December of 2011 was the month when Bovada went online and changed the sports betting landscape for many American players. This renowned sportsbook and casino operator has enjoyed enormous popularity over the last decade and has welcomed tens of thousands of players to the Bovada.lv website.

Bovada sportsbook offers almost every major event in a calendar year, but they are mostly focused on US sports and leagues such as the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, and others. Horse racing has earned a separate section where betting options are vast and the betting lines are posted quickly.

To a seasoned American gambler, Bovada is a too familiar name. As a matter of fact, this sportsbook has been one of the rare internationally recognized operators that accept US players. However, if you’re just stepping into the world of sports betting and don’t know much about Bovada and its reputation, you will need some proper introduction. This is where I come in.

In this article, I am going to give you a detailed guide on Bovada, its odds, markets, bonuses, and share other useful information. In short, my review will cover some of the following things:

• Bovada sportsbook strongpoints.
• Sports markets and popular leagues for betting.
• Betting features and live betting options.
• Bonuses and promotions.
• Mobile betting.
• Banking, customer support, my personal experiences with this bookie, and more.

So, if you’re serious about choosing Bovada as your next home for sports betting, carefully read the following review and share your thoughts in the comment section below. Here we go!

Bovada is a bookmaker of choice for many American players for a good reason. This online sportsbook excels in many aspects, and here are some of the more notable ones:

Bovada sportsbook covers all the popular sports markets, but also the ones that are not so popular. There are around 30 markets to choose from, and not all of them are sports. You can also bet on entertainment, politics, virtual sports, and more.

Here is the list of all sports and markets that Bovada currently offers on its website:

• Aussie Rules
• Baseball
• Basketball
• Beach Volleyball
• Boxing
• Cricket
• Cycling
• Darts
• Entertainment
• Esports
• Football
• Golf
• Hockey
• Horse Futures & Props
• Motorsports
• Numbers Game
• Politics
• Rugby League
• Rugby Union
• Snooker
• Soccer
• Table Tennis
• Tennis
• UFC/MMA
• Virtual sports
• Volleyball
• Winter Olympics

Popular American sports and leagues are the main focus of Bovada. The most extensive offers can be found for NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, and other major leagues, including NCAA championships. All the odds for both the regular season and playoff games are promptly posted.

The Horses section provides an in-depth racebook and covers all popular horse racing events like the Kentucky Derby, Cheltenham, The Grand National, Dubai World Cup, Saudi Cup, and others.

The eSports market is gaining steam in the last couple of years, and gaming bettors can enjoy wagering on top-shelf competitions for CS: GO, League of Legends, Call of Duty, and other popular titles.

Soccer is an infallible part of any sportsbook, and Bovada made sure that there’s enough coverage there as well. All the popular European and South American leagues are covered, as is the American MLS.

You are going to be able to access a very wide range of sports betting opportunities when you join up to the Bovada Sportsbook, and below are just some of their betting markets on which you will find some generous odds on offer.

• NFL Betting – No matter which NFL match you fancy placing a wager on you are going to find it listed quite early at the Bovada betting site, one thing that can certainly be said about the Bovada Sportsbooks market makers is they do have a passion for NFL and as such you will always find the lines and odds on offer are quite generous.
• Horse Racing Betting – You will find a very comprehensive selection of available betting opportunities and betting markets offered at the Bovada betting site that are dedicated to horse racing. No matter what race you fancy placing a wager on and where it is being held in the world the Bovada Sportsbook will offer you odds on those races!
• Baseball Betting – Another type of sport that you are always going to be able to bet on at the Bovada betting site is Baseball, not many betting sites and Sportsbook have the resources available to offer a full and comprehensive range of betting opportunities on Baseball matches, however Bovada do and this does shine through when you take a look at their live betting markets.

There is a myriad of different bets you can take on Bovada. Each sport/market offers a great variety of betting options, from straight line wagers to outright bets on future events. Alternate lines and prop bets are present on almost all major events. This is a huge improvement that Bovada made in the last few years, as they didn’t have as many options before.

Each match literally has hundreds of separate bets that you can take, including the live betting options that are even more widespread. Betting on Bovada is really made simple and straightforward. Just select the market you’re interested in from the sports menu and find the match that you’re looking for. In-play betting provides a modern platform where the odds and results are provided in real-time.

The lines are not posted super quickly, but you will still have plenty of time to think hard about your bets and place them before the game starts. Also, each game you click on will provide you with the information like H2H history, other matches from that competition, standings, scorers, and all types of advanced stats. The odds are automatically set to American, but you can change them to decimal or fractional if you like.

Average American bettors will find everything they need on Bovada. I have wagered a few times myself and I was really impressed by the number of options this bookie offers. It’s definitely better in that category than most of its competition, especially for the US market.

In-Play Betting

By clicking on the LIVE button in the top left corner, you will be redirected to the site’s in-play betting section where you will find all the matches from all available sports that are currently live.

Each fixture will have three quick betting options that you can make right from the menu (spread, win, and total), but more options will open up once you click on each individual event.

For a typical basketball match, you will have bets like spreads, total points for individual teams or periods of the game, prop bets like even/odd number of points, a game going to overtime, and more.

While betting on an event, you can follow the live graphic at the top where you can see all the current match details and stats. Unfortunately, Bovada doesn’t offer live streams, but that’s something that they will surely be working on in the near future. The entire live betting section is well designed and easy for navigation. You won’t have any issues finding your favorite events and placing wagers. I have used the platform several times and it worked like a charm. The odds change as the game develops, and the score is always correct and displayed in real-time.

Mobile Betting

Gamblers these days prefer to carry their sportsbooks in a pocket, and Bovada understands that all too well. Namely, this operator is very mobile-friendly and has one of the best mobile sites and apps in the industry. If you’re constantly on the move and want to gain quick access to live sports betting, Bovada mobile site and app should be one of your top choices.

You can use Bovada’s services on mobile in two ways. One is to simply type in m.bovada.lv into your mobile browser and log in from there. The mobile-friendly site works very well and allows all the same options as the desktop version. Thanks to instant-play technology, no download will be necessary, and you will be able to play directly on the browser. This also goes for casino and poker games on the website.

Another way of mobile betting on Bovada is to download their official app for your Android or iOS device. Yes, the download might take a while and maybe you will need to clear some space on your smartphone or a tablet, but nothing too significant. The advantage of the mobile app over the mobile site is the user experience. The app has a few tweaks that make browsing easier, and you can also set to receive notifications whenever something happens on your game of interest.

Whether you choose the Bovada mobile site or an app is up to you. They both work great, so there would be no wrong choices. I used the mobile site and, while there could be some optimization improvements, I had no major complaints. As for the mobile app, I installed it on my Android phone and it worked like a clock.

One of the things Bovada is known for is their wide range of bonuses and promotions. While most bonuses relate to the casino section of the website, there are a few that you can use for sports betting.

Bovada often changes their bonus offers, so I won’t discuss the details of each promotion. Instead, I’m just going to focus on some of the general rules when it comes to bonuses and talk about the most frequent promotions this operator offers.

Welcome Bonus

Bovada has a special reward for their first-time depositors, as most online bookmakers do these days. After you’ve successfully registered at the Bovada website, you will be eligible for the operator’s welcome bonus. The bonus usually includes a percentage of your first deposit and can potentially bring you several hundred dollars in extra funds.

The rollover requirements are relatively low, somewhere around 5x, but you should check the details of each sports betting bonus to confirm that. Make sure that you meet the wagering requirements before requesting a withdrawal, as your bonus money will be forfeited otherwise. This offer can not be combined with other promotions on the website.

The welcome bonus can be used for all games on the website, excluding craps and live dealer games. Once your deposit goes through, it may happen that you don’t receive your bonus immediately. Allow the operator up to 30 minutes to process the bonus request. If you still haven’t received your bonus during that time, contact the customer support and explain your issue.

The welcome bonuses on Bovada are usually in line with the industry average. They are fairly generous and don’t have strict rollover requirements.

Other Promotions

If you’ve already used your welcome bonus, you can still enjoy plenty of other promotions that Bovada offers. Namely, you will be eligible for a very rewarding bonus when you deposit with Bitcoin for the first time. Bitcoin has already become a payment method of choice for a lot of players, as it offers high limits and fast withdrawals, but now it has one extra advantage — the Bitcoin bonus.

To unlock the Bitcoin bonus, you simply need to deposit a previously stated minimum amount with Bitcoin or Bitcoin Cash and type in a bonus code in the process. The bonus funds should be released to you immediately so you can start wagering on your favorite events ASAP.

The same bonus terms and conditions apply just like with the regular welcome bonus, which means that you must meet the rollover requirements and that you can not mix the bonus with other promotions on the website.

There are separate Bitcoin bonuses for casino games and sports betting, so be careful as to which one you select. The Bitcoin sports bonus accounts for all sports wagers and includes all markets.

Bovada also has something for players who spread the word about their website. Namely, there is a continuous “refer a friend” promotion that rewards both you and the person that you invited to join Bovada sportsbook. All you need to do is send your friend a referral link through which they can register on the Bovada website. Once they join and make the first deposit, both of you get bonus money to play with.

There is an unlimited number of people that you can invite, meaning that there is an unlimited number of bonuses that you can receive. Also, there’s something a little extra for you if your friend uses Bitcoin as their deposit method.

Bovada is not one of those online sportsbooks that offer an abundance of different payment methods. You may see this as a disadvantage, but an average American bettor will find all the familiar banking options like credit cards, gift cards, vouchers, and cryptocurrencies.

What’s more important is that all the available banking methods on Bovada are legit and guarantee quick payments. One thing that’s a bit annoying is the deposit fees, but I will talk about those a little later on.
The deposit options on Bovada include:

• VISA
• MasterCard
• American Express
• UnionPay
• Bitcoin
• Bitcoin Cash
• VISA and MasterCard Gift Cards
• Vouchers

When using credit cards, only the first deposit made on Bovada won’t include any fees. However, you will have a 5.9% fee for every next deposit, which is not exactly all that great, considering that most other bookies charge less or have no fees at all. This gives you an even bigger incentive to use Bitcoin transactions on the website, as they carry no additional charges.

Gift Card activation fees depend on the card service you choose, but they are usually around 4%. Voucher deposits do not have any fees associated with them.

The minimum deposit limit for credit cards is $20, while it’s $10 for all the other deposit methods. The maximum deposit limit is $1,500 for credit cards, $3,000 for vouchers, and $5,000 for Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash.

The withdrawal options on Bovada include:

• Bitcoin
• Bitcoin Cash
• Check
• Voucher

The methods for cashing out your winnings are slim, and it really looks like Bovada is trying to corner their players into using Bitcoin. Honestly, Bitcoin is the fastest and the most reliable method, so once you get the hang of the whole process on how cryptocurrency transactions work, you will love it.

Once you request a Bitcoin withdrawal from the cashier page, you can expect the winnings to reach your digital wallet within 48 hours. You are allowed to request one Bitcoin withdrawal every three days.

You can request a check withdrawal, but only once in every 90-day period. If you request more than one check withdrawal, a $100 processing fee will be implemented. There are no fees for voucher withdrawals.

Minimum withdrawal limits for Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, and vouchers are $10 and $100 for checks. Vouchers and checks are capped to $3,000 per withdrawal, while there’s no maximum limit for Bitcoin cashouts.

Bovada contains a Secure Socket Layer (SSL) that maintains the trust and security of all players. You should not worry about your money and personal details getting misused, as Bovada is a legitimate website with no history of fraudulent activity.

One thing that does look worrisome is the absence of any gambling license. Bovada was regulated by the Kahnawake Gambling Commission until 2016 but chose not to renew their license with this regulatory body and is now operating without one.

The customer support on Bovada is very professional and helpful. Whenever I reached out to ask a question regarding the use of their website, they would always give correct and concise answers and point me in the right direction. The support works 24 hours around the clock and is available to English and Spanish speakers.

You can reach the Bovada support team by sending an email to service@bovada.lv, calling 1-888-263-0000, or by using live chat. The response times are quick, while you can also check a very informative help page that contains the answers to the most frequently asked questions on the website.

Bovada lives up to its reputation of being one of the most popular sports betting platforms for US players. The range of sports markets and betting options is as good as on any other betting website. The operator is very mobile-friendly, offering a state-of-the-art mobile app and mobile browser site. Bonuses are quite good as well, from welcome offers to “refer a friend” promotions.

Having Bitcoin as an available payment method is certainly a plus, but Bovada could maybe add a few more banking options, especially ones that don’t come with high transaction fees. The absence of live streaming might also come as an issue for some players.

By far the biggest downside of Bovada is the lack of any proper license. While there haven’t been many complaints from players of any fraudulent activities, some people who take online gambling security seriously would simply stay away from Bovada, as it has no regulatory body behind it.

In any case, I hope that you enjoyed reading my Bovada 2020 guide. Feel free to add something in the comment section below, and I will make sure to answer promptly.

We have to say that out of all of our featured US customer friendly Sportsbooks we have listed around our website, one of the most impressive ones is the Bovada Sportsbook, and if you are an American sports bettor then they have a lot of unique features which should ensure you get the ultimate sports betting experience whenever you decide to place a wager with them.