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Reason #1 why the Wizard likes Bovada:

Excellent customer support

The thing that separates Bovada from the rest is its customer support. Many other online gaming companies outsource their support. It can be difficult getting a response from them, and if you do it is often slow and handled by somebody with little understanding of gambling or even of English. But Bovada’s support is handled by Bovada, and their support staff is actually knowledgeable and helpful.

I’m so confident that you’ll have a good experience with Bovada that if you have a problem getting paid and you can’t resolve it with them on your own, I’ll talk to them myself. I personally have known the Bovada management for about three years and always found them to be professional, friendly, and knowledgeable. I have also personally visited one of their call centers so I could see first-hand how they handle customer issues. (More on my mediation service.)

If you have a problem with any other casino besides Bovada, I can’t help you. I get complaints from players of other online casinos every day who have difficulty getting paid. However that isn’t my job nor my problem. If you play at Bovada after clicking through my site I’ll stand behind you 100%. Any place else and you’re on your own.

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About Our Advertisers

Last Update: Jan. 14, 2012

Since 2005 I have had only one advertiser on the whole site, and I'm proud to say that advertiser is Bodog Casino , whom I personally endorse. They're a safe and fun place to play your hard-earned dollar whether your game is sports, poker, or casino games -- and you can play all three on the same account. However, where Bodog is truly outstanding, is in customer support. With most online gaming companies it can be difficult getting a response from anyone, and if you do it is often slow and handled by somebody with little understanding of gambling or even of English. But when you call Bodog you can be confident that someone will answer right away and will be competent to help you.

I want my readers to have a good experience when they wager online and that's why I'm happy to recommend Bodog exclusively. I'm so confident that you'll have a good experience with Bodog that if you have a problem getting paid and you can't resolve it with them on your own, I'll help mediate the dispute. (Visit Bodog Casino )

In December 2011, the North American division of Bodog became known as Bovada. My endorsement of Bodog applies equally to Bovada. It is the same staff, same games, same servers.

Bonuses

Bodog gives a 10% bonus on your first deposit, whether play is for their casino, sportsbook, or poker rooms. The only casino games that don't count towards the wagering requirements are Pontoon, Caribbean 21, and opposites bets (e.g., both Red/Black in roulete, or Pass/Don't Pass in craps). The playthrough requirement in order to be able to cash out the bonus depends on which area you play, as shown in the table below:

Playthrough Requirement
Casino	15x deposit + bonus
Sportsbook	1x deposit + bonus
Poker	Must earn 3 poker points for every $1 of bonus

Personally, I deposited $5000 in August 2004 and the bonus was given immediately. Since then, I cashed out some of it, and was paid quickly, and am still betting sports with the rest. Bodog's bonus is a "phantom" bonus, meaning if you request a payout before you're met the playthrough requirement, the bonus disappears from your account. See Bodog's bonus terms for the complete and current terms of their bonuses.

Casino Games

See my casino review for details on the games Bovada offers.

Bodog has over 100 casino games, many of which can be played instantly for free right in your web browser (even on Macs), with no download and no registration required.

The odds aren't bad, either. In my opinion many online casinos are too stingy when setting the odds on their games. They think they will make more money that way but I believe they are misguided, because when players lose too quickly it's not fun, and those players might not come back. Bodog is one of the few casinos that understands this. They offer generous odds to let you play longer and get you a better chance of winning. Among their generous offerings are Full-Pay Jacks or Better returning 99.54%, six other video poker games paying over 99%, single-zero roulette, two blackjack variants with a house edge under 0.2%, and my favorite, Pick 'em Poker, returning 99.95%!

Kudos to Bodog for not being afraid to give their players a good gamble.

Poker

Bodog uses its own special poker software which has been widely hailed as excellent. Bodog released a new version in August 2008, about which they say:

This new release of the client is fully customizable and features resizable tables, a full-screen mode and detachable chat and game details.

The addition of resizable tables is by far one of the biggest changes to the Bodog Poker client and lets you control the size of the game window simply by dragging the lower right corner of the table, giving you the ability to fit several tables onto a monitor of any size. However, if you're at, say, the final table of the Sunday $100k Guaranteed and want to focus in on one table so as to crush your opponents, with the click of a button you can pop the window up to full-screen and march to victory in high-resolution.

Additionally, you will now also have the ability to detach, resize and move the chat, statistics, notes, profiles, tournament info and game details windows, leaving more space for raking pots and less distractions from the parting shots of your victims in the chat window. Over the coming months, Bodog also plans to introduce additional features, including the ability to play on more than three tables at a time. It may be time to buy a bigger monitor.

Of special note is Bodog's weekly $100,000 poker tournament . Yes, that's $100k, every week.

Visit Bodog Poker

Caveats

Payout timeframe. From July to November 2008 there were delays to in payouts from Bodog by check to U.S. players, due to difficulty in finding processors to handle the transactions, in light of the 2006 law affecting gambling and banking. (Payouts don't seem to be covered by the law, but many banks aren't taking any chances.) As we write this in December 2008 those problems have been resolved. And players who requested payouts by a method other than check, or who weren't in the U.S., never had a problem with delays.

Check the terms. Before you play at Bodog or any other online casino please carefully read the terms and conditions of the bonus offers as printed at their website. I make no promises that the terms I list above are current and accurate. If you find my summary is incorrect please let me know.

Payout verification. You should know that if you win money at an online casino and then make a withdrawal you may be asked to supply verification of you identity. This usually constitutes a photocopy or scan of picture identification (usually a state ID or driver's license) and a utility bill. The reason for this is some players have abused promotions by playing them multiple times under false names. This is a reasonable request on the part of the casino. If you are not willing to supply the documents then you shouldn't wager online.

More About Bodog

Here's a GPWA interview with Alwyn Morris , the CEO of Morris Mohawk Gaming, which runs the Bodog operation in North America.

And here's a 2009 article about Calvin Ayre , the billionaire who founded Bodog.

The Wizard with the Bodog Girls (Las Vegas, Sept. 2005)