Bovada Casino Live Review

Bovada was launched in 2011 primarily for the benefit of US casino fans. It used to be regulated by the Kahnawake Gambling Commission but has been working without a license since 2016. While that may be a cause for concern, you should know that the Casino is operated by an experienced team associated with Bodog and a few other reputable gaming sites, and has on its own managed to build an excellent reputation thanks to fast payouts, efficient customer support and overall fair treatment of its members. The website offers a sportsbook and a racebook, enables players to compete against each other in the poker room, and invites them to try their luck in a Sin City-style casino where they’re also able to enjoy the sights and sounds of an authentic Vegas floor.

Discover Bovada Live Casino Selection

Bovada’s Live Casino is currently home to 19 Visionary iGaming tables playing blackjack, roulette and baccarat. Standard 7-seat blackjack plays at as many as 13 with table limits of $5-$100, $10-$500, $15-$750, $25-$1,000 and $100-$2,500. When there are no seats available, one can make bets on other player’s hands by using back betting feature. One of the games is a unique Blackjack Early Payout which, when played according to the optimal strategy, has a house edge of only 0.5%. It allows you to take an early payout at any point of the game (or rather, each time your hand changes) and place Pairs and/or Rummy side bets. Fans of roulette get to choose between European and American game variant and table limits of $1-$300, $5-$1,500 and $10-$3,000. Those into baccarat can play a classic game or its Super 6 variant, both offering a range of optional side wagers, and place bets ranging from $5 to $100, $25-$1,000 and $100-$2,500. Community-based chat facilitates communication with dealers as well as the other players. Your game host will be happy to answer any game related question and converse on a variety of other topics. Similar to a land-based casino, players are able to tip the dealer who will make sure to show the gesture is well appreciated. When playing blackjack, you’ll see a “T” icon which allows you to place a tip bet for the dealer, and if your hand wins, the Casino will double it. In the event of human errors or technical problems, a pit boss is immediately called to address and resolve the issue.

Sign-Up Bonuses

Bovada offers a $3,000 Casino Welcome Bonus but also a $5,000 Bitcoin Welcome Bonus. The first is a 100% match up to $1,000 (code NEWWELCOME) redeemable 3 times and subject to friendly wagering requirements of 25x deposit plus bonus amount. The other consists of a 50% match up to $500 Sports Bitcoin Bonus (code BVSBITCOIN50) and a 150% match up to $1,500 Casino Bitcoin Bonus (BVCBITCOIN150) redeemable 3 times, both eligible for use in Sportsbook, Racebook and Casino. Rollover is 5x Sports/5x Horses/30x Casino for the Sports bonus and 25x for the Casino bonus on both the initial deposit and the credited bonus amount. Do note that to claim the latter, one has to make Bitcoin deposits of $1,000 or more. Unfortunately, none of the aforementioned bonuses can be used to play live dealer games nor will betting on these games count towards rollover requirements.

Native Live Dealer Tables

Dealers and croupiers doubtlessly speak a variety of languages but will only use English while hosting a live game at Bovada. However, the operator has indicated they are planning to add other languages in the future.

Banking Overview

Players can fund their Bovada accounts with Bitcoin or a credit card (Visa, MasterCard, American Express). Using Bitcoin is far more beneficial; transactions are subject to deposit limits of $10-$5,000 and withdrawal limits of $10-$9,500. The operator is willing to approve Bitcoin payouts once every 3 days and will not charge any fees for processing crypto payments. Credit card usage, on the other hand, incurs additional costs. Your first card deposit is free, but a 5.9% fee will be charged on all subsequent Visa/MC deposits and a 9.9% fee on Amex deposits. If not a fan of digital currencies, Check by Courier is the only alternative cash-out option you can use. However, it comes with withdrawal limits of $100-$3,000 and one can request a single payout within a 7-day period. Bovada will cover the fee of your first non-Bitcoin withdrawal every 90 days and charge a $100 processing fee for each additional withdrawal within the same time period. It may take up to 48 hours for cash-out requests to be approved. Once that’s done, Bitcoin users will receive funds within approximately 15 minutes while players using Check will have to wait for 10-15 business days.

Mobile Platform

Thanks to Bovada’s mobile-friendly website, you can play live dealer games while waiting for a belated friend, travelling to work or queuing at a bank. No download is required; simply log on to bovada.lv from your iOS or Android smartphone or tablet and use the familiar menu to find and launch your preferred game. The assortment is exactly the same as in the desktop version and all tables accounted for. Visionary iGaming develops its products with mobile in mind, meaning they’re equally easy to play even though screens are much smaller.

Bovada Live Casino vs the Competition

Overall, Bovada is doubtlessly one of the top gaming sites that accept US players. Featuring exclusive live games powered by Visionary iGaming may not be a differentiating factor as many other US-facing sites do the same, but Bovada does provide a larger number of tables than most of its competitors. Bitcoin users are treated to a generous welcome bonus with more than decent play-through requirements and can enjoy multiple payment-related benefits. Don’t underestimate the value of Live Chat support available 24/7; you’ll realize how important it is the first time you get stuck and can’t continue to play until someone helps you out.