Bonus Offers & Free Bets - Take a step back and avoid Bovada
Bovada has lots of deceptive bonuses that aim to dupe you into signing up to this illegal gambling site. For the Bovada sportsbook, the betting site will allegedly match 50% of your initial deposit up to $500, so $250 bonus cash maximum which can be used for horse race betting. If you use Bitcoin to deposit into your Bovada account, you will get a marginally larger welcome bonus offer. It will match your initial deposit of up to $1,000, which means a $500 bonus cash to wager on horses. However, we’d advise against getting either bonus as Bovada will probably just vanish with your cash.
The welcome bonus for the Bovada online casino is just as fraudulent as the sportsbook deal. Here Bovada will pretend to match your first deposit 100% up to $1,000. It is redeemable three times. Again, if you use Bitcoin to deposit into your account, you get a better welcome bonus, although we do not recommend giving money to a scam operator.
Our Bovada reviews found that the Bitcoin welcome bonus for the Bovada US online casino is that it will allegedly match you 150% up to $1,000 or a $1,500 reward. This is redeemable three times as well, for a total bonus cash value of $4,500 – although we have a hard time believing that Bovada will honor its promises. On top of the welcome bonus, if you refer a particularly misfortunate friend to the Bovada casino or sportsbook, you can get a gift as well. You’ll get 40% of their initial deposit amount, up to $40, which can be used on horse racing. So, if your friend deposits $100, you’ll get $40 maximum, even if they make the horrendous error of making a deposit more than $100.
Although the bonus offers may be appealing at first sight, there are a number of reasons why we feel that you should consider claiming alternative bonuses. Bovada does not provide you with a secure site and this is far more important than an online bonuses. Without a secure platform, your bonus will fall flat right from the get-go. For great bonus offers, check our Nyra Bets Review. Plus, Bovada is simply an illegal site in the US. Thus, by using this platform, you’ll put yourself at risk of facing legal difficulties from all ends.
Usability, Look & Feel - Unappealing site as a whole
The Bovada site looks and feels like a car crash. The color scheme is white and grey, with the tab screen in navy blue and accents of red. It is an ugly-looking site and fails to impress in terms of navigational quality and overall capacity. It must be said that the horse racing markets aren’t easy to find. It attempts to share the clean-cut elegance of competitors, but doesn’t hit the nail on the head. You can click on the sportsbook tab at the top and try to navigate to the horse racing section. We found the entire experience to be deeply lacklustre. The mobile app and website speed is sub-par. All players will be massively underwhelmed by the Bovada interface of the online casino and the sportsbook.
Much of this comes down to the fact that Bovada is an unlicensed US betting site. As an offshore site, it continues to cut corners; leaving it as a platform which should be avoided at all cost.
Payments - Limited choice of options
It’s fair to say that Bovada ratings for payment methods are low because there are not many options, and there are fees. For deposit methods, Bovada accepts debit and credit cards as a deposit method. The cards accepted are Visa, Mastercard, and American Express, although any decent US bank won’t let you deposit at an illegal gambling site.
There is another big downfall with using a debit or credit card. There is a 4.9% fee with all the money deposited. This can add up really quickly if you plan on making large deposit amounts. The minimum amount is a high $20, and the maximum is a low $1,000 in one transaction.
The only other acceptable deposit method for Bovada US is Bitcoin. The reason Bovada offers Bitcoin payments is due to it being stonewalled via more traditional payment options. Crypto payments allows this illegal site to still accepts deposits even though it’s not supposed to be dealing with money from US players.
There are a few more withdrawal methods with Bovada than depositing, but not too many more. The best option again will be with Bitcoin, but even this cannot be trustd. The Bovada US withdrawal time for Bitcoins is allegedly as soon as one minute, and the maximum is 15 minutes, although you’d be lucky to get paid at all. You can withdraw once every five days using this method. The limits are the minimum of $20 and a maximum of $9,500 in one transaction. Just remember that Bovada is a scam site and there’s every chance that it could just run off with your cash.
The other form of withdrawal method is by check, which takes a lot longer to receive. It will get to your house between 10 to 15 business days. You can withdraw by checks once a week. The minimum is $50, and the maximum is $3,000 pre-transaction. All of which is simply unacceptable for a modern gambling site. If you haven’t found your preferred payment method here, head to our TVG.com Review to see if they’ve got you covered.
Customer Service - Unable to match the prowess of its competitors
Our Bovada reviews found that this brand’s customer service is terrible. It has an email you can write at any time, but don’t expect a response within 24 hours. If you want a quicker response, you may need to find a more reputable online gambling site.
There is a phone number that can be contacted, but you might have to wait on hold for a few days during peak hours. There isn’t a live chat feature as of right now. However, there is a woeful frequently asked questions section under the tab “Help.” If you have a more fundamental question, it might be a good idea just to cancel your Bovada account and go elsewhere.
The Bovada customer service representatives don’t even try their best and don’t seem to have the same capabilities of other platforms. Bovada ratings online are extremely low in regards to the help customers receive. Having a strong support base is paramount to your overall satisaction. This is why we recommend you look at our featured gambling sites to find a platform which will meet your expectations.
License & Security - No valid US license is a major red flag
As of right now, Bovada is not licensed in the US. As an offshore site, there is certainly reason to avoid this site. We recommend that you always opt for an online betting site that is fully licensed and regulated in the US. Unlicensed sites continue to put players at risk. With a wide variety of reputable local online sportsbooks at hand, there’s no need to utilize an inferior site such as Bovada.
Bovada casino and sportsbook doesn’t appear to operate with a secure SSL-encrypted connection. So your money and personal information might not be protected from hackers. Plus the mere fact that this operator does not have a license in the US is enough for us to urge you to look elsewhere!
Rewards & Loyalty Program - Available but not trustworthy
Bovada has a reward program that should definitely be avoided. This pretends that it allows you to start earning points once you start wagering real money, and from here, you’ll allegedly collect points for the Bovada loyalty program. The theory is that the higher up you move, the more rewards you’ll get. Their levels are Starter, Rookie, Pro, All-Star, Legend, and the Hall of Fame. You’ll see on the loyalty program tab how many points you need to reach a higher level and realize that there is no way that you’ll get anything back from this total con.
You might ask, so how can I earn more points to advance in the loyalty program? The points depend on what you’re wagering your money on. For poker, every $1 you spend, you earn one point. In the casino, for table games, every $1 you spend, you make one point as well. Slots are even better than table games. Ever $1 spent, you each five points. On specialty games, every $1 you wager, you earn 15 points. However, your chances of getting anything back from an illegal gambling site like Bovada are nil.
In the sportsbook, the point system continues to dupe existing customers. Any single sporting event bet, for ever $1, you’ll earn three points. As you place riskier bets on sporting events like round-robin, parlays, and teasers, the points made are higher. For sport teaser bets, every $1 wager, you’ll earn 15 points. You’ll get 25 points ever $1 you wager with round-robin and parlay bets. You can see, it’s impossible to make a lot of points without wagering a lot of money!
As you can see, the loyalty program may be entice the more foolish sports fans to consider signing up with Bovada US. We urge you to take into account the fundamental aspects that have led to this site being blacklisted. A compelling VIP program should not overshadow the fact that this site is unlicensed and unable to provide comprehensive services across the board.
Overall Conclusion - An operator to steer clear of
You should completely avoid Bovada. The sportsbook horse racing section and online casino earned below-par marks in our Bovada ratings! With over a decade in the online gambling industry with a clear focus on horse racing, it’s a great surprise that Bovada actually fails to provide proper gambling support and oversight.
Bovada US has a limited number of payment options; some of which will charge you a fee for depositing or withdrawing. Plus, the lack of a valid US license is all the evidence we need to direct your attention elsewhere. Bovada US is simply a dangerous and illegal place to try online gambling and horse race betting. Take a look at our other reviews to find out more about trustworthy and legal gambling sites across the US. There is never any reason why you should opt to use an illegal betting site like Bovada.
