How old do you have to be to use Bovada? Age rules and ID checks

ByCrown Wagers Editorial Team Updated Bovada Help

You have to be at least 18 to use Bovada, or older if the law where you live sets a higher age. Bovada can check your age against government ID, and it may ask for documents before paying out. Under its terms, an account opened or used by someone under 18 is closed and its winnings forfeited.

What Bovada’s terms say

Bovada’s terms of service say, “You must be not less than eighteen (18) years of age to access the Website.” They also say no one under 18 can open an account or play games.

Where you live can push that age higher. Bovada’s Transaction Processing Agreement, which covers payments, has you confirm that you’re “at least 18 years of age, or of the required legal age in the place of your residence if such age is greater than 18.” The terms add that even at 18 or older, you can’t use the site if you aren’t old enough to sign a binding contract where you live. Bovada’s poker and ID pages also give 18 as the minimum.

You may see 21+ next to Bovada on some review sites. That’s the age notice from the review site’s own footer, and Bovada’s terms say 18.

State gambling ages and Bovada

That higher local age matters in the US. Most states that license sports betting set the minimum at 21, and only a handful allow betting at 18. Bovada’s 18 is its own rule and doesn’t tell you what your state allows.

Meeting Bovada’s age rule doesn’t make betting with it legal where you live, either. No US state licenses Bovada, it’s blocked in 19 states and Washington, DC, and its terms make you “solely responsible” for complying with local law. This isn’t legal advice.

How Bovada checks your age

When you sign up, you give your full name, address, date of birth, email and phone number. Bovada’s KYC policy says it can pass those details to third-party age and identity verification services and check them against government-issued ID.

Bovada’s help pages tie ID checks to deposits and withdrawals. It says it asks for ID to make sure the person with the account is 18 or older and owns the card being used to deposit. Its withdrawal page says you may have to submit documents before a payment is processed, and the automated check asks for photos of the front and back of a passport, driver’s license or ID card. Bovada says a document review takes about 24 to 48 hours.

Bovada’s terms also let it suspend an account and request proof of age “in order to ensure that minors are not using the service.” If satisfactory proof isn’t provided, the account can be suspended permanently.

The check compares your account details with your ID, so enter your name and date of birth exactly as they appear on it. Our guide to how long a Bovada withdrawal takes covers what else is checked before a payout.

What happens if the age on an account is false

Bovada’s terms say any winnings in an account “identified by us as having been improperly opened or used by someone under the age of 18 shall be forfeited and the Account closed.”

A false date of birth also falls under Bovada’s KYC policy. If the details on an account are false, or the owner can’t or won’t provide documents to confirm them, the account may be terminated, all activity in it treated as invalid, and potential winnings nullified.

The fraud section of the terms goes further. When Bovada decides someone gave false or misleading information, it can close the account, and “all Account balances (including both deposits and any winnings) shall be forfeited.”

Everyone who registers also agrees that Bovada can disclose their identity and account details to anyone who alleges the account holder is a minor or under the minimum age.

Letting someone else use your account

An account is for its owner only. Bovada’s terms say you “shall not permit another person to access the Website or Software via your account” without Bovada’s express permission, and its payment agreement says you must never let a minor use your account funds. The terms also count betting through or on behalf of someone else as improper activity, which puts the whole balance at risk.

If other people use your computer or phone, turn on two-factor authentication and don’t let your browser save your Bovada password. Our Bovada review covers the rest of its account rules, and why Bovada disables accounts explains the other reasons accounts get closed.

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.

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