Bovada Sportsbook Review & Legitimacy Rating 2024

Bovada screenshot

Bovada Sportsbook Bonus

50% Max $1,000

Hits
  • USA Friendly
  • Licensed By Curacao
  • Mobile App + Live Inplay Betting
  • Play Sports, Poker + Casino Games (1 Account)
  • Fast Payouts Guaranteed
  • Accepts Bitcoin
  • Located In Costa Rica
Misses
  • Only Accepts US, Mexico And Brazil Players
Overall Rating Score
4.6
Quick Info

Established: 2011
USA Allowed: Yes
Licensed: Yes (Curacao)
Location: Costa Rica
Bonus Percentage: 50%
Max Bonus: $1,000

Bovada Sportsbook has made a trusted name for itself as the premier Internet sports betting destination for US players for a few reasons. The web site offers a fully comprehensive virtual casino with traditional table games, hundreds of slots, a poker room, and racebook.

The site provides action on all major tournaments, leagues, and sporting events in North America and around the world, and it has more international action than even the biggest Vegas bookmakers. As an extra benefit, you can frequently bet on a wide range of political and entertainment offerings, none of which are available at US land-based casinos.

Bovada is one of the most reputable betting sites on the Internet, owing to its status as a subsidiary of the Bodog brand, a legitimately recognized offshore gambling company that holds licensing credentials in multiple gambling jurisdictions. Promoting responsible gaming and fair play, Bovada also offers attractive welcome bonuses and ongoing player rewards.

Our Bovada sportsbook review will show you the ins and outs of this website, and you’ll see that it’s the safest online casino and sportsbook for US players. Best of all, Bovada has competitive lines on everything they offer. As any veteran sports bettor will tell you, competitive odds are extremely important when making sports wagers, and Bovada offers attractive spreads, straights, totals, futures, and specials, as well as excellent parlay and teaser pay tables.

Betting confirmation is obviously something that the sports gambler needs to receive as quickly as possible after a bet has been placed. Bovada’s legitimacy shines here, too, as the service offers quick betting confirmations that take just a second or two. This is particularly useful for live sports betting, and Bovada was the first brand to roll out secure live betting several years ago, thanks in large part to their rapid wager processing.

Bovada’s software delivers a mobile experience as well as a standard PC user interface, though mobile is the most popular way to wager on sports. Technologically advanced responsive software provides a seamless transition when moving back and forth between displays of different sizes, so whether you’re looking for iPhone sports betting, Android sports betting, or wagering via literally any other platform, Bovada has got you (and your screen!) covered.

Is Bovada Sportsbook Legitimate?

There are several reasons why we feel more than comfortable recommending the Bovada Sportsbook as a safe, honest, and secure Internet sports betting destination. A legitimate egaming license number of B2C-4FML2EDR-1668JAZ is in place through the government of Curacao, a respected gambling jurisdiction. They are also located in Costa Rica, a territory that regulates gambling entities to the same standard as Nevada casinos.

The site has arguably one of the widest selections of sports, entertainment, and political betting options offered anywhere online. Additionally, the banking suite is reliable and versatile, and payouts are consistently quicker than the industry average. Bovada is safe to use for US players aged 18 and up, and in all our years playing at online sportsbook sites, we’ve never come across a more trustworthy operator.

Here are a few reasons we feel the Bovada Sports Betting Site is legit, meeting all of the above criteria.

1. Bovada carries an excellent reputation in the Internet gambling industry, backed by years of safe, reliable, and trustworthy operation and licensed in multiple jurisdictions.

2. Cash-outs are consistently issued and in the hands of Bovada sportsbook clients with same-day payouts through Bitcoin (or 3-5 days via other withdrawal methods).

3. Reliable, fresh, updated betting lines, as well as parlays and teaser odds, are competitive and attractive. Shop lines all you want, but you’ll find that Bovada will usually have the most legit prices and payouts.

4. Bovada is the biggest name in the industry for USA Players. You don’t get to be the biggest and most reputable site unless you actually are. Millions of users can’t be wrong!

5. Bovada was one of the first sportsbooks to start accepting Bitcoin deposits and processing payouts via cryptocurrency.  They also offer substantial cryptocurrency bonuses to sweeten the deal and encourage the use of Bitcoin transactions. Bitcoin is more reliable than any fiat currency, and its speaks to Bovada’s credibility in the online space that they hopped on the crypto train before most other operators.

Legitimate Licensing And Certification

Previously licensed by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission (KGC) in Canada and possessing a certificate of good standing for many years, Bovada chose to surrender their Canadian licensing after being requested to cease services to USA bettors. Rather than comply with Canada’s request, the brand chose to relocate and now operates legally within Costa Rica, licensed by Curacao. And that’s very good news for US players!

Bovada holds licensing credentials that allow them to accept US-based gamblers over the Internet. We’ve been registered gamblers at Bovada since their initial launch, and despite their parting of ways with the KGC, they’re just as trustworthy as ever. We consider Bovada to be the best, safest offshore sportsbook in the world.

Is Bovada Sportsbook Legal In The US?

Yes! Because Bovada operates outside of the United States and the licensing held by them is subject to regulatory oversight from international gaming commissions, they can legally accept wagers from US players. There are no federal laws in America that prevent players from joining reputable online sportsbooks, and just because a betting site is licensed outside of the US, that doesn’t mean they’re any less safe or reputable. Bovada’s reputation is unrivaled, and it is the most secure betting site around.

Fair Bonuses And Promotions

As a part of the Bovada sportsbook bonus package, the company offers a 50% welcome bonus worth up to $250. This bonus is available for wagering on major sports like the NBA, MLB, NHL, and NFL regular season and playoff games, other international sporting events, horse racing, and occasional political and entertainment options. While other sites may offer more than $250 to new members, this 50% deposit match perk is the best in the business because it features the lowest rollover requirements by far. There is no more honest, fair sportsbook bonus out there.

At Bovada, a refer-a-friend bonus is also available, with up to $100 in a matching cash bonus for each of your friends that signs up and opens a real money account. If you want to play casino or poker, they offer up to $3000 in free plays for new casino deposits and a $1000 bonus for poker deposits.

Competitive Lines

A review would not be complete if we did not compare the betting lines with other Internet bookmakers and physical sportsbooks. Bovada consistently offers industry-standard lines, sides, and totals that reflect the thoughts and opinions of the sports betting industry’s leading reputable market makers and line setters. Many Vegas books even base their own odds on Bovada’s lines!

In other words, you can trust that these numbers are in line with the industry, because in many ways, Bovada is the trendsetter for the industry! Of course, from time to time, Bovada offers attractive betting lines which are a half or even a full point off the standard, as a sort of thank you to their millions of players. And it goes without saying, but if parlays and teasers are your thing, the payouts on these two types of bets is competitive, as well.

Safe Sports Betting Options At Bovada

Bovada openly offers access to all major leagues, tournaments, and sporting events in North America and worldwide. While this includes popular betting options like NFL football betting, Bovada also delivers futures and prop bets on a wide variety of other sports.

This includes wagering options for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, World Cup, European and Mexican soccer leagues, mixed martial arts, tennis, golf, boxing, motorsports, rugby, the Olympics, and even cricket, darts, and snooker. Throughout the year, celebrity prop bets are offered, and the site even gives you the option of betting on the outcome of certain business, political and entertainment situations and even elections themselves!

Best of all, Bovada now offers live betting and was the first online book to do so, giving you the ability to place bets during live play. This in-game betting option is supported across multiple sports leagues, and the lines change extremely quickly, making it the most immersive way to wager.

Trusted Betting Confirmations

Bovada confirms wagers faster than any other site. As long as you have a decent Internet connection via Wi-Fi or mobile, your bets will be registered in just microseconds after you place them. Because lines change all the time, this gives players extra peace of mind, letting them know that their wagers are locked in at the attractive prices offered. With live betting, this is even more important, and Bovada shines there, too. A reputable betting site must honor all its bets all the time, and Bovada does exactly that.

Secure Online Banking – Depositing And Cashing Out

As mentioned on our homepage, sports bettors frequently move money in and out of their accounts more consistently than do web casino and poker fans. To facilitate immediate deposits and safe and speedy payouts, Bovada offers several reputable account funding methods, each of which is very secure.

You may finance your sportsbook account via Visa, Mastercard, or American Express (credit/debit). You can also use a Voucher, which allows Bovada members to send money to one another from their betting accounts. However, the best option is cryptocurrency, and Bovada supports the most secure form of money in the world: Bitcoin.

Bitcoin Cash is also supported, and if you want to buy into the crypto wave, Bovada helps you do that too. Just use their Zelle-To-Bitcoin option, and you’ll be up and betting in a few minutes time.

When it comes to payouts, Bovada’s Bitcoin option is the best, most reliable, and secure way to claim your winnings. BTC offers same-day payouts (as does Bitcoin Cash), and crypto is the only way to get your money that quickly from offshore sportsbooks.

Otherwise, if you can wait 3-5 days for your guaranteed payouts, you can select to receive a courier check, while members in good standing may also request money orders or bank wires (via customer service).

Whichever way you claim your winnings, you know you’ll get your money quickly and in full. Bovada has famously never missed a payout in their entire history!

Bovada Sportsbook Summary

Straight up, Bovada is just the best, most reputable sportsbook on the Internet. There’s no other way to put it, and though there are several other sites worth your time, Bovada continues to enhance the trusted and respected Bodog reputation and has become the number one legit Internet sports betting destination for US players.

From their betting options to their line prices to their payouts, the Bovada sportsbook is one you can count on. Your bets are confirmed quickly, allowing you to make last-minute moves, and the exciting new live, in-game betting experience is supported for all the most popular leagues. You can bet on dozens of major and minor sports, as well as politics, business, and entertainment offerings.

Perhaps most importantly of all, Bovada’s mobile experience is supported across most current smartphones and tablets, and the site’s 24/7 customer service department is friendly and helpful.

Speaking of customer service, the Bovada sportsbook will allow you to propose certain bets if you do not see them offered, so if you want to wager on it, you can trust that Bovada will take that action!

Singularly, each of these characteristics is attractive. But boasting all of these worthwhile sportsbook characteristics is what makes Bovada the top US sports betting website on the Internet.