Yes, Bovada is a legitimate online gambling site. It is licensed and regulated by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission, which is based in Canada. It has been in operation since 2011 and has built up a good reputation for offering fair and secure gaming.
With over a decade of its existence as the niche gambler’s go-to site for everything ranging from Casinos, Racings and Live Sports, it is perhaps not an understatement to say, that the Bovada Casino’s presence in the virtual world of online casinos, dominating itself among others has got something many others still struggle with–longevity– that has given it an edge with the customer base of the online gambling world, and consistency in updating itself and evolving its content.
But you must have heard all of this and is only there to get just a little more insight news on what this Casino brings to the table before placing any stake or wager on your favourite pastime of the day, gaming, in whatever form you might prefer.
Glad you dropped by though. Over here, we would be giving you a rundown of the most important features that make the Bovada stand out and a quick heads up on other things that are aimed at giving you a side by side knowledge, to help you, the player understand what you would be getting into, as well as a little guide to help you better sign up easily.
History’s Overview
The Bovada Casino officially set up its web app for use in 2011 and it has since then worked its way up the ladder as one of the top online casino sites with an online engagement of about 2million people.
With a target history of catering solely to players from the US, the Bovada Casino gets its name from a portmanteau blend of two words closely associated with its history– the initial syllable, Bo from its pre-existing name, Bodega run by Calvin Ayre and well-known among top players in the US during the 2000s, and the second syllable Vada, from Nevada the capital city of Las Vegas and poster child for Casino in the States.
The law and its legal status
In what would best be described as a ‘ break-off’ from its parent company, Bodog–a gaming site that had been in existence in the US before laws like the UIGEA restricted its activities, the Bovada Casino headquartered in the South American region of Costa Rica is the poster child for off-shore online casinos that have made it thus far with US gamers despite the restrictions imposed on it on all front.
Its status as an off-shore gaming site operating within the US has put it under the radar of regulators with restrictions that do not allow for licensing of off-shore gambling sites serving players within the United States, and in agreement with this law, the Kahnwake gaming commission, under which its licensing protection was obtained, terminated its contract.
Nevertheless, is said to have obtained a gaming licence in early days as Bodog from Curacao gaming commission under which it now fully operates. But in all honesty, there is very little idea as to how long these licenses should last so we should probably leave it at that.
However, these legal battles do not directly affect the playing client–you– as no provision whatsoever has been made within the law with regards to your position in this. And so for players within the US, it remains a viable option to play for fun and real money.
For players outside the US, an external web address under the Bodego address has been made open to address the issue of regional restrictions.
Regardless, as a user living outside of the US, a VPN could come through to tweak your address, but this could also come with consequences during the verification process.
Bovada Sister Sites
There are many other gambling sites like Bovada. They are known as Bovada sister sites. They are called Bovada sister websites because they have the same gaming software, games and mode of operation etc.
Below are Bovada sister sites:
Security and Safety
On the app’s address site is the green padlock where the SSL is located to assure you of your financial safety and security from online phishers.
In addition, despite its unwillingness to follow jurisdiction laws and regulations, the Bovada Casino company armed with an understanding of the legal consequences that could arise from improper care of its financial records are also regulated by the Federal Financial Corporation governing financial transactions in the US to help it keep to the limit of legal dealings and expunge fraudulent activities that may arise from any one of its users.
App Review
The Bovada Casino site run a non-downloadable web app, which exists for several reasons, as opposed to a traditional app download thingy, including:
- Its ability to provide a regular update of their game collections to keep players abreast with the latest introductions in the gaming world of Casinos and Sports betting.
- The minimised cost of data consumption using their platform through SaaS medium such as Google with the SSL feature to provide a sound security backing against phishing.
However, the Bovada web app has two addresses, Bovada.lv, a trademarked address description and Bovada.com which might be the creators’ design to ensure that new players who are unaware of the first can easily find them at the second address.
For which I must admit is an insightful decision to take, particularly as leaving the easy-to-remember dot com site might give outsiders the idea of creating the same site under their influence.
Regardless, the presence of two web addresses for one site could easily have been avoided with a redirecting link to its main site for a visiting user and it only happens once after a hectic rundown of what the NASCAR race entails, for this redirection to be effected.
The UI (User Interface) of both web apps looks pleasing to the eye in its use of aesthetic fonts and colours.
This as well as the display of images with real people at play; sportsmen and gamers in one place makes it, despite being virtual, stand out as a creation made by real people for real people.
For a new user, it gives the idea of play a new meaning with its bold texts presence, reminding you of the main reason why you are logged in there in the first place; to win at play.
It is also compatible with every device that conveys visual advanced software like laptops and mobile phones including Android, iOS and a few other interesting devices. All that is required is a speedy internet connection and a stable browser.
There was however a snag with the details provided on the dashboard as it did not include the banking option on its panel area to help with ease of access.
This has somehow overridden the functionality requirement of its design, in spite of its aesthetic outlook, for the user’s experience.
Mobile App Viewing
Made with a strategic focus on ensuring that players can take a quick pause from their daily activity to place odds on the go, while on the Subway or within the office, its games have been structured to fit perfectly into the user’s preferred orientation i.e. either portrait or landscape facing and the design’s polychrome colour techniques work quite well with maintaining interest as an interactive space for fun and entertaining gaming as well as wager pay-outs, whichever one works best.
Age limit
Gambling as stated by the laws governing many constitutional states is pegged at the age of 18 years and therefore underage gambling is not only impermissible within these regions, but illegal.
This law despite the ability to be evasive with corporations of potential risk sites such as Casinos has made it quite successfully in keeping casinos like Bovada on their toes against legal lawsuits with the existence of the verification process–a necessary requirement for processing check withdrawals.
This is no way applauding it as a laudable feat though, as the bitcoin option creates its own loophole for a flagrant disregard of this law.
Regardless, it has established in some way, the corporation’s civic responsibility of ensuring that everyone engaged is liable to bear the consequences of their actions.
Betting features
On the Bovada.lv app, a range of more comprehensive features of their offers ranging from the most popular sports to bet on including baseball, basketball, hockey, the UFC, Soccer and a surprise addition on politics section, which in our honest opinion gives the app a little more depth on its take of the endless possibilities within the betting industry for players especially.
There is a ton of options available for the Casino, with a rich and eye-catching array of games to make up a large collection of games including blackjack, slots, table games and specialty games as well.
Payment Methods
This is referred to as banking on the app’s dashboard and is made payable or received thereabout with either Dollars or BTCs as its legal tender.
Deposits
Deposits can be made through the use of Credit cards like Visa, MasterCard, Union pay and American express and for this time of deposit, the sum of between $20 minimum deposit and $1,500 maximum deposit can be made.
All at no charges if you are making a first payment deposit on the site.
Other subsequent deposit payments would go for an extra charge of around 5.9% and this may vary depending on the kind of Credit card in use.
Gift Vouchers and Zelle Pay are alternative methods of deposit payments with a minimum of $10 and $3,000 maximum allowed for Casino or Sportsbook play.
While Bitcoin payment users can make payments ranging from a minimum of $10 and $5,000 maximum payments.
To keep up with the trends of Bitcoin as legal tender and encourage more trades with the bitcoins currency mode, payment is free and makes for easy processing to both Jew and existing users.
For Pay-Outs
Withdrawals are on request, and, the player is required to effect one with the desired amount, at the Cashier section on the upper panel of the Bovada app, which is reviewed and deducted within the space of 24-48 hours by the team.
The payment withdrawals can be received through the use of major credit cards like the MasterCard, Visa and gift cards or the more popular cryptocurrency app, Bitcoin or other crypto options including litecoin, Ethereum and so on.
Perhaps, while it is quite common to make payments and receive payouts through credit card means with payment gateways that help to prevent third-party infiltration aka hackers from getting into your financial account, using payment methods like Cryptocurrency is a step further in ensuring that payment channels are made easy.
This means of payment certainly does work fast within the space of say 15minutes minimum period and could take less than two days max, of which unresolved issues with processing payment might be responsible for the delay, after which your money is transferred to your wallet.
This ease associated with pay-outs in Cryptocurrency, quite unlike the credit and debit cards payment method that involves a verification process in all its bureaucratic glory gives it an edge over competition that might not be abreast with this new method of payment.
However since cryptocurrency does not really guarantee as much stability as legal tender in many financial institutions, cheques can also be requested as a withdrawal method.
To receive the check payments for players resident in the US, a period of ten days or more depending on how fast the courier service employs speed before which is usually best to complete the verification process before the payment is processed and 30 days or more depending on location for residents outside of the US.
The minimum withdrawal limit for crypt coins is $10 with an instalment payment of large sums are requested of $9,500 for a maximum withdrawal.
For a check, you are allowed a minimum withdrawal of $100 and a max withdrawal of $3,000 per month to be laid also via instalments.
There are available options for players who request withdrawal pay-outs in Vouchers, with the minimum sum of $10 and a maximum sum of $3,000 to be made transferable through a voucher code.
Another great option they offer within their payment methods is that the different mode of withdrawal you are allowed to perform on its site works particularly well if you are not trying to spend all your money in one place and so, you can opt to request the payment withdrawals via instalments.
Bonus Offers
For its Casino players, you are eligible for a $3500 bonus at registration to ensure that you get enough money to work the technicalities of its abundance of the amount of money you think you can depend on.
This however works for players who are only interested in the gameplay but without betting interest for getting real money.
Players who bet real money on its Sportsbook are however encouraged to deposit the sum of $500 which is a key for unlocking the maximum bonus on a newly registered account with the bonus catch of 50% which is about $250 welcome bonus attraction.
To give their players more desire to open accounts with Bitcoins or bitcoin cash, the site also offers their players a 75% bonus catch ($500) if an account was created using bitcoin as a payment method.
To give the players a more interesting experience at making this decision, it also offers a promo code–BTCSWB750–for deposits made with bitcoin as its main currency during registration, to encourage their players not only to register but to make more referrals and this way, participate in a win one–win all promotion.
Also without any doubt, Bitcoin payment and withdrawal methods look to be quite reliable in its level of speed to make and receive money, the ease with which it is verified through an address provided (except for any error that might arise in the accuracy of the address details), and its anonymity which unfortunately is an excuse at ignoring the need for a Know-your-customer (KYC) to properly clarify financial transactions which have proven very effective in keeping tabs on fraudulent accounts and spam users.
There are sites that claim to offer this bonus at a 100% bonus point which means that if you make a deposit payment of $250, you are offered the chance of making back that money by 100% by just rolling it over in your account again and again.
But this however does not make the Bovada offering any less juicy as they only require that players roll over the dice on this payment amount a few fewer times than the others.
In addition to this welcome bonus offer, the Company claims on its T&C section to offer welcome bonuses through Promotional offers for its existing customers on a specific individual basis.
Wagers and limits
New players who want to wager real money on the site are allowed minimum sports betting limit of $0.50 and a maximum betting size of a standard limit depending on the Sporting event or the type of Wager to be bet on.
While horse racing requires as low as $1 to begin betting, the lowest on their range of minimum bet size is $0.10 for Casino games like the Superfecta and the maximum limit, of which as stated earlier, is to be determined by the kind of game selected.
For bonus offers, the wagering requirement it states in its T&Cs comes with the exception of specific timelines perhaps to prevent players from exceeding the time limits placed on its use to keep the company at its goal of enabling profit-efficient game-play.
In addition to this, it is stated on the site that bonuses to be wagered are usually weighed on a decided amount of bets to be staked–the breakdown of which would determine if the Bonus and other winnings along the way would be made available for withdrawing.
This bonus requirement however has not been fairly placed by the company, neither does its lack of full disclosure make it a sincere decision from the Company to its paying clients.
Without any doubt, it can be said that the company only seeks through these bonus outlets to make a dominating presence on how much players can make and withdraw in that order, despite the fact that they might have fulfilled their own end of the playing contract.
Sports Betting Options
From the commonly known leagues such as the NFL’s Superbowl, Football’s La Liga, Serie A, the Champions League, Bundesliga etc, the NBA’s Basketball games for each season, Baseball, the tennis Open, Hockey Championship games and the UFC, Sports betting a unique position at the heart of what makes it stand out as a good one.
Having built this library of games and updating them regularly, it would no doubt suffice to describe it as the Gold standard for all Sportsbooks in the Virtual World of online betting sites.
For the NBA and basketball team in general, these games are introduced in the usual betting lines for each one on a score table on which the inclusion of the usual classics for these games are displayed viz: the wins, the spread and the total scores for each game.
As a gold standard, it gives a little tweak to these classics with its special edition of alternatives to them, including alternative spreads and point lines, wagers have also been created for the less focused aspect of the gaming including a spread on the team’s selection and for every half and quarter period of gameplay.
Wagers are also open to players to bet on the first team to win points, the margins between winnings and the highest-scoring half game-point, including a bet on the player props are available for bets.
For its NASCAR race bets, there is more animated gameplay at hand and it takes full responsibility for the full-blown heat or would it rather be a windy ride that comes with following the action live while watching your game take shape during their motion.
Though most of the game’s actions might feel alien to new players, there is an explanatory guide available on their site on how best to go about learning the old ways using easy motion methods.
Soccer which is usually regarded as not an American thing is thriving on the site with an abundant catalogue of games from each and every league worth focusing attention on.
With a tremendously booming market on everything football, it takes utmost meticulousness in providing an exotic array of props that draw from the usual classic soccer betting rules including the draw no bets for live scores, halftime/full-time betting, correct score, to score casts and so on.
E-sports also holds significant raves on the site for gamers of FIFA and other interactive gaming sessions online and the winning and scores are aligned to the peculiarities of the game’s play.
Its ability however to stay within a niche with each of its sportsbook options is a laudable feat that should be recognised.
This it has been able to achieve, with game collections outside the US and in less popular areas where these games are being played including the Hockey Championship in Finland, Soccer in Morocco, the UFC in the Asiatic region, etc.
Other unique betting options it provides include the section on politics which gives a new and fresh perspective on what elections really are like in retrospect, of which this one looks to be more beneficial to the electorate.
There are betting options that are categorised as single or multiple bet options and they can be selected by the player who might decide to make a straight win from different game selections using one bet slip.
This option though not particularly unique to the Bovada Casino is better explained on the site’s app, to keep the player informed on his decision.
However, the options for multiple bets are also restrictive and limited to a particular set of games which the company regulates, within which players are lured to make decisions that would benefit them in the long run.
This without a doubt shows an extra desire to satisfy and woo everyone with a level of interest sufficient enough to make a few bets on his/her favourite games regardless of how much they know, while providing as much depth of insight to the basic premise guiding each game, their rules and so on with specific points of interest to help them make more informed choices (even though not as thorough as a professional) before launching out into the deep waters of gambling.
Live Dealer Casinos and Poker
There are several perks to playing Casinos with other people, one of which is to give the game a more human element as playing alone could become easily lonely.
This option is something a lot of Casinos, including Bovada, has made available on their web app to subvert the structural fixture of brick and mortar Casinos.
However, despite the desire to mirror it in the manner of a physical structure, it does have its own technical glitches that keep the player occasionally in the dark, leaving the game susceptible to tweaks among the handlers. In all, playing the live Dealer Casino might sound like a good idea but it tilts gameplay in favour of its card dealer.
Meanwhile, its Poker section with a special program of its own does convey the very little impact to keep a player at consistent gameplay perhaps because of the low level of interaction it garners.
Players would no doubt love the up-to-dateness it comes with but not without the presence of people to give it the action it deserves.
This does not take away from its wonderfully compact poker games all created to make the player splurge delightfully in its chest drawer of coins.
The poker room is well equipped with a video poker section from which 17 different options including Double Double bonus poker which is self-serving on its own and engages maximum energy with a fun output and of course, some coins to keep you going for more.
Blackjack
To give a mild appraisal of this section, the Blackjack holds the most favourable stake on the side of the Casino player.
First-time users should do just fine with its provision of a step by step, how-to guide to help you scale through its little hurdles.
With the standard version of Blackjack namely the classic blackjack and blackjack itself, it should not be difficult to lose focus on the similarities that exist between the both of them.
This also includes its betting limits which do not scale farther than a few thousand dollars and a house advantage of 0,55% which means there is the probability of losing up to 55% on a wager, owing to the fact that it is the easiest of all with more player engagement.
A little progress takes it up a notch with the Double Deck blackjack with a per cent rate of .24%, followed up closely with the Classic Single deck blackjack and the Single deck blackjack with its house per cent rate of 0.8%.of which very few people for its complexity do not take an active part in it.
You should however note that if you are now well skilled in playing Blackjack, it is not advisable that you make any moves with real money as you might only be funding the company’s pockets at your own expense.
Customer Service Experience
On their dashboard, a seamless response detail and the regular call options to request are available to see.
However, a little more background checks to gauge the level of reliability that customers are expected to feel with this section of the Casino turned up with game players either commending or vehemently criticizing their response rate.
Their basic channel for responding to queries however is the usual call routes. Others include live video chats to be decided on the part of the Casino‘s agents depending on the seriousness of its problems, to verify if the customer’s data matches and provide a more in-person touch in communication.
There is also the more frequently used emails that are not as responsive in action as is the initial claim and has been guilty of falling short of providing assistance to the fullest.
Related: Zodiac Casino Review: Is It Legit?
Conclusion
Bovada is a legitimate gambling site that is licensed by Kahnwake Gaming Commission and headquartered in the South American region of Costa Rica.
This is by no means an exhaustive review of the Bovada Casino but it is with hopes and expectations that reading this review has provided you with the well put out information to help you make a more informed choice with regards to betting on the Bovada Casino app.
As a little note of caution, please bear in mind, that if you find yourself always requiring some sort of happiness and satisfaction from gambling activities, speaking to someone should not make you ashamed but a willing participant in your redemption.