In the US, gambling is over a $160 billion industry. If you're someone who loves to throw the chips down, whether that's in a casino or a virtual gaming room, you're not alone.

There's no bigger name out there than Bovada when it comes to gambling in the US. It's about ten times more popular than any of its competitors, has been in operation for about nine years, and has a veritable mine of different games that you can choose from.

But the internet seems to have a lot of issues with Bovada, prompting the question: is Bovada legit? That's what we're going to look into here today. Specifically, we'll discuss everything you might want to know about this gambling goliath, from the basics behind its development, the games that you can play on it, how to place a bet, and, yes, whether or not it's a legitimate site. Read on to know whether or not this is a place where you want to throw down a bet!

The Basics of Bovada

Before we can answer the question of whether Bovada is a legitimate gambling site or whether it's a scam, it's important to first understand the basics of Bovada. Read on to learn more about this site, its brand, and the games that you can play on it.

What Is Bovada?

Simply put, Bovada is a gambling site that can be accessed from nearly anywhere in the US. States that it can't be accessed from are Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Nevada. This is due to gambling restrictions that exist within these specific areas. People in these areas simply will find themselves unable to register for an account on the site.

Bovada was established in 2011 and is based in Costa Rica. It's a company that stands on its own. However, this hasn't seemed to hurt their profits at all- each month, the site sees around 3.4 million visitors.

Branding and Beyond

One strange thing that many people note about this brand, especially those who question its legitimacy, is that its domain is .lv. This is the internet domain for sites based in Latvia, so why would it be used for a site that a) works nearly exclusively in the states, and b) is based in Costa Rica?

Well, yes, this is quite odd, but the site can also be accessed through a .com domain search. It's possible that the reason that the site is .lv is that this was simply the least expensive domain for them to buy out.

However, it's more likely that it stems back to the fact that their brand also does exist abroad. In other nations than the US, Bovada is branded as something called Bodog. Bodog is accessible in nations outside the US, including Latvia. This domain was likely the one that the company chose to buy.

History and Development

Bovada is simply the US version of Bodog, and it's powered by Bodog. Bodog is the main event. The site began in 1997 as a software development site, Cyberoad, but that ended up failing.

In 1999, Cyberoad bought out a site called eBanx. eBanx was the payment system that had previously allowed credit card owners to fund their purchases on Cyberoad. A lot went into this buyout, but it all stems back to Calvin Ayre, a consultant to both companies.

In any case, Cybroad eventually failed, and it came out that Calvin Ayre had raised the money that Cyberoad had made during his time as a “consultant”. Then after it failed (as he had known it would), a company he Ayre acquired all the assets. This was questionable at best, but it wasn't the first time that similar behavior had been seen from Ayre.

Once this came out, Cybroad broke off entirely from their roots as a software provider and the new executives began to call their gambling site 'Bodog.' They branded as something entirely different than the scandalous Cybroad and launched an online poker game. This eventually led to televised poker series and the development of more games.

They expanded to the US, calling themselves Bovada, and the rest is history!

Types of Games on Bovada

Bovada is widely known for having a huge variety in the games that it offers. However, it's best known for its sports betting and virtual poker rooms. Some sports that you can bet on here include football, baseball, and horse racing. When it comes to poker, you'll have tons of different options for rooms to play in. Each of these rooms offers different additional features and bonuses that you can try for, so players should experiment a bit to see what they like.

There are many other games on Bovada in addition to these. You can also play blackjack, roulette, Baccarat, slots, and many other traditional casino games on the website. Many times, you'll be playing against a CPU, but this isn't your only option. You can choose to enter rooms with live dealers where you play games against others using the website.

These live dealer games are a lot of fun because you'll feel like you're in a real brick-and-mortar casino. You can choose the table limit that you want for any of these games, so it's a sure thing that you'll stay within your budget.

Is Bovada Legit?

Okay, so now that you understand how Bovada works, it's time to get into whether it's a legitimate service or not. Read on to learn about the ways that Bovada works within the law to maximize your payout.

Is the Site Legitimate?

What with the Calvin Ayres controversy, it's only natural that you question whether or not Bovada is a legitimate website. Well, turns out that it definitely is.

First of all, Bovada has been around since 2011. No site that is illegitimate is going to stick around for nine years if it has a poor track record. This is pretty solid evidence for its legitimacy.

Furthermore, regular gamblers often cite it as being among the best they've ever used. They're happy with the fast payout (under 3 days) and the fact that they always get their money. If these user reviews don't point to the legitimacy of the site, we aren't sure what would!

Is It Safe and Legal?

As we've established, Bovada is perfectly safe. You're going to get your money when you win. It also has the rather nice policy of letting you take back the bet you made if you win, though we're not sure why you would ever want to do this. Still, it shows that the site cares about the finances and comfort of all its players.

Whether or not Bovada is legal is a more interesting question, because it's only legal in the US. All but four states (Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Nevada, as we discussed before) can access the website and play on it.

However, it isn't licensed to be accessed abroad. Bodog, the international version of the site, can be used to gamble in other countries.

Is It Rigged?

Like with any casino, there's definitely a house edge in Bodava's casino games. This house edge varies from game to game, but it's always there. Besides this very normal, natural fact of gambling, however, the site is distinctly not rigged.

There is one thing that all Bovada platforms do that may not be kosher, however. The more games you win, the less a chance the software gives you to win in the future. Your percentage of wins will decrease to give other players a chance to get some payout. This is obviously not great if you're a seasoned gambler, but as long as you know and understand the policy, it's not really rigging.

How Bovada Works

Now that you know that Bovada is a legit website, you're likely taking out some money and getting excited to gamble. Well, hold up for just a few seconds! First, we need to talk about how Bovada works.

Registering for an account is the first step, and it's pretty easy. All you'll need to do is go to the Bovada webpage and click the red 'join' button on the top of the screen. After that, you'll put in some information and payment methods.

When it comes to payment methods, you'll have a few options. Credit and debit cards are what many first-timers choose to use. The fact that this is a valid option is exciting to many people who want to place bets easily and insert money into your account fast. However, you can also choose to place bets directly from a bank account, too.

However, all of these options have pretty high fees. Bovada casino tries to incentivize people to use Bitcoin by waiving both deposit fees (5%) and withdrawal fees (much higher) for those who use it. For this reason, it may be a good idea to learn how to use cryptocurrency and take the leap into trying it out!

Then, you'll need to know how to place a bet on the site. This is going to vary from game to game. You'll need to read the specific specifications for the game you've chosen, but generally betting is easy. You'll simply need to enter the monetary amount that you want to put down and begin to play.

There are also apps for Bovada that can be accessed on a computer, tablet, or Smartphone. All you need to do is head off to the app store and download an application. However, you may need to make multiple downloads since Bovada has separate apps for virtual poker, sports betting, and casino games. This isn't difficult, but it's something to keep in mind!

Overall Pros and Cons

To simplify things, here's a list of the greatest Bovada pros and cons.

Pros

• The site is versatile. There are hundreds of games to choose from, so you'll never be bored!
• Bovada makes it super easy to deposit and withdrawal money when placing your bets. You can use a bitcoin, a debit card, a bank transfer, or money orders to do this.
• Bovada is, contrary to what critics may say, one of the safest options for American gamblers. While other sites may freeze your money or not let you withdraw it, Bovada won't do this. Your money will remain your own.
• The site offers a very fast payout. It's known for being fair in its dealings and paying players on time. If you place a bet using Bitcoin, you'll have your money within minutes. Other payment methods will take no longer than three days. This is much quicker than any of Bovada's competitors.

Cons

• Bovada has something called a 'dual lines' policy, which means that if it recognizes you as someone good at gambling, it will give you significantly worse odds than those who have never won before. This is obviously an issue with fairness, but it is what it is.
• The deposit and withdrawal fees at Bovada are astronomical if you use credit or debit card, If you use Bitcoin, you won't need to pay these fees, as we've said already. However, many people are uncomfortable with this cryptocurrency.
• You can't bet more than $10,000 at a time on the site. If you're looking to place some big bets, this site isn't the one for you.

Get Started

So, is Bovada legit?

The answer to this question is definitely 'yes,' but it can only be accessed in the US due to licensing restrictions. That means that if you're a game lover elsewhere in the world, you'll need to look into other sites like 888 Holdings in order to get your gambling fix.

Now that you know all that you need to about Bovada, it's time to take a look at other places that you may be interested in gambling. Check out the 'casinos' tab on our home page, where you'll find any different online locations that you can bet and win real money.

May the odds be ever in your favor!