Bovada Online Casino Review By Players

Bovada online casino reviewed for US casino players discussing its legal status, banking, games and history.

Bovada is an online poker room, sportsbook and casino that is part of the Pai Wang Luo network, one of the largest US-facing casino sites in the market today. Patrons of this gambling site can wager on table games, slots, horses, sports and poker. Notorious for action-packed casino games some have described Bovada’s tables as the softest on the internet. In addition to lively Hold’em and blackjack cash games with buy-ins of up to $2,000, there is also a substantial tournament schedule if that is your preference.

I’ve been playing on Bovada for several years now because of the soft action. Personally, I prefer Hold’em, as the games are looser and it is a more interesting game. Their blackjack tables are also quite fun. With a house edge of only 0.19%, their single deck blackjack offers some of the best odds on the internet, assuming you know the right basic strategy.

Legalities

In operation since 2011, Bovada has established a reputation for respectability and prompt payouts. They have actually been in business even longer than that, just under the Bodog brand. They used to be licensed by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission but in 2016 they voluntarily surrendered their license.

Despite being an unregulated and unlicensed casino, they do have a strong reputation for paying out winners and operating fair games, and I’ve never had a problem getting paid by them or heard of anyone who did either. These guys have been in business for a while and from everything that I can tell do seem to be offering a legitimate and fair online gambling service.

Bovada serves customers in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Mexico, Peru, Venezuela and Americans except those who live in New Jersey, Delaware, Nevada, Maryland and New York.

Pros

There are a bunch of things that I liked about this casino site. I really enjoyed about Bovada is their selection of games. If you like playing in an online casino, then they have a wide variety of slots and table games for you to choose from. They’ve got all sorts of slots and table games for you to choose from. Or if you prefer video poker you can play that instead. They’ve also got some pretty attractive bonus offers to draw in new players which is nice to take advantage of.

Promotions / Bonuses

When it comes to initial deposit bonuses to attract new customers, Bovada really begins to shine. For example, they have a massive 100% match up to $1000 casino bonus that comes with a 25x rollover requirement. What’s more, you can redeem it three times! Because it is a match deposit right away you start playing with double whatever you deposit. You do have to roll over this amount 25x and different games contribute at a different rate. Slots count for 100%, so they are your best bet to clear it quickly.

Most table games count for 20%, while Video Poker and Blackjack count for 10%, and Single Deck / Double Deck Blackjack as well as Roulette and Baccarat count for 5%. Craps do not count at all toward wagering requirements.

Because you can redeem this bonus offer three times you can earn up to $3,000 in welcome deposit bonuses. Overall the 25x rollover requirement is pretty reasonable and competitive with the industry standard. These match bonuses are a great way to boost your bankroll and start playing with house money right away. Because of the wagering requirements, you do have to play for a while before you cash out.

In order to get people to use Bitcoin for deposits and withdrawals, Bovada also offers a $5,000 bitcoin deposit bonus. For the casino, this is a $1,500 deposit bonus which is redeemable three times. This does come with a 25x rollover requirement associated with the deposit and the deposit bonus. So if you deposit $1,000 you need to give them $50,000 in action before you can cash out.

Mobile

Bovada is mobile friendly and their website has been optimized for use on your smartphone. Their website has full functionality on your mobile device. There is no download required, you just fire up their website on your phone and you are good to go. Standard data charges will apply.

Banking

Bovada is very big on Bitcoin. They do also take credit card or bank transfer deposits as well as deposits using payment processors, but over the last few years, they have tried to shift heavily into the use of cryptocurrency. The advantage to Bitcoin for sites like Bovada is that they no longer have to pay middlemen fees and deposits and withdrawals are anonymous. Because Bovada does serve the US market despite legislation such as the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act being able to avoid payment processors or official companies dealing with the US market entirely is a huge plus. One thing to take note of when using Bitcoin for deposits or withdrawals is to not go directly from Bovada to Coinbase, a popular Bitcoin exchange. While Coinbase does offer great rates for purchasing or selling Bitcoin, they actively ban users who are using their service for gambling, so it is important to use an intermediary wallet to avoid any repercussions.

Alternatively, you can exchange your Bitcoin for fiat through a P2P trading site like LocalBitcoins but then you either have to pay higher fees or vet your customers carefully to ensure you are not scammed. There are a lot of advantages to using Bitcoin, however, because you can avoid fees unlike deposits with credit cards where large fees are charged by credit card companies and then passed on to you the consumer by Bovada. On the other hand, lately there have been increasingly larger fees just for using Bitcoin as the network becomes more congested, or if you send with a low fee then your transaction can take a long time to confirm.

Support

In terms of support, Bovada has an FAQ which will address many common questions or concerns. They’ve broken down the questions into different categories such as Sports, Casino, Poker etc. to make it easier to find what it is you are looking for. Their FAQ is a great resource if you have what might be a somewhat simple question and don’t necessarily want to wait to hear back from support or call in for a minor thing. They do also have phone and email support if you have a more serious issue. One good thing about Bovada is they take account security very seriously. One time I was travelling and tried to do a cashout but because it came from a foreign IP they e-mailed me and asked me to call in before they proceeded with the payout. Now in my case everything was legit and after I called in they authorized my Bitcoin withdrawal but I appreciate that because there were some questionable circumstances with regards to the foreign IP that they took the time to verify that my account wasn’t hacked or anything like that. Security is an important component of having funds on a betting site and I appreciate their concern in looking out for me.

Conclusion

Overall, Bovada is a great place to play. In terms of casino sites serving US customers, they are one of the most solid and most reputable. Their casino action is great, and they have a wide variety of games available. They have a bunch of deposit bonuses that savvy gamblers can take advantage of. Some of their casino games have really great odds, like their single deck blackjack with a tiny house edge of less than 0.2%. You won’t find that in your local casino! I’ve never had any problem getting paid out when I win and their customer service has always been pretty solid as well.

Frequently Asked Questions

Support and Contact

Ryan Knuppel Author

Ryan (aka Knup) has been writing sports betting content for over a decade now. He covers anything and everything related to United Stats sports including football, basketball, baseball, golf and more. He has finished first place in several gambling related contests over the years which gives him instant credibility in the betting world. Ryan is a die-hard St. Louis...