Is Bovada legit or rigged? Which is it??

Is Bovada legit? Is Bovada rigged? There are people in both camps, and they just can't agree, so in this article we'll dig deep into the small matter of Bovada's honesty towards players and see if we can come up with a definitive answer. Legit? Rigged? Read on.

Is Bovada legit?

The usual question about Bovada is if they're legit. We can divide this question into two parts – if Bovada is legal or not and if Bovada is legit or not. Legality is a matter of following laws, and players' opinions and accumulated reputation can make you legit.

Bovada, as a US-facing brand, can't have any state-issued gambling license as no governing authority within the country is willing to issue a license to an offshore brand. That's just the way it is.

Still, there are foreign jurisdictions that do provide official licenses to worldwide real money gaming companies. Bovada used to operate under a Kahnawake Gaming license until late 2016, and it then elected to operate without a license. So, if we look at the legal aspect, Bovada was definitely in the gray area. However, Bovada secured a license from Curacao eGaming in early 2001, and so this issue has been addressed.

In recent times, when it became possible for online casinos to get licenses in New Jersey, Delaware, Nevada, and Pennsylvania, Bovada chose to stop accepting players from those states. So for one reason or another, Bovada opted for not going down the legal route that was opened to online operators and chose to stay an offshore operation.

Since so many players play at Bovada and since this is the brand that stands out among many others, we can definitely say: The players have confirmed that Bovada is legit.

Is Bovada rigged?

When we say rigged, we usually mean: Are the games fair? Some people may include the matter of honesty with withdrawals in this same definition. A few disgruntled players go to extremes by screaming that the whole operation is a scam.

Bovada, to the best of our knowledge, is not a scam. This brand has been operating for many years and had only its reputation to depend on in the days when it didn't possess a strong license.

There are complaints, resolved and unresolved, at every online casino, and Bovada is no exception. However, there is no evidence of systematic wrongdoing towards the players. Issues usually arise regarding duplicate accounts or bonus abuse, which is universal across online gaming.

If we dig deeper into individual games, we find some players who feel they have been ripped off whereas in reality they just had bad luck. It's gambling, after all! A player who firmly believes he can control and win at Bovada blackjack but enters a poor run of results will inevitably put the blame on the casino and say the game is rigged.

Bovada games are not rigged. At least, no one has yet found any evidence, and many have tried.

Bovada Poker

Bovada is part of the Pai Wang Luo poker network, which is the eighth-largest network in the world and the largest one still available to US players. Most recreational players in the US play at Bovada as it's the only brand they know, which may explain why there are so many soft tables.

Bovada poker tables are anonymized, which means players don't have usernames. Everyone is simply listed as Player 1, Player 2, Player 3, and so on, which means you can't possibly know who you're playing against. This makes it impossible to use HUDs and other tracking software to gain an advantage over your opponent. Meaning, no one can do that to you either.

Bovada poker offers Texas Hold'em and Omaha – cash games, tournaments, and SNGs. Of course, there's an attractive welcome bonus. Find out more in our Bovada review.

Bovada Payout Procedures

Bovada is well-known for its customer service that will assist you during your deposit and, more importantly, your withdrawal. The customer service representatives will make sure you can successfully deposit and withdraw money.

Payout speed is good, as you can see in our monthly payout report. The timeframes for withdrawals stated by Bovada seem to be accurate, so these can serve you as a very good guideline. Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Check by Courier, and Voucher are the four main options at your disposal.

What Prevents Bovada From Cheating?

As a brand that has been granted a gaming license, Bovada has met whatever criteria for fairness the regulators in Curacao have established. Nevertheless, like any other online betting service, Bovada has no other choice but to earn trust, one player at a time, and it has been doing so for years.

If Bovada's reputation would be damaged beyond repair by some major incident, they would be out of a very lucrative business. It does make sense to stay in business, with thousands and thousands of big-time players to accept bets from.

Frequently Asked Questions

Many players have questions that they want addressed before signing up at any real money gaming site, Bovada included. We have compiled a few answers to these queries below in case you are curious.