Since 2011, Bovada LV has been the most popular and trusted online gambling site for USA players. The service actually traces its roots back to the original Internet gambling boom of the mid-1990s, and its management team has blazed trails in the industry ever since. Our Bovada review for 2024 shows just how far the brand has come over the years and why it’s the perfect one-stop shop for bettors of all kinds.
Bovada operates legally in the international gambling jurisdiction of Costa Rica and is licensed by Curacao. They accept US bettors from most states (excluding DE, MD, NJ, NV, and NY). If you live in an eligible state, you can sign up for a free account today and take a look at all the different casino games, sports betting lines, poker tournaments, and horse racing odds on offer. Once you do, we think you’ll agree that the operator is one of the best in the business.
- Established: 2011
- Headquarters: Costa Rica, Central America
- License Issued By Curacao
- Minimum Age: 18+
- Markets: RNG Casino, Live Dealer Casino, Sportsbook, Poker Room, Racebook
- Games: 250+
- Software Download: Yes (Poker)
- Mobile App: Yes
Why You Can Trust Our Review Of Bovada Casino, Sportsbook, And Poker Room
Anyone can write up a quick betting review and tout all the good things the site has on tap, but these kinds of reviews aren’t really reviews. They highlight the pros and ignore the cons, and that’s not helpful.
As avid online gamblers ourselves, we recognize that no site is perfect for every player, and we have active memberships at multiple sites for this reason. We only publish US online gambling reviews of services we actually use on a regular basis, and the personal gaming relationship we’ve established with every operator is why we’re qualified to explain the hits and misses for each one.
With Bovada, we’ve been members for over a decade now, and we’ve seen the venue evolve as the industry’s grown, giving us the necessary insight to speak with authority about whether or not the service can be trusted as a truly legitimate vendor in the space.
Features That Make Bovada Stand Out For US Players
Given its pedigree, Bovada boasts a number of features that make it stand out from its competitors. In many respects, they’ve actually set the industry standard for many of these best practices.
These days, we won’t recommend any US-friendly online gambling site that doesn’t offer the same features and perks pioneered by Bovada, and regardless of which real-money gambling site you choose, these are the criteria to look for and insist upon:
- Based in a legitimate jurisdiction for legal offshore USA gambling (Costa Rica)
- Licensed by the Curacao government
- Fair, audited iGaming software top RNG developers
- 250+ electronic casino games + live dealer options
- International sportsbook with 1000+ daily odds + custom props
- State-of-the-art encryption for all incoming and outgoing connections (SSL/TLS)
- Customer privacy policy – Personal information never shared or sold
- US-friendly online banking options for deposits and withdrawals
- Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin, Ethereum, etc. supported for same-day withdrawals
- Guaranteed timely payouts for all members
- Web-based mobile gambling portal compatible with all iPhones, iPads, and Android devices
- Open to US players aged 18 and up
- 24/7 customer service via phone, email, on-site live chat
- Multiple gambling markets supported: Casino, sportsbook, poker, horse racing betting
Bovada Casino Review
The Bovada Casino is one of the site’s flagship products, with all games certified for fair iGaming compliance and regularly audited to ensure legitimate win rates.
Additionally, Bovada only offers games by the most notable developers, such as Realtime Gaming and Rival Powered. These companies have been in business for decades and make many of the same games you’ll find at brick-and-mortar casinos nationwide.
Once you join, you can enjoy electronic online real-money casino games across all popular categories, from longtime gambling classics to more modern fare. The casino features the following main game types:
Bovada Sportsbook Review
For many US gamblers, the Bovada Sportsbook is their go-to resource as it is one of the best US online sports betting sites with options on all the games of the day. The bookmaker supports all major US and international sports and leagues, including the following:
Bovada Poker Review
US online poker isn’t available at most US online casinos, as it’s considered to be its own distinct gambling category (as opposed to video poker, which is a standard casino product). However, Bovada reintroduced its poker room in 2017 after a brief redesign.
The improvements were much needed, as they streamlined the product and allowed for players to enjoy online poker cash tables and online poker tournaments right through their browser windows instead of limiting access to downloadable Windows-only software.
At the digital felts at Bovada's poker room, you can choose from all levels of table stakes, pot limits, and no limit options for the following poker game types:
Bovada Online Racebook
Online horse racing is a popular market for many gamblers, and Bovada racebook covers daily races from tracks all across the US, Canada, Mexico, the UK, Australia, Japan, and more.
While no online venue can replicate the thrill of actually betting at a racetrack in real life, Bovada’s horse betting odds give every horseplayer a suitable stable of options.
And even though we don’t personally bet the ponies with any real frequency, it’s great that an elite brand like Bovada – as a house-banked gambling site – can offer horse racing futures on major events like the following (which is something domestic US racebooks can’t legally do):
- Kentucky Derby
- Preakness Stakes
- Belmont Stakes
- Breeders’ Cup Classic
- Pegasus Cup
- Dubai World Cup
- Saudi Cup
- + More
Bovada Deposit Options 2024
The banking suite is one of Bovada’s biggest strengths, but it’s ironically also perhaps its biggest weakness. Compared to some other international gaming providers, the financial selection is fairly limited.
While this is by design to ensure that members have access only to the most reliable bet funding methods and payout options, the choices leave something to be desired. They do offer same day payouts via their cryptocurrency options and via Bovada vouchers.
Right now, these are the ways the site allows players to top off their bankrolls and withdraw their winnings:
- Bitcoin (BTC)
- Bitcoin Cash (BCH)
- Litecoin (LTC)
- Ethereum (ETH)
- TRON (TRX)
- Gambling Vouchers
- Visa
- Mastercard
- American Express
- International Gift Cards
- Bitcoin
- Bitcoin Cash
- Litecoin
- Ethereum
- TRON
- Gambling Vouchers
- Courier Checks
For most players, credit/debit deposits are still the most popular choice, but transactions can sometimes be declined due to UIGEA banking regulations. This happens 5-10% of the time, depending on the card you use.
If you want to be certain your deposits go through every time, you should use Bitcoin or another supported cryptocurrency. Many sites actually have bigger crypto menus, as Bovada has been relatively slow to adopt new altcoins (i.e. they just started taking Ethereum in 2021, long after many competitors began to accept ETH as a matter of course).
Crypto is also the only way to claim same-day payouts at Bovada and most online gambling sites, but players can now withdraw in BTC/crypto regardless of their associated deposit methods. This is a welcome perk that gives players a great way to bypass crypto exchanges to get started using cryptocurrency, and we expect other sites to follow suit in the near future.
Bovadar also separates itself from other sites in that its voucher system allows members to buy and sell each other’s account balances using P2P apps like PayPal, Cash App, Venmo, Zelle, etc. Since the operator can’t take these kinds of payments directly, the Bovada Voucher option gives established players a bit of welcome flexibility (though it’s sometimes not the most convenient process).
Bovada Bonus Codes for November 2024
As with their banking options, Bovada Bonus offers, and promotions are a double-edged sword. On the one hand, they don’t give players as many free bets or as much free money as some competing operators. On the other, they have the lowest standard rollover rates in the business, making it easier to satisfy wagering requirements to cash out your bonus winnings.
Another negative is that, unlike most online USA gambling sites, Bovada tends to give out bonuses only to new members making their first few deposits. Returning members who expect account reload bonuses won’t find those here all that often, which can turn some players off. You will be provided the current relevant bonus codes in the 'promotions' section of their website or mobile app.
In general, these are the basic Bovada promos you can expect:
- 100% Casino Welcome Bonus – Up To $3000 (25X)
- 125% Bitcoin Casino Welcome Bonus – Up To $3750 (25X)
- 75% Sports Welcome Bonus – Up To $750 (5X)
- 75% Bitcoin Sports Welcome Bonus – Up To $750 (5X)
- 100% Poker Welcome Bonus – Up To $500 (no rollover)
- $200 Refer-A-Friend Bonus
- $275 Bitcoin Refer-A-Friend Bonus
- Rewards Points Membership Program
*All Bitcoin bonuses apply to the site’s other accepted cryptocurrencies (BTC, LTC, ETH). For first-time crypto users who wish to bypass lengthy exchange wait times and buy Bitcoin for immediate use, the Zelle-To-Bitcoin option via LocalBitcoins.com is a good choice.
Bovada Premium Bitcoin-Exclusive Membership
It’s true that Bovada doesn’t offer account reload bonuses like most other major gambling sites, but you can get these if you upgrade your standard membership to the site’s Bitcoin-Exclusive option.
This free membership tier is for players that only deposit with cryptocurrency, and it allows for several weekly deposit perks:
- 50% Deposit Match Bonus – Up To $500
- 25 Free Spins
- 15,000 Rewards Points
Bovada App For Mobile Devices
Bovada's biggest asset is arguably the overall polish of its mobile betting suite. Compared to similar sites, the mobile implementation here is presented like a cutting-edge app, even though it’s 100% browser-based and compatible with all modern devices, from the smallest iPhones and Androids to the biggest iPads and tablets.
All you need to access Bovada Mobile is a device you already use, an up-to-date web browser (Safari, Firefox, Chrome, etc.), and an Internet connection. There’s no geofencing, which means you can bet from anywhere in America, and you have access to all the online casino games, betting odds, poker events, and horse racing lines you get via desktop.
You can also save Bovada's mobile site to your device’s home screen and launch it as a web app so you can log in instantly and bet in seconds.
That said, if you look for Bovada in the App Store or in Google Play, you won’t find a native iPhone gambling app or Android gambling app from the brand. This is due to Apple and Google corporate policies disallowing non-domestic US gambling sites on their digital storefronts.
Bovada User Interface And User Experience
It’s hard not to cheerlead when it comes to Bovada's UI and UX. They have consistently put more time and effort into the presentation of their product than any other brand in the industry, and that shows every time you visit the operator. Navigation is quick and easy, and it’s been optimized for both mouse/keyboard and touchscreen input.
Bovada's website is also organized in a clear, concise way. At some venues, actually finding the games or odds you’re looking for can be a chore, but we’ve never gotten “lost” when browsing all the gambling markets here.
In addition, the site’s color scheme is friendly, tabs and icons are laid out logically, online casino games launch quickly, and sports betting slips can be assembled and submitted in a flash.
No operator makes it easier to gamble safely and responsibly online, and while there are many high-class sites and design schemes out there, Bovada continues to set the standard.
Bovada Security Profile
Bovada’s security profile is definitely a strong point, but it’s no better or worse than any other top-rated online gambling site for US players.
Every vendor we recommend utilizes SSL and TLS encryption as a matter of course, and they all employ industry-standard KYC (Know Your Customer) protocols to ensure that you – and only you – have access to your account, your gambling markets, and your payouts.
Plus, if you fund your bankroll using crypto, you’ll get even more protection in the form of quantum-hacking-resistant blockchain technology, which is great for added peace of mind.
All that said, we’d like to see Bovada take security a bit further by allowing players to gamble while behind a VPN (virtual private network). Currently, you cannot use a VPN when playing at the operator, as this violates the site’s terms of service.
Of course, most sites also disallow VPNs, but there’s a current trend in the space to transition to VPN-friendly gambling options. Hopefully, Bovada will get on board in the near future and give players another crucial layer of Internet privacy and security.
Bovada Customer Support
Bovada’s customer support is responsive and helpful, and they’ve always quickly responded to any questions or issues we’ve had. While those are few and far between, it’s nice to know that a representative will address your concerns and offer effective solutions in a quick, comprehensive way.
You can get in touch with the Bovada help staff via phone, email, and live chat, but we strongly recommend the latter, as it’s the fastest and most convenient option.
- Bovada Phone Number: 888-263-0000
- Bovada Email Address: service@bovada.lv
- Bovada Live Chat: On-Site, 24/7