Review of Bovada Sportsbook
The online sportsbook found at Bovada is a great place for new and experienced bettors alike and operates completely within U.S. law. The site itself has been around for more than 20 years in the U.S. which is a testament to their excellent quality and their respect for U.S. betting laws. Functionally Bovada is similar to most other sites in that you deposit money onto the site then use that money to bet and withdraw from, where Bovada shines is that they offer the same services as most other sportsbooks but do it even better.
This Bovada review will include all of the information needed to get you started today. Whether you are new to sports betting, or a seasoned vet, learning a bit about the site can’t hurt, and will hopefully hype you up to join. We believe this is one of the greatest sportsbooks to ever grace the internet, and we hope to convey that to you in the next few sections.
We are going to start off with some of the most frequent types of inquiries we receive from players that are seeking out legal US Sportsbooks. We always suggest a site that we have used extensively, and Bovada is no exception. This will be a primer to get you started, and if you don’t find the answer you are looking for here, feel free to contact Bovada’s 24/7 customer service at 1-888-263-0000, or you can send them a message on their contact page.
One of the first questions off the top of any new bettor's mind is whether sports betting is legal at all. The answer is yes, they act of betting on sports is completely legal. In fact there are no federal or state laws that say a U.S. citizen can't place a bet. The only activity actually prohibited by the U.S. betting laws are taking bets from other people, and that is only prohibited for land based operations. Online sports wagering is still fair game and is one of the major reasons that sports betting is making such a comeback. Having accepted and served U.S. citizens for two decades, Bovada is no exception to this rule.
While most states in our nation don’t have any regulations or laws regarding sports betting, some either have sportsbooks of their own, or their legal language is iffy about what is allowed. Because of this, Bovada cannot accept members from all fifty states. Unfortunately, if you live in Maryland, Delaware, Nevada, New Jersey, or New York, you will need to use another site. Check around for our other reviews to see which sites will accept you. If you are in any other state, Bovada will accept you today.
We are talking about one of the most esteemed and historic legal sportsbooks on the web. Bovada is a no-brainer for any sports fan that has searched around for a good online bookmaker. The site is home to millions of satisfied players, which means that they can afford the best security software and hardware in the business. You simply will not be able to find another site that has such high safety standards, and major US sports media outlets will attest to that. Whether or not you want to take our word for it, signing up is free, so there is no harm in at least checking out what the site offers.
Registering for sites can often be a hassle nowadays with every other site wanting to know every little detail of your life during sign up. Bovada however makes things simple and only requires entering the most basic of information needed for delivery of winnings and contacting about problems. Once the first few questions are filled out the only remaining step is to verify the Email Address used so Bovada can ensure only real people are using their site. After that any new bettor is able to start making deposits and winning money. It should be mentioned though that there are a few stipulations to sign up that may or may not apply to some bettors. First and foremost anyone hoping to bet on an online sportsbook needs to make sure they are above 18 years of age or they could face serious consequences such as losing all winnings and the account that committed the violation. Another restriction is any residents of the states Delaware, Nevada, New Jersey, Maryland, or New York will be unable to register with Bovada.
Yes, it is absolutely free to join. You will never be asked to give any financial information to the site until you are ready to make your first deposit. You can join up and explore the entire site for as long as you wish before putting any money into your account. We would never join a sportsbook that asked for a fee, and neither should you. Bovada has a great name in the sport betting industry, and they don’t want to tarnish it by only appealing to those that will pay to get a peek inside.
Learn More: Find Out If Sports Betting Is Legal
You may not know this yet, but Bovada is much more than a world-class legal sportsbook. They not only have the fastest and most up to date lines in the industry, they also have an award-winning poker room, virtual casino, and racebook. This site is a fully-featured betting paradise with over two decades of experience under its belt. The site operates out of Canada, but accepts US players from most states. You will enjoy your time at Bovada, we guarantee it.
Due to their online nature, one of the most important aspects of any online sportsbook is how easily members can get money onto the site in order to use it to bet. Luckily Bovada provides some of the easiest deposits in the business.
Credit Card: Many sites won't offer credit card services mainly because many U.S. credit card companies are wary of allowing transactions for sports betting. In addition to that, because most sportsbooks are run outside the country, an international credit card is needed in order to use this method. The perks of it are that after a card goes through the verification process, it is free to be used on the site any time. Not only is it a quick way of depositing but it is safer than other methods like snail mail where deposits can also take up a week to be received. The fees for this deposit method can be relatively cheap as well, only costing a 4.9% of the total deposit.
Rapid Transfer: Rapid Transfer wire transfers are another popular method of deposit among sportsbooks. They work similarly to Cash transfers in that a U.S. rapid transfer retailer is needed in order to carry out the transaction. Once there, the retailer just needs to know where to transfer the money. Contact information is provided by calling Bovada, and once it is paid for a confirmation number is given. A quick call back to Bovada to relay the confirmation number and then the account is credited within 15 minutes. One advantage of this deposit method is that small or large deposits can be made with the minimum deposit being $100 and the maximum $800. A small fee from $12 to $20 dollars is charged for the use of rapid transfers.
Learn More: Legal US Sportsbook Depositing
In the sportsbook world deposits and withdrawals are like yin and yang in that one can't exist without the other. The whole reason for betting on sports is to make money, and if bettors can't get those sweet winnings off the site they are quickly going to find somewhere else to do their business. Bovada realizes this and strives to make it as easy as possible to collect winnings.
Check By Courier: One of the most tried and true methods of delivering payouts is sending it in the form of a check. Bovada wants to provide its users with the most assured methods of getting their payout and for this reason provides check payouts. It will ordinarily take 4-7 business days in order to receive the check after it is requested, but once it arrives there should be no problems with depositing it to a checking account. Checks of just about any amount can be requested but the maximum is $3000. Any Amount above that will be sent in multiple checks with each after the first incurring a $50 dollar processing fee. Note checks are also unable to be issued to PO boxes.
Rapid Transfer: Rapid transfer payouts work very similar to rapid transfer deposits. One goes to a rapid transfer dealer after requesting the payout and instead of sending money receives money. Rapid transfer is one of the quicker methods of payout and as such incurs a fee of $20 for the minimum of a $100 withdrawal and $60 at the maximum amount of a $750 withdrawal. Anyone looking to find out more is advised to contact their customer service department with questions.
Learn More: Payouts at Legal Sportsbooks in the US
Any good legal online US sportsbook worth its salt is going to offer bonuses for joining the site and using its various services, especially since U.S. bettors are already so wary about joining a sports betting site. Bovada is no exception to this rule and has a few good bonuses like a 50% welcome bonus to help sweeten the deal and entice people to give sports betting and Bovada a try.
50% Free Bet Welcome Bonus: Most people are skeptical when they see the word free nowadays. They are right to do so as well since con men and less than scrupulous companies have been using the word free to gyp people of money since the dawn of time. When Bovada says free, they mean free! Anyone who signs up for Bovada, and makes their first deposit will get 50% of their deposit back as freeplay money; up to $250 free can be had through this promotion. The only stipulation attached to this deal is that the money can't be withdrawn right away and requires a 3x rollover to be claimed. Anyone that is seriously intending to bet on sports though will find this isn't as daunting of a task as it might seems, especially not once they start winning some money.
Refer A Friend: Social bettors will enjoy the refer a friend bonus that gives them 200% of their friends first deposits, up to $100, as a bonus for bringing more bettors to the site. With Bovada it truly is the more the merrier as they don't even require a rollover amount to collect the bonus.
Learn More: Legal US Sportsbook Bonuses
Any Sports nuts coming to Bovada that is worried they won't be able to bet on all the sports they like can rest assured that Bovada covers their bases. Not only do they offer betting on the major leagues for basketball, baseball, and football; they also offer betting on college games, and smaller sports like snooker, cricket, or even darts. They don't just offer a lot of sports to bet on though, they also offer plenty of ways to bet on those sports. The odds are fairly normal for any betting site with Fractional, decimal, and American or Moneyline odds. Where Bovada really shines is their wager types. In total there are 10 different ways to place a bet on your favorite team and that is without taking into account the type of odds used. Bovada lets their bettors customize their bet down to a t with just about every wager type known to man. Single bets, parlays, teasers, reverses, if bets, and even futures. If you can name it then Bovada can provide it.
Historically, sports betting isn't known for its customer service, given it was largely run by organized criminals before. But now if a site wants to make money it has to be able to not only provide an easy to use sportsbook, but also help anyone who is still confused with any aspect of the betting process. Bovada does this in spades offering a call center and Email support. Any questions can be related to these two sources at any time of day.
Many people won't even need to contact customer service though as Bovada offers a plethora of information on every aspect of betting on their site from odds, lines, and wager types to how to use the bet slip. Both the help page and an in depth guide for sports betting are offered on the site to help any new bettor feel comfortable in no time.