Bovada is a brand that is derived from a very well-known brand, called Bodog. The new casino has been established in 2011 and it’s one of a limited number that offer access to players based in United States. On the other hand, it doesn’t allow players from countries like United Kingdom or Canada. The company operates on the RTG platform, offering their games along with others from Rival Gaming and Betsoft.
The Bovada site is translated into English, along with Chinese, Portuguese and Spanish, covering a lot of potential countries, though in this area there would be room for improvement. That same site is encrypted with 128-bit SSL technology, making sure that the connection is secure and the private data you send them doesn’t fall into bad hands.
In this review, we are covering the Casino section of the Bovada site, but like a lot of other big brands, they offer other types of gambling as well. Sports Betting, Poker and Horse Racing are the three others.
Software & Games
Three major developers are providing Bovada with content. RTG (Realtime Gaming) is the main one, with Betsoft and Rival offering slot machines as well. Look to the left side, to find the sub-categories that are associated with the Casino. In the menu, you will find Blackjack, Table Games, Slots, Video Poker, Specialty Games and Live Dealer.
Some of those categories are much better populated than others, but overall the selection is pretty good. You get 9 variants of Blackjack, 22 Table Games (Pai Gow, Tri Card Poker, Roulette, Craps, Baccarat, Blackjack, to mention some of them), 17 Video Poker, 22 Specialty Games (Keno, Bingo, scratch cards, Sudoku) and hundreds of slot machines.
The Live Dealer section is there, but it’s not a big focus for them. There are four games to choose from, with the options being Super 6, Roulette, Baccarat and Blackjack.
As for the slot machines, the ones that are likely to keep you occupied, those feature the most variety thanks to the possibility of using different themes, features and layouts. Whether you’re looking to go after a progressive jackpot in Ancient Egypt (A Night With Cleo), to watch fast cars (Fast & Sexy) or to visit Ancient Rome (Caesar’s Empire), there are a lot of different games for you to try out. The companies providing Bovada with its games are all well known and appreciated for the quality of their slots.
Bovada Casino Bonuses
Every major section of Bovada’s site benefits from some kind of welcome bonus, adapted to the player’s needs, and two of the best ones are available to those that sign-up and deposit for the Casino. The users relying on regular currencies get a welcome bonus of up to $3,000, redeemable over the course of three deposits. Each time, you get up to $1,000, with a match of the amount you deposit of 100%.
The bonus for players that use Bitcoin is even better. It’s a 150% match in that case, of up to $1,500 for each deposit. You can use the promotion three times, for a total amount of $4,500 that is usable in the casino section.
It doesn’t even stop there. Get inside, to discover more weekly promotions, to get the ability to refer friends and get rewards for it and to get points in exchange for placing wagers.
Banking Options
The two currencies accepted at Bovada Casino are the US Dollar and the Bitcoin. The use of the latter is standard, so we’ll take a look at the payment options available to you if you prefer using the US Dollar.
As a casino that is accessible to US players, the options are understandably limited when it comes to ways to deposit. Players that want to use a regular currency can only rely on their credit cards to deposit at Bovada Casino. The first deposit doesn’t have any fees attached, but the ones after that will get a 5.9% fee if they’re on Visa or Mastercard, or 9.9% for Amex.
The withdrawals aren’t looking a lot better either for the players that use US Dollars. You have one free withdrawal to make, every 90 days. If you want to withdraw again within that period, you have to pay a $100 processing fee.
Bitcoin on the other hand doesn’t have the same problems at Bovada. There are no fees associated with this cryptocurrency, so you can deposit or withdraw without losing some of your money in the process. It’s clear what Bovada would prefer you use.
Conclusion
Bovada has a lot of good things going for it, the game area and the promotions that are offered being huge reasons to try them out. On the other hand, if you’re not into cryptocurrency, you might want to start learning about it, as Bovada gives you clear advantages for using Bitcoin.