted to the Mohawk people of Kahnawake by The Constitution of Canada and associated US jurisprudence, the tribe could operate a gambling entity legally without fear of prosecution.

Upon its 2011 launch, Bovada was granted an iGaming license by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission in Canada, which it used until power changed hands in 2017. The company was sold to Harp Media BV, known for its reputation in the iGaming world for creating innovative, reliable, and customer-centric products.

The sale allowed Bovada to secure its license under the jurisdiction of Curacao, joining the ranks of over 1,200 iGaming operators worldwide licensed by the online gambling regulatory body. The Curacao government considered an independent territory of the Netherlands, has no jurisdictional restrictions on all offshore gambling and considers said activities legal under WTO (World Trade Organization) free trade rules.

Since its launch, Bovada has steadily increased its influence and, in the process, made a name for itself as a trustworthy gambling destination for US punters. By 2023, it acquired a gaming license in Anjouan, Union of the Comoros. While an Anjouan gaming license is relatively easier to obtain and has a faster processing time than most gaming permits, it also has comprehensive coverage. Anjouan is well on its way to replacing Curacao in the industry as more crypto-inclined international gaming operators flock to it.

Currently, Bovada holds both a Curacao and Anjouan iGaming license; however, its services are still targeted towards a US audience. Aside from states like Maryland, New Jersey, Delaware, New York, Nevada, and Kentucky, gamblers in the US can create an account and place bets on the site.

Pros: Why You Should Place Bets with Bovada Sportsbook

To begin with, Bovada is a great company and it has proven this time and time again through the way that it handles its customers. The company behind the famed sportsbook takes feedback from its customers very seriously, a trait that has helped them to appropriately tweak their offerings in order to match up to the players’ needs and desires. In fact, since August 2017, the sportsbook has maintained an SBR rating of A+. That is just the tip of the iceberg though.

Experience

As stated earlier, Bovada is one of the founders and original forms of online betting in the US. This means that the site has all the know-how needed to run efficiently and offer bettors a professional wagering experience. In this day and age, companies that aren’t reliable go out of business! It’s really that simple! With Bovada, they have been around since 2011 and are financially in a position where they are secure and sustainable!

Reputation

Like any other business, the goal of Bovada has always been making a profit. However, the company has never let this get in the way of their dedication to delivering the best services to their customers. Bovada truly values its players and therefore it has been known to tailor its decision in such a manner that they are always favorable to the bettors.

Outstanding User Interface

User Interfaces and User Experience (UI/UX) are extremely important in the world of online gambling. It goes without saying that they are usually all it takes to make or break a great online sports betting experience. Fortunately, Bovada has worked with great teams to deliver a user-friendly site that does not overwhelm users with flashy ads and colors or any other unnecessary elements that crowd the websites of most other online sportsbooks.

The Mobile Betting Option

Bovada offers a set of fully-featured gambling apps to its customers – a Mobile Casino App, a Mobile Poker App as well as a Mobile Sports App. Each of the apps promises gamers a more refined mobile gaming experience and all they need to do is to head over to the Google Play Store or the App Store and download the apps to their devices. It is that simple!

For players who are seeking the full online betting experience and not just the standalone casino, poker, and sports betting options, Bovada offers a separate mobile-first gaming site. This mobile site is just as functional as its desktop counterpart which means that players will get to enjoy the full gaming experience anywhere and at any time.

Quick Payouts

As it stands, Bovada is among the top online gambling platforms in terms of the speed of payouts via check, bank wire, and person-to-person transfers. In addition to paying out players’ fund very quickly, the online gaming site also offers one free check withdrawal every month.

Cons: Some Areas We Feel Bovada Needs to Improve On

One of the things that sports bettors have been critical about when it comes to Bovada is its dual lines. While recreational players get very attractive betting lines, professional sports bettors are treated to some less attractive betting lines. In other words, experienced players get worse lines than recreational players and rookies – it reeks of inequality. This will, of course, depend on the sport that the players are betting on, but it is safe to say that some improvement in that regard will be greatly appreciated especially by professional sports bettors.

Besides the odds, there have also been some complaints about Bovada’s deposit and withdrawal fees – many people have pointed out that the fees are unreasonably excessive. Now, the best solution for this problem is switching to other fee-free payment options such as bitcoin. Despite the fact that this is a great idea considering the perks that come with using the digital currency, we cannot deny the fact that not everyone has gotten on the bitcoin train. Well, at least not yet.

Betting Options

Being the leading online sportsbook in the United States, there are obviously very high expectations for Bovada. Thankfully, it does not disappoint! Bettors who choose the site will be able to place parlay, proposition, in-play and moneyline bets on a plethora of sporting activities including football, soccer, baseball, basketball, tennis, golf, tennis, boxing, horse racing, rugby, darts and cycling among others. The site offers betting lines on nearly every mainstream sporting activity!

Other wagering options that will be available on the Bovada sportsbook include:

• Straight Bets
• Point Spreads
• Total Bets
• Teasers Bets
• Proposition Bets

Esports Betting

Esports is still a relatively new frontier for traditional online gambling sites but the Bovada sportsbook does a great job by including some of the best esports betting options for popular titles such as League of Legends, StarCraft, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Dota 2. The available esports betting options is certainly not the biggest in the industry but the fact that Bovada has taken it upon itself to cater to esports fans is a very big deal. Besides, the available options will grow as the esports industry continues to grow within the United States and other parts of the world.

In-Play/Live Betting

This is one of the most exciting sports betting options and so many bettors prefer it over traditional options. Basically, it allows bettors to be on the final game results as well as other aspects of the games such as the first and second half result. Here, the odds change in real-time and bettors get to see whether they are getting longer or shorter. It is not only a great way to spice up the sports betting experience, but it also paves the way for even more winnings.

Bonuses and Promotions

In most cases, bonuses and promotions are used by casino operators to attract more customers. That said, if you are looking for the biggest possible bonuses, you might not be too happy with what the online gaming site has to offer. However, they are decent enough and are quite satisfactory considering that the company makes up for the shortcoming in other ways.

The site offers a 50 percent bonus up to $750 which has a 5x rollover. However, to get the best out of this signup bonus you may need to consider depositing using bitcoin. For players who open accounts and make their first deposits using bitcoin, Bovada offers a 50 percent bonus up to $500 with a 5x rollover.

For referring their friends to the site, players receive a 200 percent bonus up to $100 and this too has a 5x rollover. Moreover, the players will receive an additional $25 if the friends they referred make their first deposits using bitcoin. This Bovada limited sports bonus is a great way to kick off your gaming adventure on the site.

The Bovada Rewards Program

Even though the bonuses may be a little underwhelming, Bovada’s reward program makes up for it and since it is a leading online gambling site, sports bettors can look forward to some lucrative perks by being a part of this. In the program, players score points for placing sports bets – these are awarded on the dollar as follows: 3 points for straight bets, 15 points on teasers and 25 points for parlays.

Once they have accumulated enough points, they can cash them in whenever they so wish. The points will also get the players back a percentage of cash back on their losses. They are also progressive which means that player will going up various levels as they continue to accumulate more points. The tiers that players will be moving up are the Rookie, the Pro, the All-Star, the Legend, and the Hall of Fame.

Payment Options at Bovada

For customers of Bovada, banking is pretty straightforward since the gaming operator has a very elaborate banking structure defined – players can have a look at it before signing to see if it’s something they would get on board with. Most eventually sign up. Depending on the method you choose, you can perform transactions for free and have your funds transferred instantly.

Available deposit options include Visa, MasterCard, American Express and bitcoin as well as Zelle which is relatively new to the industry. As mentioned earlier, bitcoin is undoubtedly the best way to make deposits since the sign-up bonus is quite frankly much better for such deposits.

For withdrawals, players have the option of using check or bitcoin. Even though both methods are very reliable, bitcoin withdrawals can arrive almost instantly which is a significantly shorter time compared to the week or two that it takes for check withdrawals to be completed.

Customer Support

Just like in most other aspects of its operation, Bovada definitely outdoes itself when it comes to offering reliable and helpful customer support services. The support staff are not only very professional but are also very friendly and can be reached at any time of the day.

• Channels: Live chat, email, phone, social media (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram)
• Phone: +1 888-263-0000
• Live chat: Yes
• Email: support@betnow.eu
• Languages: EN, ES, POR, ZH

What People Are Saying About Bovada

Bovada is in most part, considered to be the most promising online gambling platform in the United States despite the fact that it has been operating under the ‘Bovada’ brand name for close to a decade. There are, of course, some shortcomings that its customers are hoping will be addressed along the way and if history is anything to go by, the operator is already working on some solutions. The inclusion of bitcoin as a payment option in the online casino’s cashier page is a great start – many customers have taken advantage of it and many more intend to try out.

Summary

For sports bettors who are looking for an online sportsbook that offers no-hassle payouts and great overall service, Bovada is a no-brainer. No wonder the company continues to dominate the online gaming space in the United States even after being rebranded back in 2011. With plenty of betting options available on the site, gamblers will always something to keep them entertained. Besides, there is the Bovada limited sports bonus and the reward program that players can take advantage of to spice things up.