The Bovada Sportsbook
Finding your personal best US sportsbook is tantamount to finding your muse as an artist, you’re your secret ingredient as a chef. If you are a fan of competitive games like me, you are looking for a convenient and safe way to drop some dough on your favorite teams. In order to help you out, I am doing a review of Bovada, my personal favorite sports betting site. You are in for a treat if you haven’t heard of them before, so get ready to join the millions of other players that are enjoying legal betting today.
Bovada started from humble beginnings in Canada just over two decades ago. What was first an offshoot of a successful sports media line, Bovada has since become the world’s leading online sportsbook. As you will learn later, their location means that they can accept players from almost every state in America. They have a certificate of good standing from the Kahnawake Gaming Commission, and are operated by Salmon River Technologies Ltd. This site is as legit as it gets, and I have collected very large payouts consistently for over four years. If you are at all interested in online wagering, you really can’t do better than Bovada.
There are many reasons why I choose this US sportsbook before others, and the many certificates of good standing, stellar reputation, and legitimacy are just three of them. Joining Bovada means that you will be doing business with a constitutional establishment that follows all of the rules and regulations of Canada’s gambling codes. You, I imagine, live in America like me, and you can be sure that you can join if you are in one of the 46 states that Bovada accepts.
You may be wondering why I don’t use a sportsbook that operates in the US. That is a valid question, and the answer is: because they are scarce. In fact, the federal lawmakers don’t like bookmakers opening up shop on their shores so much that they only allow two states to facilitate sports betting establishments. These states are Nevada (duh) and Delaware to a lesser extent. Now, I don’t know about you, but I live too far away from either state to spend the travel money it would cost every time I wanted to place a parlay bet. That is why sites like Bovada are crucial to American sports bettors, they are the only realistic options for most of us.
Who Can Join Bovada?
As I mentioned earlier, Bovada accepts residents from 46 states. The reason they don’t take players from all fifty is because some states already have their own bookmakers, or they have funky local laws. If you are from New Jersey, Nevada, Delaware, or Maryland, you will need to join a different site. There are plenty of great options, but I’ll save that info for my other reviews. Another thing to keep in mind is age. Bovada accepts anyone over 18, but I suggest checking your local state sports betting laws because some of them have a set gambling age, usually it is 21. If that is the case where you live, I recommend waiting until you are state-approved to wager.
Bovada gives you two great methods for making a sportsbook deposit. You can use a card (either credit/debit or prepaid) or you can use a cash wire transfer (Western Union or MoneyGram). Most members including myself like to use credit cards because they are simple and fast. Have you ever purchased something online? The process is as simple as that, and once you have put your card information in once, you can choose to have Bovada store the information so in the future you can simply enter the amount you would like to deposit. Cards have a minimum of $25, and a maximum of $1,000 per deposit. There is also a small fee, around 4.9% but sometimes Bovada will waive it.
The second most popular method, cash wire transfer, is also great, especially if you want to make larger deposits. These take 2-3 days, and can be done completely online (or you can go to your local store that offers MoneyGram/Western Union services and send it from there). Cash wires come with bigger fees, but they will waive it if you make a deposit over $300. The maximum for MoneyGram is $900, and for Western Union it is $5,000.
Sportsbook Deposit Bonuses Found At Bovada
Honestly, this site is so rockin’ they don’t need to offer extras like the $250 sports welcome bonus. That being said, it definitely is a crowd pleaser, and along with their other bonuses I have been rewarded with a lot of free cash throughout my time at Bovada. To get started on the train to free money, opt for the welcome bonus when you make your first deposit. This will start a process that will reward you with up to $250 to use in the sportsbook. If you wager a decent amount then you should have no problem achieving the 5x rollover requirement. This means that the bonus cash won’t become available until you have bet said amount, including the deposit amount, five times. Shouldn’t take long, and it is well worth it. There are plenty of other awesome sportsbook bonuses at Bovada, so be sure to head to their promotions page and take a look.
Just as with deposit methods, Bovada offers two excellent sportsbook withdrawal options. These come in the form of check, or the aforementioned cash wire transfer (Western Union or MoneyGram). The reason Bovada can’t pay directly to your credit/debit card is because of a law called the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA). This US sportsbook law simply doesn’t allow funds from overseas betting establishments to travel into the states to a bank account. Luckily, Bovada offers two simple solutions.
Checks are great because they have very low fees (one free one per month, or $50 per), and they are relatively quick. You should expect to see it show up in your mailbox within a week or two. Cash wires come with higher fees, but higher maximums at $5,000. Checks allow you to take out $3,000 per withdrawal at the most.
Bovada offers you a world-class sportsbook for free, but just because it’s free doesn’t mean its lacking. You will find all the odds and wager types that you would at the most esteemed ‘Vegas bookmaker, and you can bet from the comfort of your own home, or even on your phone. A cursory glance at the sportsbook will reveal a simple menu system, with sports and events on the left and current odds on the right. Click on your sport, and you can navigate through all the upcoming games. Everything from the point spread to the moneyline to the over/under will be at your disposal. Try out the futures section if you want to wager on an upcoming game or season.
Click on a game and you will be presented with numerous wager types. Straight bets, parlays, and teasers are all going to be fun and simple ways to get in on the action. If you are a little more advanced with sports betting you can get in on the special teasers, reverses, and buying points. There are endless opportunities at Bovada, and everyone from the neophyte to the professional can win money.
Other Great Features Found At Bovada
It’s been interesting watching this site grow along with the times. Bovada has always kept up with technology, and when I first started playing here there was no such thing as mobile or live betting. I saw these two groundbreaking features grow from glitch beta versions into fully functional powerhouses of convenience and fun. Bovada’s mobile betting lets you take the entire sportsbook with you wherever you go. You can do everything you can do at the site on your smart phone, Android, iPad, or any other device that connects to the internet. Not only that, you can even manage your account, make deposits/withdrawals, play poker, or visit the virtual casino. All of this is free and there is no extra download, just head to Bovada and sign in from your phone.
The live/in-game feature is going to blow your mind if you’ve never seen anything like it before. This feature lets you get bet right along with the game as the odds update during breaks in the action. This is sort of like team/player props but there are loads more options and they change along with the ebb and flow of the game. This is the most exciting way to bet for sure, and you can place as many wagers as you’d like until the final whistle blows.