Updated February 1, 2024By Chris Boline

Bovada Sportsbook Review

We have combed through the Bovada sportsbook and subjected it to our detailed, systematic review process. Here we will also guide you through navigating their site. Find out how Bovada fared when our experts took a look.

Editor’s rating

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Why I Like Bovada

The Bovada sportsbook has the lion’s share of American online sports bettors. It has simple signup and deposit processes, and their bonuses are generous and the whole betting experience is streamlined

Their odds and betting opportunities run the gamut. Bovada sports betting includes major and obscure sports – you can also wager on a wide range of political bets.

It doesn’t matter if you are browsing the mobile site or the desktop version, Bovada will always give you the best betting experience in the USA. So, let’s dig deeper into our Bovada review.

Welcome Bonuses at Bovada

Sportsbook
Bonus
Code
Value
50%
BVD1000
$1,000
Bitcoin Sportsbook
Bonus
Code
Value
75%
BTCSWB750
$750
Casino
Bonus
Code
Value
100%
NEWWELCOME
$1000
Bitcoin Casino
Bonus
Code
Value
125%
BTCCWB1250
$1250
Poker
Bonus
Code
Value
100%
PWB500
$500
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50% Sign Up Bonus – Up to $1,000 (promo code ”BVD1000”)

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Our Review

Bovada Key Facts

  • HQ

    Costa Rica

    LAUNCH DATE

    2011

    HOW MANY PLAYERS

    10.000+

    WHERE IS IT AVAILABLE

    All states except DE, MD, NJ, NV.

    CASINO

    Blackjack, Table Games, Slots, Video Poker, Bingo

    SPORTSBOOK

    Baseball, Basketball, Boxing, Cricket, Cycling, Darts, Entertainment, eSports, Football, Futsal, Golf, Hockey, Horse racing, Motorsports, Numbers Game…

    VIP PROGRAMME

    Yes – it’s called Red Room

    Show more payment methods

How to sign up to Bovada Sportsbooks?

It’s fast and easy at Bovada

The account creation process here was truly excellent. Secure, simple and straightforward.

Sign up flow

After entering my basic information, they sent a code in a text message to confirm my phone number. I was also asked to create a PIN that is used again to confirm withdrawals. So, be sure to have that ready. 

After creating your PIN, they redirect you to the bonus page. From here it is easy to choose the bonus you want. It’s a good idea to know which is the best one for you. 

However, don’t worry if you’re not ready. These bonuses will still be there when you come back to them. Plus, Bovada will send you a welcome email with all their casino and sportsbook bonuses in the United States. 

Signing up here strikes the right balance between security and convenience.

Is Bovada.lv available in all US states?

The short answer is no.

While Bovada.lv is a totally legit online betting site, it’s not available for all US players. If you are in the USA, you need to check if Bovada is available in your state. The states where Bovada is not available are New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware and Nevada. 

If you reside in Delaware, Maryland or Nevada, we recommend that you sign up with BetOnline instead. 

In the rest of the country including big states New York, California, Illinois and Texas, Bovada is our top recommended online gaming site for all US players. 

Bovada likes Bitcoin. These days, nearly all top bookmakers offer cryptocurrencies like bitcoin and bitcoin cash, as well as others, which you'll find in this Bovada review. In Canada, Interac e-transfers are available because they have the highest success rate, but in the USA, Interac e-transfers are not available.

Bovada bonuses and promotions

Get more with Bitcoin

Welcome bonuses help new accounts get a head start on their winnings. It is basically free money, real money. Let’s take a look at how to play the game and get extra bucks.

Bovada offers three main welcome bonuses.

These bonuses grow by a lot if you deposit with Bitcoin. For example, instead of a 50% match, it grows to 75%, with the maximum reward tripling! You also have to enter the correct bonus code at the time of your first deposit. See the chart below.

As usual, the casino welcome bonuses are the most generous.

Bonus NameMatchMax bonusBonus code
Casino100%$1000NEWWELCOME (1st deposit)
BV2NDCWB (2nd and 3rd dep.)
Sportsbook50%$1,000BVD1000
BTC Casino125%3 x $1250BTCCWB1250
BTC2NDCWB (2nd and 3rd dep.)
BTC Sportsbook75%$750BTCSWB750
Poker100%$500PWB500

More promotions

Other promotions include 'Refer a Bitcoin Player'

Bovada offers different welcome promotions for their casino or sportsbook. You also get a boost if you use Bitcoin. Their refer-a-friend bonus also gets a Bitcoin boost.

Bovada Promotions
Bovada's Bitcoin promotions offer HUGE rewards

When you refer a friend using your special link, you get 200% of their first deposit. You can find this link by going to promotions, then clicking on the refer-a-friend bonus. If they deposit with Bitcoin, you get an extra 25 bucks. 

We recommend US players use Bitcoin because the Bitcoin sign-up promo is super juicy. The normal sportsbook match bonus is 50% up to $1,000, but the Bitcoin sportsbook deposit bonus is 750% up to $750! For the online casino side, if you use Bitcoin, you’ll get a staggering 125% match bonus up to $1250!

Remember that when you are thinking of bankroll management, sign-up promos come with rollover requirements. This means that in case you win, you will need to do some additional wagering before the payout option becomes available. The rollover requirements are much higher for casino games than they are for sports betting or table games like baccarat. In casino you typically see around 30x rollovers whereas in the sportsbook you are more likely to see a 5x rollover.

If you don't like rollover requirements, we suggest you only make real money bets so you can cashout when you want.

Bovada.lv has a rewards program with different tiers - or levels. You can exchange rewards Tier Points for bonuses in a sort of a cash back way - the higher the level, the bigger the bonuses.

Bovada Deposit and Withdrawal Methods

Bitcoin deposits are cheap and easy

Depositing was very easy. It took 36 minutes for the BTC to arrive in my account.

Deposit Flow

Once you click on the red Deposit button, you will be able to choose your bonus. The more generous bonus is for the casino. Pay attention to the little icons next to each bonus--they’ll tell you where you can wager this extra cash.

You may also want to read the section on Bovada’s welcome bonuses. There are some bonus codes that do not appear in the drop-down menu. 

After selecting the sportsbook bonus, you will see Bovada’s Bitcoin information. Specifically their QR code and their wallet address. FYI Each wallet has multiple addresses, so do not worry if you get a different one next time. 

All of this is a lot easier if you already have your Bitcoin or Bitcoin cash wallet set up. If you don’t yet, hop on over Coinbase. It’s an extremely user-friendly option for anyone new to cryptocurrency. 

Then go to your cryptocurrency wallet and send them money using either the address or QR code they provided. 

Go back to Bovada and hit Done. Then note your deposit reference number while you wait 36 minutes (approximately) for your funds to arrive. You can complete this same process using Ethereum, Litecoin, or Bitcoin SV instead of Bitcoin.

Then you can start playing! 

Credit card deposits are also available, but remember that you can't cashout money using credit cards.

Withdrawals

Withdrawing Winnings with Bitcoin

Bovada is very generous with Bitcoin withdrawals. It is one of the biggest benefits of making deposits with Bitcoin, as this will allow you to withdraw to your same Bitcoin wallet.

The maximum amount in a single Bitcoin withdrawal is 1.5 BTC. This typically converts to roughly $13-15K. You can withdraw again in 5 days. That's not ideal, we know, but most operators will require you to wait a couple of business days to make a new Bitcoin withdrawal.

Bitcoin withdrawals are super speedy at Bovada. These fast payouts take only fifteen minutes once you supply them with your Bitcoin wallet address and initiate the withdrawal process. You can also withdrawal using Ehtereum, Litecoin, and Bitcoin SV, if those are the cryptos you wish to have.

Credit Card Withdrawal

Bovada does not offer credit card withdrawals so you can't cash out funds by using Visa, Mastercard, or American Express. Bitcoin remains a great option for all transactions at Bovada. It is far and above the method we recommend.

If you have any doubts regarding cashouts, you can contact Bovada's customer support and they will be happy to find the most suitable method for you.

Placing a Bet at Bovada

It's super easy

Like the rest of Bovada’s sports betting site, placing a bet here is intuitive and convenient. The odds are clear, and you can see your potential winnings updated as you adjust your wager. It has been marvelous betting with Bovada. 

  1. From Bovada’s homepage, click sports. Here you have todays' events at the top
  2. Specific matches and odds are at the bottom, organized by sport in collapsable menus
  3. If you do not know which exact match you want, select a sport
  4. You can then filter by type of bet
  5. Click on the odds you want to wager. Not on the team, but the odds
  6. In the bottom right corner of your mobile screen, you can click Bet Slip when you have selected your bets
  7. Then you input your risk. I love this part. It’s where you decide how much you want to win! They calculate your potential winnings.
  8. Review and confirm the bet. You can keep track of them in the Open Bets tab

You can bet on NFL, NBA, NHL, UFC and all other major sports leagues at Bovada. Below we introduce some of the most popular betting sections at Bovada.

NBA

NBA Betting is Hot

The NBA is one of sports betting’s most exciting leagues. Bovada understands this and offers bountiful NBA betting markets.

The NBA is a great place to place over/under bets, as it is a high-scoring league. Bovada futures here include the Championship winner, as well as the winner of the Eastern and Western Conferences. 

Golf

US Open leads Golf Betting at Bovada

Bovada offers plenty of US Open betting. For months before the competition, you will be able to find futures. Remember these types of bets will require a different type of strategy.

As the competition nears, expect to see lines and props as well. Bovada knows that the US Open is an important event for their bettors.

Football

Big NFL Betting Markets

You can find lots of NFL bets all year-round at Bovada. When the Super Bowl ends, you will already be able to bet on next year’s winner. This is a great site for NFL fans. 

Their markets are extensive for this popular sports league. They include all bet types, covering nearly every game of the season. 

Look out for great Super Bowl prop bets to show up once the final two teams are confirmed.

Baseball

MLB Bets Galore

Bovada offers huge MLB markets as well. Here you can bet on individual games, or series winners. 

Their ever-present futures bets include World Series Champion and the winner of the pennants for the American and National Leagues. 

Politics

Politics Betting is Quirky and Complete at Bovada

Politics betting at the Bovada sportsbook gets into the small, and sometimes dirty, details of national and international politics. 

The bets ask big questions like which party will win the US Presidential Election. But they also get specific, with bets on who will win each state’s electoral votes.

Bovada Sportsbook Reviewiphone

US politics dominates political betting at Bovada

Bovada keeps up-to-date odds and adds new timely bets as things change. These can be really fun! We have seen quirky bets on whether or not coronavirus would delay the US elections, or if Trump would pardon Joe “Tiger King” Exotic. 

The bets here are wide-ranging, up-to-date, and creative.

esports

eSports Bets Include Lines, Spreads, and Parlays

Bovada is a great sportsbook to place eSports bets

The eSports page at Bovada is great. It is a truly international sport, with matches being played in East Asia, Europe, and North America. You have bets you can place all day. 

And with over 150 potential wagers at the time of this writing, they have it all. Their selection includes two CS:GO leagues, League of Legends, Dota2, Starcraft, King of Glory, and others. 

They offer moneyline and point spread bets. The odds are very legible. 

Virtual sports

Virtual Sports betting Simulates Bets with Real Footage

Virtual sports are electronic games meant to imitate sports betting. They are fast-paced and are a good place if you’re looking for quick excitement. 

Bovada provides animations or actual footage from previous events to accompany the virtual events. It can be exciting to watch the motorbikes screech around the corner. Even if the footage is from a different event. 

To turn the graphics on, just hit the triangle “play” button on the right hand side of the screen. You’ll see this once you select any of the virtual sports from the top toolbar. 

At the Bovada virtual sportsbook you can wager on virtual soccer, horses, greyhounds, basketball, motorsports, and even camel racing! 

The matches only last a few minutes. So you can keep the action flowing here.

Live betting

Instant Live Betting Odds

Live betting at Bovada is really convenient and exciting because you can react to events on the field in real time. On the mobile betting version of the website, the live odds are marked by a yellow bar with the word LIVE. On the desktop version, you can click to the live section. 

Bovada Live Betting Screenns Part Oneiphone-placeholder
Live Betting Screenns Part Twoiphone-placeholder

Live Betting at Bovada

Yellow LIVE-tag highlights your live betting lines

What makes these so great is how often they are updated. Every few seconds the numbers change. And Bovada will let you know if the odds are going up or down each time.

Live odds change at Bovada
Live odds change all the time according to events in the match

This way you can keep an eye on the odds and decide to wager if and when the odds fall below a certain number. 

Bovada’s live betting feature comes with a drawback: they do not offer live streaming of the sporting event. You will have to watch match updates somewhere else.

After selecting the wager, just go to your bet slip, choose your risk, and confirm. You can watch it in your “Open Bets” tab.

  1. Click on Sports from the homepage-
  2. Look for odds with a yellow band with LIVE on the left
  3. When odds change, they will go green if they go up, and red if they go down. It’s good to keep track 
  4. Select your bet
  5. Go to the bet slip 
  6. Choose the amount you would like to wager 
  7. Review and confirm bet
  8. Now you can keep track of them in the Open Bets tab

Parlay bets

Fold up to 12 Bets in your Parlay

Parlays are when you fold in a number of bets into one. If you lose any of them, the whole ship sinks. However, if you pull off a lucky streak, the winnings are much larger. 

Placing a parlay at Bovada is very easy and intuitive whether on laptops or mobile devices. It is exactly like placing a regular bet, except instead of selecting just one, you select all the bets you want to fold into your parlay. 

Here’s a step-by-step.

  1. Select the sports section to see all the odds.
  2. Select the odds you want to fold into the parlay. You can choose up to twelve.
  3. Got to the bet slip on the right on the desktop. On the mobile version, it is in the bottom right hand corner
  4. Input your risk only in the parlay section at the bottom. 
  5. Review and confirm bet
  6. Now you can keep track of them in the Open Bets tab

More Betting Options

Casino, poker and more

The Bovada sportsbook is also connected to the casino. Your account here is not just for sports betting, though the bonuses are separate. 

Bovada’s Casino is Extensive

The Bovada casino bonuses are more generous than they are for the sportsbook.  With the code NEWWELCOME you get a 100% matching bonus. Check out more details in our welcome bonus section. 

The casino offers various versions of the following popular games: 

  • Blackjack
  • Other Table Games (craps, roulette, etc)
  • Slots
  • Video Poker
  • Bingo
  • Live dealer

A Great Hand of Poker Promotions

Bovada offers a welcome bonus just for Poker. The other welcome bonuses are not applicable to poker betting. 

With the bonus code PWB500 you will get a 100% match on your first deposit, up to $500. 

You can spend this on any Bovada poker games. And they have a bunch.

With sit-and-go, guaranteed prize tournaments, satellite tournaments, Texas Hold ‘em,  and more, Bovada has the selection you need.

Customer Service

Great FAQS, but no Live-Chat

Bovada’s customer service excels in some areas and falls short in others. Their FAQ section is extensive, even including helpful videos. But they do not have any live chat. 

  1. You can find the link to the help center at the bottom of the homepage. This will take you to the FAQs.
  1. They are a breeze to search. You can also browse by category or check out the top questions. Many of them have videos that I found clarifying. This is truly an exceptional resource.
  2. If any particular explanation does not answer your question, you can click “No” at the bottom of the page. This will open up links to their other customer support resources: Bovada community, live chat, or email. 
  3. Live chat is an automated robot. It did not understand me and kept producing errors. I did get some useful info out of him, but mostly it was a frustrating experience. I’d recommend email. 
  4. When you select email, you are redirected to a contact form on the site. Enter your email address, and ask your question.
  5. The Bovada community is vibrant. You will be asked to create a username to access it.
  6. Once you’re in, you can browse the categories and forums. The community even has grassroots initiatives, such as the voucher marketplace. 

Extras

Videos and robust FAQ section

Bovada offers helpful articles and tips in at least two sections.

  1. The FAQs
  2. The Articles section

In the first, you can use the search to quickly find what you’re looking for. Here you will even find basic strategies for things like poker. 

The articles section (you can find it by clicking in the three-bar menu in the upper right hand corner) has more in-depth and current advice. Here you’ll find tips on the 10 best NFL bets this week, or parlay betting for the Stanley Cup. 

These articles are great, but I would like to be able to organize them. If I could see all the football articles, or all the parlay articles, I would be in heaven. For now, they are organized by default by when they were published. 

Emails

Emails from Bovada - Just the Right Amount

The Bovada promotion emails in the months that I have had my account have been pleasant. They send an email now and then reminding me of their bonus offers. They are not interested in spamming you. Just friendly reminders.

Bovada Welcome Screeniphone

You can expect a welcome email with bonuses and best bets for today

Live streaming

Live streaming is not available

Live streaming is not offered by Bovada at this point. This is the biggest drawback of this sportsbook.

Bovada is the standard in the industry in many respects. But if you want to place live bets while streaming the sporting event in the same website, you will have to go elsewhere

VPN

Playing with a VPN is easy

For when you find yourself out of your home state or country, and you would like to access your account, you can use a VPN here at Bovada. 

I used the free version of ProtonVPN, and it was fairly easy. It is available for Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, and Android. You can find it in the app stores or from their website. 

Just sign up by entering your account information, and verifying either your phone number or email. Then choose your location, and you can sign in as normal into Bovada.

VPN Flow

Conclusion

Bovada is great for almost everyone

Bovada is the king; In terms of market share, no one comes close. 

They offer easy and secure access for new users. And great bonuses to boot! 

They also offer higher-level features to keep the more experienced bettor having fun in the long run. Their odds are extensive and up to date. They also have a VIP room for those looking for the royal treatment.

True, the Bovada sportsbook lacks a live chat and live streaming. If these are deal breakers for you, then you have lots of great options. 

If these are not red lines for you, then Bovada is an exceptional online sports betting site that will take care of you as a newcomer or as an expert

Bovada Sportsbook Review

If you want quality, go with Bovada.

Editor's rating

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Bovada Sportsbook FAQs

Can I bet using cryptocurrency at Bovada?

At Bovada there is a range of cryptocurrency deposit and withdrawal options, these include Bitcoin, Ethereum, Bitcoin Cash, and Litecoin.

When was Bovada founded?

As one of the more established bookmakers in the world, Bovada has been on the scene for some time now first founded in 1997.

Where is Bovada based?

Bovada is a legal online sportsbook, racebook, casino, and poker room operated out of Mohawk Territory of Kahnawake, Canada.

Is the Bovada welcome bonus worth it?

It certainly is, as we detailed above, it's a fairly chunky amount of money to boost players as they begin betting with this provider.

What other promotions are available at Bovada?

Bovada has a range of promotions that run throughout the year, many of which follow sports seasons. Seasonal bonuses are great, but be sure to keep checking back with the bookmaker for the latest details.