Bovada
Accepts players from United States
Bovada has emerged as one of the most popular online sportsbooks among US bettors thanks to the rapid payouts, superb customer service and attractive bonuses it offers.
T&C applies.
Pros
- Excellent sports betting platform
- Strong loyalty program
- Reasonable rollover requirements
- Very busy poker room
- Quick payouts
Cons
- Does not have a license
- Narrow choice of deposit options
About Casino
Top Three Reasons to Bet with Bovada
- Covers lots of sports in excellent detail
- Provides extremely quick payouts
- Lower rollover requirements than rivals
Welcome to our Online Betting 101 guide to Bovada. This page will show you how to create a Bovada account, make a deposit, claim a bonus, place your first wager and request a withdrawal. We will also provide detailed analysis on the strength of the payout speeds, interface, mobile platform, betting options, bonuses, customer service and security.
Bovada Background
The brand can trace its roots back to 2000, when a high-profile Canadian entrepreneur called Calvin Ayre created Bodog. Bovada was created in 2011 as a spinoff from Bodog. The Bovada brand serves the United States, while Bodog is available in the rest of the world.
Ownership of Bovada has changed hands several times. At one point, the US-facing business was sold to Morris Mohawk Gaming Group, and Bovada was licensed by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission in Québec. Nowadays, Bovada is based in Costa Rica and it does not hold a license.
That might set alarm bells ringing for some players, but Bovada has actually proved itself to be a trustworthy brand that pays out on time. It has a good reputation in the sports betting community, as it grades bets fairly and never withholds winnings for spurious reasons.
It includes an excellent sportsbook, a racebook, a large online casino and the busiest online poker room in the USA. That makes it a very popular brand among online gamblers, particularly those in states that have not legalized sports betting and/or casino gaming and poker at a local level. As it is based offshore, it does not need to follow state laws, and there are no laws against American players using the site.
How to Open an Account at Bovada
- Visit Bovada.lv and hit the red “Join” button.
- You will be presented with a simple, one-page sign-up form, which asks for a first name, last name, date of birth, mobile number, email and ZIP code. You will also need to choose a password and agree to the terms and conditions.
- Enter the SMS code sent to your phone to verify it.
- Make a deposit to claim your sign-up bonus and start wagering.
Deposits at Bovada
You can use major credit cards including MasterCard, Visa and American Express to fund your account at Bovada. It also accepts cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ether, Tether or Bitcoin Cash as deposit options, or you can use a voucher, MatchPay or Zelle to make a deposit at bovada.lv. The domain name is hosted in Latvia, but it sounds like Las Vegas, which made it appealing to the company. Player transfers are available from one Bovada user to another too.
If you use a credit card, you can deposit anywhere between $20 and $1,500 in a transaction. Your first deposit using a credit card is free. After that you will be charged deposit fees of 5.9% or higher depending on the card used.
Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash users can deposit a minimum of $10 and a maximum of $5,000 at a time, while voucher users can deposit anything from $10 to $3,000 in a Bovada account. Bovada does not charge for crypto, so it is the option we would recommend using.
Withdrawals
Visit the Bovada cashier section to request a payout. It will take the team around 24 hours to process and approve your payout request. The funds will then be with you in less than an hour if you select Bitcoin Cash or Litecoin. Bitcoin can take up to 24 hours.
Bovada does not charge for crypto withdrawals, although you will be charged a network fee. Voucher withdrawals are also free. Bovada covers the fee for one non-Bitcoin withdrawal per 90 days. Subsequent withdrawals will incur a $100 processing fee.
The minimum withdrawal is $10 via most cryptocurrencies, although it is $50 for Ether. There is no maximum withdrawal to a crypto wallet, so it is great for high rollers. If you request a voucher, you can withdraw $10 to $3,000. MatchPay limits are $20 to $1,000.
Another option is to request a check by courier. The limits are $100 to $3,000, but you will be charged a fee and it will take 10 to 15 business days to arrive.
Interface
The Bovada interface is clean, stylish and professional compared to many rivals. It is not as modern or stylish as sites like BetOnline and BetUS, but it is more sophisticated than most of the sportsbooks it competes with.
The various sports and markets are laid out in an attractive, intuitive fashion. The sober gray, white and red color scheme makes it easy to read, and the site is devoid of unnecessary clutter, so the betting experience is quick and easy.
A toolbar menu at the top of the homepage allows you to choose from the most popular sports, including football, basketball, baseball, hockey, soccer, tennis and golf. You can also click to see an A-Z of sports. A Quick Links section also draws your attention to major, upcoming events.
Mobile Betting
There is no mobile sports betting app, as Bovada is an offshore sportsbook. However, the team has invested in a user-friendly streamlined mobile betting platform that allows visitors to place bets quickly while on the move.
It is similar to the website, offering an impressive, chic and intelligent layout. It features in-play wagers on thousands of events, and the mobile bet slip is simple, so it is a strong choice for mobile players.
There is a Bovada app, but you cannot use it to place wagers. It offers trends, insight, live scores and so on.
Sports Available at Bovada
Bovada takes bets on more than 20 sports:
- Aussie Rules
- Badminton
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Boxing
- Cricket
- Cycling
- Darts
- Football
- Golf
- Handball
- Hockey
- Motor Sports
- Rugby League
- Rugby Union
- Snooker
- Soccer
- Table Tennis
- Tennis
- UFC/MMA
- Volleyball
- Wrestling
Many of those sports are covered in exceptional detail, including basketball, hockey and soccer. At any given time, you might find markets on a soccer game in Morocco, basketball in the Dominican Republic, hockey in Finland and volleyball in Brazil.
There is an entertainment section, which covers TV shows, box office specials, James Bond betting, potential celebrity boxing matches, and markets on Marvel and Star Wars. The politics area covers US and European elections, and you can also bet on numbers games, virtual sports and esports, including CS:GO, League of Legends, Dota 2, Call of Duty, StarCraft II, Rainbow 6 Siege and King of Glory.
Betting Options at Bovada
Bovada provides many more betting markets than most of its rivals. NFL and NBA bettors will find more than 100 different bet types on offer. That includes alternative points lines and totals, odd/even bets on points, betting on each quarter or half, game props, player props, team props, winning margins and so on.
It is also great for soccer fans. Bovada provides more than 100 betting options on a Champions League, Premier League, Serie A, Bundesliga or La Liga game, including lots of exotic props. There are various spreads and props on tennis matches, and the number of golf betting options is impressive. BetOnline is perhaps the only sportsbook in this part of the market that can match Bovada for the sheer variety of its betting options.
The odds are reasonably competitive. It generally offers standard juice lines and average moneylines. Bovada is not normally as quick to release lines as Bookmaker.eu and BetOnline, and its odds are not as generous as BetOnline and BetUS on the whole, but they are better than the lines and odds at many other rival sites.
How to Place a Bet at Bovada
- Click on any betting option that appeals and it will pop up on the bet slip at the bottom right of the screen.
- Type the amount you want to bet in the “Risk” button. The slip will tell you the possible winnings.
- If you add more selections to the slip, it will activate the “Multiples” section. That allows you to create parlays and round robins with ease.
- Once you have teed up your bet and entered the bet amount, just click to confirm.
Features at Bovada
Bovada offers a prop builder feature. This allows you to create customizable props on big football, basketball, baseball, hockey and soccer games. You can make same game parlays and interesting head-to-head props and player stats bets. The specials betting section is also fun.
If you cannot find a bet you want to place, just get in touch with the team on Twitter and they will price it up for you. Anyone can then click on the #whatsyawager tab on the Bovada site to see a list of bets that users have requested. This can provide you with inspiration for your own wagers.
Bovada has an excellent live betting section. When a game is taking place, a detailed infographic provides regular updates, and you will be presented with stats and scores too. This is available on low-key games around the world – not just on major football, basketball, baseball and hockey games.
Live streaming of esports tournaments is available through a Twitch plugin on the site.
Bonuses at Bovada
Bovada will give new customers a 75% match deposit welcome bonus worth up to $750. You must use Bitcoin, USDT, Litecoin, Bitcoin Cash or Bitcoin SV when registering to claim this bonus. The promo code BTCSWB750 will unlock it.
The rollover requirement is 5x on sports and horses and 30x on casino games. The rollover is applied to both the qualifying deposit and the bonus amount. This is a free play bonus as opposed to a cash bonus.
If you do not want to use crypto, the offer is a 50% welcome bonus up to $250, with the same rollover requirements. That provides a clear incentive to use crypto. The rollover requirements at Bovada are lower than those at rival sites.
Bovada’s refer a friend bonus is worth up to $275. There are also casino and poker welcome bonuses, and it has a strong loyalty program.
Customer Service
The Bovada customer service team is polite, helpful and skilled. The office is open 24/7 and you can either call, email or use live chat. If the lines are busy, a note will tell you how long the waiting time will be, but requests are normally dealt with instantly.
There is also a detailed FAQ section within the help center. It covers bonuses, deposits and withdrawals, betting rules, account information and security in a comprehensive manner.
Is Your Money Safe at Bovada?
Bovada is a secure sports betting site that will protect your personal and financial details. It uses strong SSL encryption software to keep the connection secure, and it has no security issues on record.
Bovada Casino
The Bovada casino is divided into blackjack, other table games, slots, video poker, specialty games and live dealer. Each section is thorough. For example, the table games section includes American and European roulette, baccarat, craps, Caribbean Hold’em, Caribbean Stud, Pai Gow Poker, Let ’Em Ride, three card poker, Andar Bahar, Teen Patti and Roll the Dice.
The slots section also features a wide array of options. The games are provided by Betsoft, Rival and Realtime. It is worth noting that Bodog has a much better online casino, featuring games from established providers like Microgaming. Yet Bovoda does have the best online poker room in the USA. It operates on the PaiWangLuo network, along with sister sites Ignition Poker and Bodog.
Conclusion
Bovada is an excellent all-round online gambling site. The sportsbook is very thorough, as it covers 22 different sports in detail. You can also bet on entertainment, esports and politics, along with casino games, horse races and poker tournaments. It cannot compete with rivals BetUS and BetOnline for bonuses, and it is not as quick to release lines, but it remains an impressive sports betting site. It is trustworthy, reputable and it pays out on time, so we recommend signing up for a Bovada account.
Casino Features
Bovada has emerged as one of the most popular online sportsbooks among US bettors thanks to the rapid payouts, superb customer service and attractive bonuses it offers.
- Excellent sports betting platform
- Strong loyalty program
- Reasonable rollover requirements
- Very busy poker room
- Quick payouts