Bovada
Bovada (Bodog) - general information
The online sportsbook market is a pretty crowded one, which makes it difficult for bettors to find a good quality online bookmaker, moreover one perfectly suitable for their level of play. Howtobet.net hopes to be of help with this sportsbook review of one of the most popular US facing operations. A lot of effort has gone into building one of the most comprehensive sportsbook review sections online. We trust it will find you well.
Bodog the brand
Bodog sportsbook is a recognizable brand within the industry, always getting the attention of the public. Bodog has built a wide range of ventures around their betting business. Bodog Fight, the Bodog Poker network and even a Bodog coffee operation are up and running at this very moment. The founder, and bad boy Calvin Ayre has built a badass brand with focus on fast cars, sexy women and the dream of Klondyke.
Where is Bodog licensed?
The european business is licensed in UK as well as Antigua and Barbuda. The United Kingdom’s Department of Culture, Media and Sport have designated and recognized Antigua and Barbuda as a trusted, highly-regulated “white listed” jurisdiction effective Nov. 3, 2008. The Bovada brand holds it license in Kahnawake, and their Asian facing operation is licensed out of the Phillipines.
Financial Matters regarding the Bodog sportsbook
When it comes to making financial data available bookmakers are usually split into three categories or groups, the companies that are listed on the stock exchange , those that are privately owned but make financial reports available to the public, and the third group made up of companies that do not share public any financial status information.
The Bodog group does not provide financial detail. The financial matters are a very important aspect for bettors when they are considering a sportsbook and, even though Bodog has had some issues regarding slow payments around 2008 due to authority crack down on gaming, they have ever since made a lot of efforts to correct those problems. Presently Bodog ranks among the fastest sportsbooks when it comes to payments. They accept several account currencies, such as EUR , GBP , USD and ZAR. Howtobet.net has no reason to believe the Bodog/Bovada operation isn't a healthy one, and we can't state such a thing without real evidence in a sportsbook review. As things are right now with expansion in Asia and Europe it doesn't look at all like a cashstrapped brand at least.
Website performance and Usability of the Bodog
The website is probably one of the main reasons for which Bodog has the reputation that it does, as it meets the highest of standards. The design is stylish, black coloured and has great imagery incorporated. It is very easy to navigate and makes use of dropdown menus, all headlines and images being straightforward and to the point. The depository system of the Bodog website is fast and facile, the accounts being updated instantly. The website has this great feature, called the Bodog Beat, which helps users with their sports picks.
The Bodog uses a proprietary software, with a high level of server security, having a 1024 bit key SSL encryption. The website performance has been in the top percentage recently and the reliability of the site has been excellent in the past years. There is one other mentionable feature, that is the range of languages provided, English, French, Spanish and Chinese.
The Bodog Customer Service
The fun and exciting overall betting experience mentioned above has very much to do with the Bodog customer service, which is really helpful and diplomatic. Bodog successfully survived the 2008 set back greatly relying on their customer support, which kept spirits calm and appease. It really says a lot about this service that they were able to handle it so well. Moreover, Bodog is known to provide the best employee incentives within the industry and as a result the customer support service is of high quality. If we would rate this point in this sportsbook review, Bodog would score very well.
You can contact the Bodog team either by phone or via email, but bettors also have the option of live chat on Bodog.
Accepted Payment Methods at Bodog
You have many deposit methods available on Bodog and the best part is that there are no fees for any of them. Some of them are only for non-US customers, such as Click2Pay, NETeller, Moneybookers, Speedcard or Paysafe Card and they also benefit from immediate funds transfer. Bettor from the US can choose from eWalletXpress, Credit Cards deposits and Virtual Pin. Although there is no cost for depositing money with Bodog, if you want to make a withdrawal before placing any bets, some fees may be applicable.
In regard to the withdrawal methods, Bodog offers various options here also, from NETeller, Moneybookers, Credit Card and Click2Pay for non-US customers, to Check by Courier for the US customers, with the condition of having a physical address, as no PO Box deliveries are accepted. Bodog provides the strong benefit of covering all payout fees, as long as there is one every calendar month, and all the additional withdrawals have a $40 fee.
How to place a bet at Bodog
The Bodog sportsbook makes it very easy and hassle free for bettors to place their wagers on their website. This ease of access and betting experience is probably one of the main reason for which the sportsbook is highly appreciated by casual players. The process, although very smooth in its entirety, does not follow the rule of click to bet, click to confirm like many other sportsbooks within the industry. The Bodog betting process is somewhat differently designed. Once you've entered the website you can find the lines display to your left side, where you can choose from the variety of sports that it offers. After you have made your choice, the website will display the full lines in the center of the page. The thing is that after you have picked a bet, you will have to go to a different page to confirm it. However, you have your betting ticket on the right side of the page, showing all of your selections, making it very easy to follow. There is also a new pop up window for live betting, where you get to choose from a whole new set of actions.
On the whole, the entire look and feel of the Bodog website is very clean and fresh. Yes, you may have to click a few more times than what would be optimal, but the overview is great and all information is nicely laid out, which is a great help.
Bovada (Bodog) - betting markets
Bodog offers variety
For top score in our sportsbook review variety in betting offers and markets as well as a very low vig are key.
The variety of the betting markets makes the Bodog sportsbook a really fun and exciting place for both experienced and novice bettors. Most sports and markets you can think of are covered. From all major North American sports and leagues, such as football, baseball, basketball or hockey, to soccer, several different types of martial arts, boxing, tennis, golf and motor sports, be sure to find it. Bodog, now licensed in the UK also provides good odds for that market's favored sports such as cricket, darts, rugby and snooker.
There is a great advantage for those who decide to place their bets with Bodog, as they not only provide you with a large amount of sports and markets in their sportsbook. Bodog also provide the option of online poker tournaments and a wide range of casino games such as Baccarat, BlackJack, Bingo Scratch, Bonus Cards, Caribbean Draw Poker, Caribbean Holdem and Stud Poker, Craps, Double Deck BlackJack, Face-Up 21, Greyhounds Park, Instant Lotto, Jackpot 7, MatchPlay 21, Let'em Ride, Pai Gow Poker, Roulette, Online Slots and Vegas Three Card Rummy.
As you can see, even if you are not the most passionate sports fan, there is still enough to keep you interested and rolling on Bodog. Moreover, it is very easy to place a bet with Bodog, and the entire Bodog betting experience a very fun one given their style, brand and use of images on-site. Once in, Bodog keeps you busy either you like to wager on your favorite sports during seasons or you want to rake in the bucks on a little online poker. If you have a James Bond in you, why not just sit down and enjoy the Bodog online casino games? The best part is that the bookmaker does not cut corners on any of these areas. Sports betting, online casino games or poker – they are all pretty amazing in diversity and implementation.
The vig and betting limits
The vig has been critizised by some professional bettors, but if you look at things from the perspecitve of a leisure punter it is not awful compared to the opposition. Bodog staffed up with experienced betting people when moving into new markets such as Europe and Asia. These new faces have made sure Bodog has turned even more into a leisure punter facing operation. Bodog hasn' been known to offer the highest betting limits of the pack, but now their risk management is pretty much similar to that of most European licensed sportsbooks. You will not win big for very long, let us put it like this. For this sportsbook review; is that a bad thing? Well, it really depends on your betting goals.
Specific Bet types and betting markets
The betting markets covered by Bodog are also quite varied in terms of types of bets. You got your Outright market, where you are able to bet on a team or a player to win an overall competition, like for instance, Italy to win the World Cup or Andy Murray to win the Wimbledon Men's singles. Bodog covers as well the Win, Lose and Draw market (1X2 betting), which is specific to players and teams that are competing against each other. Obviously, in these situations, there would be odds for each player to win, lose or for the match to be a tie. The Handicap market has as purpose to balance the chances of both players or teams to win.
There are several other betting markets that you can find at Bodog, such as the Points spread. A points spread market refers to a certain team or player scoring a number of goals or points in a given match or competition. Then, there is the market of Special bets, which are basically single wagers placed on different outcomes that are not specifically connected to the final score of the event. The Special market is not only applicable to sports events, but also to politics and different other fields and within it you get odds for every possible outcome.