You are here

Is Bovada legit or rigged? Which is it??

Bovada Logo

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.

If you're concerned with Bovada and want to try out Bovada alternatives, whether it be sister brands or completely separate brands, read here about sites similar to Bovada. We explain what are the best alternatives to Bovada for casino, poker, and sports.

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 Rigged/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?

Blue Information Button

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

Cards + Chips

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

Money

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?

Black Ribbon

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

Question Mark - Green

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.

Bovada is an offshore casino, poker room, and sportsbook that was regulated by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission until October 2016. It then proceeded to acquire a Curacao gaming license in January 2021. Bovada chooses not to get licensed in individual US states, instead relying on the international coverage of its Curacao license. What this means is that Bovada depends heavily on reputation among players, but it has been doing so with success for about a decade. Bovada is a brand established in 2011 when it was decided that Bodog (established in 2007) would start catering to non-US players only. Bodog, and later Bovada, are the best-known names in online gambling in the US.

Yes. Bovada poker can legally operate in the US. Bovada is based offshore, which means it doesn't have to follow US laws since technically all your bets are placed in Costa Rica. Long story short, Bovada found a way to accept your bets legally and has been doing so for years. Millions of dollars have been deposited and withdrawn by the players, and not one faced any legal action.

No. Poker in general is a game that's very difficult to rig since players play against each other. The cards are dealt randomly, using a random number generator, and can't benefit one player over the other. The reason why some players think Bovada poker is rigged is because they suffered a totally statistically normal number of bad beats and then suffered a corresponding negativity bias. These happen at other poker rooms too, but those that have anonymized tables, such as Bovada, are more susceptible to conspiracy theories regarding bots and rigged tables. Bovada poker is not rigged to the best of our considerable knowledge.

Technically, all blackjack is rigged since the house enjoys a small edge. Cards in Bovada are shuffled randomly – by a random number generator if you play the automated version or by the dealer if you play live blackjack. Bovada would have no interest in rigging a game that's already “rigged” and that they're making money from. Complaints usually come from blackjack players who have had bad luck in a small sample size, but no large sample analysis has yet proven that Bovada blackjack is rigged. It is not.

No, since it's not illegal for a US citizen to place any type of bet online. Even if you attempt to circumvent the laws, you still will not be held accountable. Laws hold only operators liable for any wrongdoing, but Bovada happens to be based in Costa Rica, so US laws don't apply to them. This is a situation in which it's legal for Bovada to be offering gambling services to you, and it's legal for you to place bets with Bovada.

Yes. Bovada checks are legit, legal, and perfectly cashable.