The answer is most likely no, but the transfer of money from offshore sportsbooks to your bank account is illegal. To answer the question in it’s simplest form, in the process of you depositing, betting, and withdrawing money from Bovada is breaking US law. Bovada is legal in the US because the company adheres to all rules and restriction laws that pertain to the US. However, one thing to keep in mind is that the US states have their own individual laws towards gambling. These states include Maryland and New Jersey which are excluded from Bovada’s services.
An extension of the infamous Bodog brand, Bovada has established themselves as one of the leading online casinos catering towards US players.
Established in 2007, Bovada has striven to provide a safe environment for US players to enjoy gambling online with Casino, Sportsbook and Poker options.
Is Bovada Legit?
We can say unequivocally that Bovada is a legitimate operation and is safe to play at for US residents. Do a quick search on any forum or reddit and you’ll find that their overall reputation is very positive.
As with any business, there are going to be instances where customers run into particular problems but for the most part, Bovada has an excellent support team that does its best to resolve any issue.
In fact we are supremely confident in Bovada’s ability to provide a professional service that they allow us to mediate the process if anyone clicks through from Blackjackinfo and runs into any problem.
Is Bovada Legal?
Bovada has operated as an online casino to US players for many years as there is no federal law against online gambling which some people get confused with when trying to interpret the UIGEA.
For further information about the US law with regards to online gambling, please refer to our article here.
They do however state in their terms of service that they prohibit players from Delaware, Maryland, New York, New Jersey and Nevada
The Good
- Bovada provides great gaming diversity, customer support coupled with stellar user friendly software that supports all mobile devices.
- Whilst we focus on Blackjack and the casino side of gaming, Bovada also provides Sportsbook and Poker options giving you the option to mix things up if you like.
- One of the first casinos to adapt to the cryptocurrency market, their ability to provide Bitcoin as a banking method shows they are at the forefront of trying to provide the best service they can to US residents.
- They are also able to provide the live dealer experience (for both desktop and mobile) which is extremely rare for any US facing casino.
The Bad
- While Bovada services most of the US, they do prohibit players from Nevada, Maryland, New York, New Jersey and Delaware which should be shown more prominently on their website.
- Bovada has extremely limited withdrawal options which makes it rather troublesome if you don’t feel comfortable utilizing Bitcoin.
- The potential deposit/withdrawal fees when using a credit card are also a big turn off however if you can manage to use Bitcoin instead then these issues no longer become an issue as detailed below.
Deposit Options
Depositing with Visa/MasterCard/American Express
Deposits can be made with Visa, MasterCard or American Express HOWEVER you should be aware that there are no fees ONLY on your first deposit.
Every subsequent deposit comes with a fee of 5.9% if you are using Visa or MasterCard. American Express is even worse and comes with a whopping 9.9% fee on every subsequent deposit.
The minimum deposit amount is $20 and the maximum deposit amount is $1,500
Depositing to Bovada via Gift Card
If you do decide to use a Gift Card be wary that it may not work 100% of the time due to possible restrictions. Any card that states it is for use in a domestic capacity or within the US only won’t work.
It MUST be good for online and international purchases and is subject to the same Visa/MasterCard fees mentioned above.
Depositing to Bovada via Bitcoin
This is THE best way to make a deposit to Bovada because there are no fees whatsoever when using Bitcoin. It is actually the best to deposit at ANY casino for US residents.
If you do not have access to Bitcoin or are a bit unsure of how to go about converting USD to bitcoin, you can read a comprehensive guide here.
The minimum deposit amount is $10 and the maximum deposit amount is $5,000
Summary
| Payment Method | Fees on First Deposit | Fees on Subsequent Deposits | Minimum Deposit | Maximum Deposit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Visa/MasterCard | Free | 5.9% | $20 | $1,500 |
| American Express | Free | 9.9% | $20 | $1,500 |
| Bitcoin | Free | Free | $10 | $5,000 |
Bovada Withdrawal Options
There are only 2 withdrawal methods available which is by Bitcoin or Check via courier. Withdrawal requests generally take up to 48 hours to process.
Withdrawal via Check
After the withdrawal request has been approved, it will take roughly 10-15 business days to receive the Check via courier. Also note that Bovada prohibits sending Checks to P.O Boxes, military addresses or addresses that contain a business name or company name.
There are no fees associated with the first request every 90 days however any subsequent request within the same period will incur a fee of $100.
There is also a minimal withdrawal limit of $100 and a maximum withdrawal limit of $3,000 once every 7 days.
Withdrawal From Bovada via Bitcoin
When withdrawing via Bitcoin, it takes only 15 minutes for the funds to reach your account but please be wary that you should ALWAYS withdraw into a wallet and not into an exchange. This is detailed in our guide here.
There are no fees when withdrawing from Bovada via Bitcoin and there is a minimum withdrawal limit of $10 and a maximum withdrawal limit of $9,500 every 3 days.
ID Validation
All withdrawal requests will require a validation of your identity which involves completing a Credit Card Verification Agreement.
Summary
As you can see there are much less hassles and hoops to jump through if you use Bitcoin. It’s significantly faster, has less potential fees and is more secure coupled with a very low minimum withdrawal limit.
| Payment Method | Fees on First Withdrawal | Fees on Withdrawals within same Month | Time to Delivery | Minimum Limit | Maximum Limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Check | Free | $50 | 10-15 Business Days | $100 | $3,000 |
| Bitcoin | Free | Free | 15 Minutes | $10 | $9,500 |
Software and Game Diversity
Bovada uses a combination of software providers including Visionary iGaming, Rival, Real Time Gaming, Revolver Gaming and Maiktone Gaming to provide as comprehensive a library as possible for their US customers.
Their current catalogue consists of:
- 17 Table Games
- 9 RNG Blackjack Games
- 201 Slots
- 17 Video Poker Games
- 22 Specialty Games
- Live Casino Games – Blackjack, Roulette, Baccarat, Super 6
Live Blackjack Variations
Blackjack HD
Bovada currently have 6 tables for Blackjack which have 7 seats each with varying betting ranges from:
- $10 – $500
- $15 – $750
- $25 – $1,000
- $100 – $2,500
The rules for each table are:
- Total Decks – 6
- Blackjack Pays 3:2
- Insurance Pays 2:1
- Dealer Hit on Soft 17
- Surrender First Two Cards if Dealer Does Not Have BJ
- Double Any Two Cards
- Split Aces Receive One Card Only
- No Re-split
- Maximum 3 Seats per Players
Side bets are also available:
- Pairs pays – 11:1
- Rummy pays – 9:1
If we use the strategy engine, the house edge of this blackjack variation comes to about 0.58%
Blackjack Early Payout
This is one of the more recent additions to Bovada which has a slightly different take on the traditional Blackjack which is faster paced and offers the option to play up to 3 hands at once.
The reason why it’s fast paced is because it offers to play the hand automatically for you based of basic blackjack strategy (you can of course choose a different action if you want).
The other unique part of this game is the “Early Payout” option which is like surrender in normal blackjack and is calculated by the average outcome of your hand against the dealer’s hand.
The rules are as follows:
- Total Decks – 6
- No Peek
- Deal Hits on Soft 17
- No resplitting allowed
- Double on any 2 cards
- Insurance pays 2:1
Side bets are also available:
- Pairs pays – 11:1
- Rummy pays – 9:1
The house edge of this Early Payout Blackjack variation comes to about 0.69% if we input the rules into the basic strategy engine.
RNG Blackjack Variations
Bovada currently provides 9 RNG blackjack variations which have the following rules and house edge
| Blackjack Variation | BJ Pays | Soft 17 | Double | Re-Split Aces | Surrender | Total Decks | House Edge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blackjack | 3:2 | Hit | Any 2 | No | No | 6 | 0.54% |
| Double Deck Blackjack | 3:2 | Stand | Any 2 | No | No | 2 | 0.20% |
| European Blackjack | 3:2 | Stand | 9 to 11 | No | No | 6 | 0.75% |
| Perfect Pairs Blackjack | 3:2 | Hit | Any 2 | No | No | 6 | 0.54% |
| Single Deck Blackjack | 3:2 | Hit | Any 2 | No | No | 1 | 0.19% |
| Zappit Blackjack | 3:2 | Hit | Any 2 | No | No | 6 | 1.15% |
Bovada’s Bonus Options
Bovada currently offer 4 different promotions. Let’s break them down to see if they’re worth claiming or not:
$5,000 Bitcoin Bonus
Technically, it’s multiple bonuses that are available to be claimed for both their Sports and Casino offerings which add up to $5,000.
Sports being a once off 50% match bonus up to $500 and Casino being a 150% match bonus up to $1,500 which can be redeemed 3 times.
Bovada’s Casino Bitcoin Bonus
Using the code BVCBITCOIN150, Bovada provide a bonus of 150% up to $1,500 which can be redeemed 3 times but is it worth claiming? Let’s go over the wage requirements:
For those new to casinos, every bonus comes with a wage requirement caveat that states how much the player must wager before they can withdraw any bonus. This is usually found in the terms and conditions of a site.
The wage requirement for this bonus is 25x the deposit plus bonus amount. So hypothetically if you were to opt in for the maximum bonus amount of $1,500 you would have to deposit $1,000 and your wage requirement would be 25 x (1,000 + 2,500) which is $75,000. Pretty hefty requirement and worst of all, live blackjack doesn’t contribute to the wage requirement at all and any form of RNG blackjack contributes anywhere between 5%-10% only.
Unless you’re willing to grind it out playing slots, the bonus just isn’t worth it because it would take a whopping $750,000 worth of wagering to clear it by playing their highest house edged RNG blackjack games.
The wage requirements contribution for each game is:
Casino GameWR Contribution Percentage
| Slots, Specialty Games | 100% |
| Table Games | 20% |
| Video Poker & Blackjack (unless stated otherwise) | 10% |
| Single Deck & Double Deck Blackjack, Roulette, Baccarat | 5% |
| Craps & Live Dealer | 0% |
Bovada’s Sportsbook Bitcoin Bonus
By using the code BVSBITCOIN50, Bovada offer a Sportsbook bonus of 50% up to $500.
So to receive the maximum bonus you would have to deposit $1,000 and the rollover requirement is 5x the initial deposit + bonus ($5,000). Rollover is defined by the lesser of the risk on winning wagers and the risk amount for losing wagers.
So for example if you were to wager $50 to win $25 and won, then $25 would contribute to the rollover requirement. If you were to lose this same bet then $50 would contribute to the rollover requirement.
Underdogchance.com has a decent guide on how to grind it out by constantly betting on events with odds of -110.
$3,000 Casino Welcome Bonus and $250 Sports Welcome Bonus
If you choose not to use Bitcoin, you can claim a casino match bonus of 100% up to $1,000 and a sportsbook match bonus of 50% up to $250.
These are pretty much the same as the Bitcoin bonuses and have the same wage requirement criteria but with different maximum bonus amounts.
Bovada’s 100% up to $500 Poker Bonus
If you’re interest is in Poker then this one’s worth claiming and is released into your account based off how many “Poker Points” you accrue. These are accrued based off how much rake you contribute as you play:
Rake ContributedPoker Points
| $1 – $4 | 1 |
| $0.50 – $0.99 | 0.50 |
| $0.25 – $0.49 | 0.25 |
| $0.05 – $0.24 | 0.10 |
| $0.01 – $0.04 | 0.05 |
As you build up your Poker Points amount, the bonus is released into your account with no rollover required
LevelPoker PointsBonus Released
| 1 | 15 | $5 |
| 2 | 85 | $20 |
| 3 | 185 | $25 |
| 4 | 500 | $50 |
| 5 | 1,500 | $150 |
| 6 | 5,000 | $250 |
Support Details
Bovada prides itself on its level of customer service. You can contact them via phone at:
1-888-263-0000
You can also contact them via online submission form as well as email at [email protected]
You would think a response might take a while via the online route, but the site is dedicated to replying within a four hour window which is great considering the popularity of the site.
Conclusion
In conclusion we highly recommend using Bovada if you are are from the US and looking to gamble online. They have a long standing positive reputation and have been providing an exceptional service for over a decade.
Is Bovada Legal In Ny
The biggest issue is sorting out how to utilize Bitcoin instead of standard fiat currency but once you do that, the experience is quite seamless and you’ll be able to enjoy Bovada’s services without any issues.
Is Bovada legit? I took my time, did a lot of research, I looked into a lot of Bovada review sites for a different point of view. From what I see, is Bovada legit? Yes! They do not use multiple forms of currency to operate their online gambling site. One of their currencies is cryptocurrency. Bitcoin. That’s how they operate.
I have done a lot of Bovada reviews and based on a lot of input from other gamblers online. Is Bovada safe? From what I can see and safe? Is Bovada legit? As I reviewed over the Internet, I haven’t seen any problems from any of the players associated with their online gambling site. These sites give people from all over the world an opportunity to make hundreds, if not thousands of dollars gambling online.
With the changes that have taken place in Las Vegas and other places around the globe, this is the place to be for your online gambling. As the world continues to change and move to different currencies, bitcoin will continue to grow as a standard of currency for online gamblers. It’s not something that most contemporaries are using, but it will be the currency of the future for online gamblers. There are a lot of restrictions in different countries across the world, to that effect, in regards to the use of cryptocurrency.
Based on my Bovada review and their online casino for real money gambling platform, will continue to give, you the user, the ability to make hundreds, if not thousands of dollars daily, using their gambling site. This Bovada review is based on sound understanding gambling and how it is conducted by the company. I can go on and on and on about the many benefits of using their site and Bovada reviews, as it relates to online gaming, because of its legitimacy from what I see globally.
Is Bovada Legal To Bet On From California
People in the United States are beginning to get caught up as well. They are being brought up to speed to the different forms of gambling, globally, that provides them the best and legitimate ways to make a fair and honest profit online. I have seen a lot of reviews from the United States to Canada and other countries as well. From what I have seen, to answer the question. Is the site safe? Yes, fair and legitimate.
Funnily enough, people actually look up Bravado betting when searching for this casino.
If you looking for a great place to gamble, you can’t go wrong with Bovada. Thousands of people set up a Bovada account every week. I have made a few dollars as well, from their gambling site. The company provides bonus codes to its winners as well. Bovada bonus code is given to winners and is safe to use. Hands-down. Is Bovada legit? So if you asked me, is Bovada safe? My answer, without a doubt to you is yes.
Get the best Bovada bonus code.
This review is from a person who has read numerous reports on their site and I highly recommend it to anyone from around the world. This company is at the threshold of taking over the online gaming industry. Why? Because of bitcoin. As bitcoin continues to grow globally as a currency, most people prefer this as their online currency. They have positioned themselves to capitalize on this growth.
The United States is one of the largest gambling institutions on the planet. The United States, in my point of view, is the gambling capital of the world. You should embrace this site as the leading gambling site in the world. If you are looking to gamble online, look no further than this website for all your gambling needs. Safe and legit. Enjoy your gambling.