Bovada

Bovada is a US-facing offshore sportsbook, racebook, casino and poker room live since 2011 and operated by Harp Media B.V. It accepts crypto (BTC, BCH, BSV, LTC, ETH, USDT and Bitcoin Lightning) and US sign-ups from most states, and its own help centre publishes crypto limits, fees and withdrawal times, which is more than most offshore books do. It cites a Curaçao seal but publishes no licence number, and it is under more state-level enforcement than any operator in our comparison: cease-and-desist letters from at least seven states plus DC, a $50,000 Tennessee fine, and exits from 17 states plus DC. The crypto casino bonus is 125% up to $1,250 at 25x. Games number 300+.

Licence and ownership

Bovada is operated by Harp Media B.V., the entity named in Connecticut’s cease-and-desist letter. It has been live since 2011. The site displays a Curaçao eGaming seal, but no licence number is published in any source we fetched, and US regulators describe Bovada as unlicensed and offshore. Under our rules an unpublished number reduces trust by 0.5 below the Curaçao cap of 7.5, and the 2011 launch adds 0.5 back.

The enforcement record is the longest in our data. In 2024, Bovada received cease-and-desist letters from Michigan, Connecticut, Colorado, Ohio, Louisiana, DC and West Virginia, and the Tennessee Sports Wagering Council fined it $50,000. Its restricted US jurisdictions grew from five (Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Nevada, New York) to eleven by August 2024, and by 30 September 2025 Bovada was reported to have left 17 states plus DC. Washington State’s Gambling Commission sent a first cease-and-desist on 10 January 2025 and a second on 30 September 2025 after the first was ignored, alleging a Class C felony. Mississippi and Illinois also named Bovada in 2024-2025 actions. The full list of excluded states is only partly published; the eleven named by August 2024 are DE, MD, NJ, NV, NY, CO, CT, MI, OH, WV and DC.

Non-US restrictions: no fetched page lists Bovada’s restricted countries outside the US beyond “restricted in some countries”, so Germany and Austria are unverified. The legal position of offshore books is explained on the US players page and the licence question on the licences page.

Bonus terms in detail

Bovada publishes separate offers by product and by payment method. Casino: 100% up to $1,000 at 25x on the first deposit, then 50x on the next two deposits. Crypto casino: 125% up to $1,250 at 25x. Sports: 50% up to $250 at 5x. Crypto sports: 75% up to $750. Poker: 100% up to $500. The minimum deposit for the casino and crypto welcome offers is $20.

On the crypto casino bonus, a $100 deposit yields $125 in bonus; at 25x on the bonus that is $3,125 of turnover, which is cheaper than most of the mainstream operators’ 40x structures. The 50x on second and third casino deposits is punitive by comparison. Whether the 25x applies to bonus only or deposit plus bonus is not spelled out in the fetched source; we assume bonus only and flag the ambiguity. Max bet, expiry and game weighting are not documented. Bovada also states that all deposits must be wagered before withdrawal, bonus or not. No no-deposit bonus exists. Compare on the bonuses page.

Crypto payments

Bovada’s own help centre is the source for most of this section, which makes it the best-documented cashier among the US-facing books. Accepted: BTC, BCH, BSV, LTC, ETH, USDT and Bitcoin Lightning, plus fiat. Crypto deposit minimums are 0.0001 BTC, 5 USDT or 0.002 ETH, with a $5,000 maximum per transaction. Withdrawals: BTC up to 24 hours after approval; BCH, LTC, ETH and BSV around one hour. One crypto withdrawal is allowed every 15 minutes. Bovada charges no fee on crypto or voucher withdrawals; wallet or mining fees may apply.

Crypto withdrawal limits depend on the coin: minimums from $10 to $75, maximums from $2,500 to $10,000 per withdrawal, with BTC capped at $9,500 per request and $90,000 per week. KYC: account verification is required before withdrawal, with a help article on validating information, and the operator notes that accurate details are needed for later verification. The practical takeaway is that Litecoin or Ethereum is the faster rail here and Bitcoin the slowest; the Litecoin casinos page covers the comparison.

Games and providers

The casino holds 300+ games (470+ slots and 43 live games by another count) from RealTime Gaming, Rival Gaming, Betsoft and Spinomenal. That is roughly a twentieth of a mainstream crypto casino’s library and the providers are second-tier by comparison with Evolution, Pragmatic Play or NetEnt. Live casino is included. The sportsbook and racebook are the core product, with poker alongside. Provably fair games are not documented.

Support and languages

Support is live chat, email, phone and a help centre. Phone support is rare in this comparison and is the reason the score is 7.5 despite no published hours. Interface languages are not documented; the site is US-facing and English is assumed but not confirmed.

Before you deposit at Bovada

• Know your state. At least 17 states plus DC are excluded and the list is growing. The eleven named by August 2024 are DE, MD, NJ, NV, NY, CO, CT, MI, OH, WV and DC.
• Understand the legal position. Bovada holds no US licence. State regulators describe it as illegal in their jurisdictions. Washington alleges a felony.
• Use LTC or ETH for speed. BTC withdrawals can take 24 hours; the others around an hour.
• $5,000 per deposit, $9,500 per BTC withdrawal. Large sums need multiple transactions, one every 15 minutes.
• Deposits must be wagered. No deposit-and-withdraw tests.
• Verification before withdrawal. Have documents ready.

How Bovada compares

Ignition is Bovada’s sister brand on the same network and the natural comparison. Ignition publishes a five-state exclusion list (DE, MD, NV, NJ, NY) and has no state enforcement action in our data; Bovada has left 17 states plus DC and has the fine and the letters. Ignition publishes a KYC policy; Bovada publishes limits, fees and withdrawal times. Both list the same seven crypto options. Ignition’s bonus (150% up to $1,500) has no published wagering; Bovada’s does (25x). Ignition’s US site has no real sportsbook, while Bovada’s sportsbook is its core product.

Against BetOnline, the other long-running offshore book: BetOnline has 16 coins and a full fee table but charges $3 to $12.50 on BTC and ETH; Bovada has seven coins and charges nothing. BetOnline accepts 49 states on paper (Michigan now excluded by order); Bovada accepts fewer. BetOnline’s licence is a Panama registration with no number; Bovada’s is a Curaçao seal with no number. BetOnline’s bonus wagering is unpublished; Bovada’s is. On documentation Bovada is ahead; on regulatory exposure it is behind.

Why the state list keeps growing

Bovada’s restricted jurisdictions went from five to eleven in 2024 and to 17 states plus DC by September 2025. The pattern in the data is that each cease-and-desist letter is followed by a voluntary exit from that state: Michigan, Connecticut, Colorado, Ohio, Louisiana, DC and West Virginia all sent letters in 2024 and all appear on the exclusion list. Washington’s letters were not followed by an exit, which is why the state sent a second one alleging a felony. For a player, the practical consequence is that a state that is open today may be closed next month, and an open balance in a state Bovada leaves depends on the operator’s exit process, which is not documented. Keep balances small and check the restricted list before each deposit, not just at signup.

Score breakdown

• Trust 6.0/10. Curaçao seal caps at 7.5; minus 0.5 for no published licence number; plus 0.5 for the 2011 launch; minus 1 for the Tennessee fine and the stack of cease-and-desist letters; minus 0.5 for the ignored Washington order and the felony allegation.
• Payments 7.5/10. Seven crypto options including Lightning, published minimums, limits, fees and times from the operator’s own help centre. Deductions for the 24-hour BTC time and per-withdrawal caps.
• Bonus 6.0/10. 25x on the crypto casino bonus is moderate; 50x on reloads is not. Max bet, expiry and weighting not documented; bonus-versus-balance ambiguity.
• Games 5.5/10. 300+ games from four providers; live casino; strong sportsbook and poker.
• Support 7.5/10. Chat, email, phone, help centre. Hours and languages not documented.

Verdict

Bovada is included because US readers will search for it, not because we recommend it. The cashier documentation is good and the crypto casino bonus is cheaper to clear than most mainstream offers. Everything else points the other way: no licence number, a 300-game casino, and an enforcement history that includes a fine, a felony allegation and exits from a third of the country. If you are in an excluded state, you cannot play; if you are in another state, you are using a site your regulator considers illegal. The mainstream alternatives on the best crypto casinos page do not accept US players at all, which is the honest summary of the US market.

Responsible gambling: offshore books offer no state-backed self-exclusion. Use the operator’s own tools and keep the balance small. Gambling is for adults only.

Visit Bovada →

Last updated: October 30, 2026