Choosing an online sportsbook: what to check before you join

We earn a commission if you open a Bovada account through links on this page.

If online sports betting is legal where you live, choose a sportsbook licensed by your state. A licensed book answers to a state regulator, and you can take a complaint to that regulator if the book won’t fix a problem. After that, compare books on price, limits, markets, payment options, payout speed and bonus terms.

State-licensed books vs offshore sites

A state-licensed sportsbook is vetted by your state’s regulator before it opens and has to follow the state’s rules after. It has to verify your age, and it has to confirm you’re inside the state when you bet. Michigan’s rules, for example, say wagers must be made by someone located in Michigan.

If something goes wrong, there’s a process outside the book. In Michigan, a licensed operator has to answer a written complaint within 10 calendar days, and if you’re still not satisfied you can file with the Michigan Gaming Control Board. Regulators’ powers differ: North Carolina’s commission reviews disputes to make sure the book followed the rules, but it says it can’t order a payout.

Your state regulator’s website is the place to check whether a book is licensed. Michigan’s gaming board, for example, lists the online platforms it has authorized.

Offshore books aren’t licensed by any US state. Bovada, for example, says it’s licensed by the Union of the Comoros and the Central Reserve Authority of Western Sahara, and state regulators name Harp Media B.V. of Curaçao as its operator. More than a dozen states have sent it cease-and-desist letters since 2024, and it now turns away players in 19 states and Washington, DC.

Announcing its 2024 cease-and-desist letter to Bovada, the Massachusetts attorney general’s office said unlicensed operators “have limited or no protections against gambling addiction and underage play, and do not provide consumers with reliable access to their funds.”

At an offshore book there’s no state regulator to turn to. Bovada’s process ends with its own Dispute Resolution Office, which you can email between 7 days and 6 months after the problem. The page doesn’t name any outside body you can appeal to, and no US regulator oversees Bovada.

Availability

Bovada blocks many states with legal online betting, but not all of them. As of September 2026, Illinois is one it still accepts: the Illinois Gaming Board sent Bovada cease-and-desist letters in February 2025 and February 2026. If you live in a state like that, the licensed book is the safer choice.

Don’t use a VPN to reach a book that blocks your state. Bovada’s terms treat masking your location as fraud, and the penalty is a closed account and a forfeited balance. State laws on betting with unlicensed sites also vary, so check yours before you deposit anywhere. This isn’t legal advice.

What to compare

Once you know which books you can legally use, compare them on these points.

Prices

The same bet can cost more at one book than another. At -110 on both sides you need to win 52.38% of the time to break even, and at -105 you need 51.22%.

Compare prices on the bets you actually make. Our guide to money lines shows how to work out the vig.

Limits

Every book caps how much you can bet and how much it will pay on a single bet. Bovada’s minimum bet is $0.50 and its maximum payout on a sports bet is $1,000,000, with limits that vary by event. Its terms also say professional players may have wagers voided.

Markets and features

Make sure the book covers the leagues and bet types you want, including live betting, same-game parlays and player props if you use them. Bovada also lists esports and political markets, and it takes parlays of up to 16 legs.

Deposits, withdrawals and fees

Payment options and fees vary a lot between books, for deposits and for withdrawals. At Bovada, crypto deposits and withdrawals carry no Bovada fee, but card deposits after the first cost 15.9% or more, and each withdrawal by check costs $100. Our rundown of Bovada’s fees has the full list.

Payout speed

Withdrawal times depend on the method you choose. Bovada reviews requests in 24 to 48 hours, then sends Bitcoin within 24 hours and most other coins within an hour. Checks and bank wires take 10 to 15 business days, and you should expect to send photo ID before your first withdrawal.

Bonus terms

A bigger bonus can come with harder terms. Look at the rollover, which bets count toward it, the maximum bet while it’s active and when it expires. Bovada’s crypto sports bonus is 75% up to $750 with a 5x rollover on the deposit plus the bonus, so a $400 deposit gets a $300 bonus and needs $3,500 in bets before the locked money can be withdrawn.

Support

It helps to know how you’d reach someone if a bet or withdrawal goes wrong. Bovada offers 24/7 live chat and email, with email replies promised within 48 hours. It doesn’t list a phone number.

Bovada as an example of an offshore option

Bovada has taken bets from Americans since 2011. On the points above, it looks like this:

  • In its favor: a 5x rollover on the sports welcome bonus, no Bovada fee on crypto deposits or withdrawals, parlays up to 16 legs, same-game parlays, live betting and 24/7 live chat.
  • Against it: no US state license or US regulator to take a dispute to, a block on 19 states and DC, cease-and-desist letters from several states where it still operates, fees on card deposits and checks, and no app or phone support.

Bovada says it doesn’t report winnings to tax authorities. In the US, gambling winnings are taxable income whether or not the book reports them.

Our Bovada review goes through each of these in detail, and our guide to where Bovada is available lists the blocked states.

If Bovada accepts players where you live and your state has no licensed online sportsbooks, this link goes to its current welcome offer. If your state does have legal online sportsbooks, a state-licensed book gives you more protection and is the safer choice.

Visit Bovada

Affiliate link. 18+ (or older where your state requires). Not available in 19 states and Washington, DC.

Only bet what you’ve set aside to lose. If gambling has stopped being fun, call or text 1-800-MY-RESET (1-800-697-3738) for free, confidential help, 24/7, or chat online with the National Problem Gambling Helpline.

Sources