BetOnline Review
Although www.BetOnline.ag is most known for its sportsbook, it is truly a “all-in-one” gambling site, since it also offers poker and casino games to its customers. It is trusted by gamblers in the United States and holds the third spot in our overall rankings for the US.
The only time that they’ve had any serious bad news was around the year 2011, when issues started piling up with the debut of their poker site (more about that lower).
BetOnline.ag has been in business since 2004, however its history may be traced back to 1991. The company’s current license comes from Panama. BetOnline.ag was once known as BetOnline.com, but the domain name was changed to.ag in 2012 owing to rising pressure from the Department of Justice. If you’re wondering why the domain is so strange, the answer is because the site migrated from its previous location (the DOJ seized many .com gambling domains in 2011).
They, along with a large number of other people, decided to take preventative action by changing their domain names.
Is BetOnline Legit?
Yes, they are undoubtedly one of the most legitimate alternatives available right now for players from the United States and are in no way a fraud in any manner, shape, or form. Do not put any stock in the opinions of a few people who may criticize BetOnline because they have experienced financial hardship as a result of their money.
In addition to providing a secure environment in which to place bets and paying out winners, they also provide a vast selection of betting opportunities and casino games. The entirety of that will be discussed in greater depth later on in this review.
The Positive Parts
They Invite Gamblers from the United States
BetOnline is one of the few sites that will accommodate customers from all fifty states, and it does it proudly (in fact, I was unable to find any other with a similar reputation). Their clients have a lot of luck making deposits with credit cards, which is why they obtain such a high score for accessibility. This information can be found on a variety of gambling discussion boards.
Excellent Alternatives for Banking
Since the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act was passed in 2006, it has been difficult for gamblers in the United States to transfer money to online gambling sites and, even more difficult, to withdraw money from these sites. BetOnline offers what is arguably the most comprehensive selection of banking terms available on the US market.
Quality Online Sportsbook
The sportsbook is a wonderful option for individuals who are interested in betting on American sports; but, they also provide a respectable number of betting markets for international sporting events. Although signing an account with BetOnline might not be necessary for gamblers based in countries outside of the United States, it most certainly is for those based in the United States. There are very few genuine sportsbooks operating in the United States, and BetOnline is one of the few.
US players should give BetOnline.ag, which has more than ten years of experience in the business, a large selection of American betting options and banking alternatives, and a first-rate reputation, significant consideration before signing up.
<= “” div=”” style=”
box-sizing set to border-box; color set to rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family set to arial, Helvetica, Arial, and sans-serif; font-size set to 15 pixels; font-style set to normal; font-variant-ligatures set to normal; font-variant-caps set to normal; font-weight set to 400; letter-spacing set to normal; orphans set to 2; text-align set -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; -webkit-text-decoration-style: initial; -webkit-text-decoration-color: initial; -webkit-text-decoration-color: initial; – “>
The Negative Aspects
As is typical for us, we will give you the terrible news first thing in the morning. If you do it this way, you won’t have to waste any more time reading this BetOnline review to find out about any potential deal-breakers; although, I highly doubt there are any deal-breakers relevant to this scenario. I have already informed you about the issues that have arisen when BetOnline Poker was introduced in 2011. In case you are interested in knowing the exact nature of the challenges they faced, the following are the most important aspects:
Customers Are Being Lied to
Even though they were part of the Action Poker network, they insisted that they were on their own independent network. It is a strange way to begin doing business if you lie to your customers. (In modern parlance, ‘Chico Poker’ stands in for ‘Action Poker.’)
Unsatisfactory Service to customer
It was revealed during a live chat session with a customer that their customer support staff knew everyone’s passwords. Obviously, something like this should never happen, and passwords should be saved in an unreadable form.
Concerns Regarding Safety
In the beginning, customers were allowed to play on several accounts utilizing the same internet connection, which is a fundamental flaw in terms of online safety. It is unacceptable for there to be any method for two accounts to share the same internet connection and play in gameplay.
Money That Has Been Seized
BetOnline was accused of seizing tens of thousands of dollars’ money of customer funds after many people posted complaints about the matter on the website’s discussion boards. People often complain about these things when they’re caught cheating, and there appeared to be quite a bit of cheating going on around that time. Despite the fact that this could be alarming, it is important to point out that in these cases, people often complain about these things when they’re caught cheating.
In the present day, things are very different. BetOnline Poker has garnered a better reputation over the course of the previous few years, and as a result, we consider it to be one of the top choices available to players from the United States. In addition to this, the company’s casino and sports betting divisions have long had respectable reputations. There’s a good reason why they’re one of our highest recommendations.
Both the quality of customer care and the fees associated with banking are areas of concern for us about BetOnline. The customer service department has seen some signs of improvement, but there is still room for development in terms of the response times and friendliness of the representatives. In addition to the costs for cashouts, there is an additional charge of 6% that must be paid for card deposits (most US sites allow free card deposits and at least one free check withdrawal per month).
Deposits Made and Received
As was said in the beginning of this article, BetOnline’s customers are reporting a high success rate with deposits made using credit cards (relative to the rest of the US online gambling industry). BetOnline is the most probable place for you to be able to use your credit card to make a deposit at a gambling website that welcomes customers from the United States. Additionally, the website provides its customers in the United States with an astonishingly diverse range of banking alternatives to choose from.
Deposits
In addition to “Visa via Person to Person” and secure payment vouchers, BetOnline accepts credit and debit cards issued by Visa, Mastercard, Bitcoin, JCB, and Diner’s Club (apparently, they also accept Amex deposits, but you need to have deposited at least five times already in order to use Amex). Bitcoin is also accepted (Visa).
Card deposits incur a 6 percent deposit charge. BetOnline is one of the few online gambling sites in the United States that assess any kind of charge for card deposits (the other one being Bovada at 4.9 percent ).
Even though BetOnline has one of the highest credit card success rates in the US market, some of you are going to have problems with your card deposits. If this happens to you, you will either have to choose one of the other options listed above or find a way to use a credit card indirectly with one of these methods. For instance, you can use a credit card to fund your Western Union account.
Cashouts
You can also request a withdrawal to your credit card, which is not something that happens very often in the US market. However, in order to do so, you need to have at least five deposits in your account and have had it for at least a month.
BetOnline, on the other hand, does not pay the fees associated with at least one check withdrawal every month, unlike many other US-friendly sites. They impose an additional price of $25 for each normal check, and an additional fee of $50 if you want the check sent in less than seven business days.
Betting
BetOnline’s sports betting markets are designed with its US customers in mind, so you can expect to see a good deal of action on the National Football League, the National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball, and other major American sports leagues. As a fan of mixed martial arts, I’ve frequently been dissatisfied with their MMA betting options because they typically only cover one or two fights for each event. However, there are a large number of betting alternatives available for sports such as basketball and football.
The variety of wagering opportunities and betting propositions will appeal to the bulk of sports gamblers. In addition, the live betting alternatives that they provide are adequate, and despite the fact that their betting interface may not be the most aesthetically pleasing one out there, it does the job.
BetOnline updates betting lines significantly more quickly than many of its competitors (for example, Bovada, which is the largest gambling site in the United States, is far slower), and customers who take betting at least a little bit seriously value this feature.
This sportsbook falls somewhere in the middle of the pack in terms of the betting limits available in the United States. They are able to accommodate a wide variety of gamblers, from those with lesser bankrolls to big rollers, because their lowest betting limit is only one dollar, and their highest betting limit may reach up to twenty-five thousand dollars (NFL Thursday-to-Sunday spreads). The maximum allowable wager in the NHL is $3,000, whereas the maximum allowable wager for the NBA is $10,000 (sides) and $5,000 (moneylines and totals). There is a possibility that smaller markets will have limits of only a few hundred dollars.
In addition to its track record of dependability, the sportsbook’s success in the United States may be attributed to the fact that it caters to the preferences of the market it seeks to serve by offering seasonal incentives and in-play betting options. BetOnline’s sportsbook is the primary factor that contributed to the site’s placement in our top three list of gambling sites that welcome customers from the United States.
Bonus for the Sportsbook
Deposits made by new customers are eligible for a bonus of up to $2,500 worth 50% of their first deposit. The bonus has a rollover requirement of ten times, and you need to enter the bonus code NFL16 (although though it’s marketed as a bonus for the football season, the bonus applies to all sports). The bonus is above average when measured against the other options available, which is another another reason to sign up with this sportsbook.
In addition to the bonus for making a deposit, you may also be eligible for bonuses of $25 and $50, respectively, for live betting and mobile betting. However, these operate differently than deposit bonuses in that you will only receive the bonus money if you end up losing (essentially, this means that they will repay your bet if you end up losing).
Casino
The BetOnline Casino has been operating on the internet since 2009; it is supported by software developed by Rival Gaming; and it provides the following selections of various kinds of casino games:
- Thirteen distinct table games, in addition to nine different varieties of blackjack
- 19 standard spaces on top of the 37 3D slots already available
- Seventeen distinct types of video poker
- Live dealers for all table games, including blackjack, roulette, and baccarat
At addition to RealTime Gaming software, Rival Gaming is among the casino software brands that is utilized the majority of the time in establishments located in the United States. Gamblers in the United States are forced to make up with the limited options because the greatest casino software (produced by companies such as NetEntertainment, Cryptologic, and Microgaming) can only be played in casinos located outside of the United States.
Casino Bonus
Customers that sign up for an account at a casino are immediately considered for two different bonuses:
- A live dealer bonus of $25 (which may be redeemed for $25 in free play at live dealer tables).
- A slots bonus of one hundred percent (players can make a deposit of between one hundred dollars and five thousand dollars and receive a slots bonus of one hundred percent with a rollover requirement of fifty times)
In addition, casino customers are eligible for a monthly high-roller bonus, a reload bonus of 25 percent on any deposit of $25 or more, and a rebate program of 10 percent on casino play. All of these bonuses and programs are subject to certain terms and conditions. I believe that there is an adequate amount of bonus promotions, and the $25 bonus for live dealer games is a good one; however, I wish that the rollover requirement for the slots bonus was lower, considering how much of an advantage the house has when it comes to slots.
Poker
BetOnline Poker is an excellent alternative to many of the other poker sites that are available to US players. It has a decent amount of player traffic, the general skill level is on the lower side (which is typical for all-in-one gambling sites where plenty of gamblers make their way from casino and betting games to poker tables), and the website is among the fastest US-facing operations when it comes to processing money withdrawals. BetOnline is ranked as one of the best poker sites in the United States by TrustedPokerSites.com, and I concur with that ranking.
The quality of the software, especially the graphics, is quite disappointing to me. BetOnline satisfies my basic requirements for poker software, which are that it function without hiccups and be at least somewhat user-friendly. Despite the fact that it meets these criteria, the graphics continue to be unappealing. I really wish they’d put more effort into correcting the errors that are so glaringly evident, but on the other hand, a good number of people appear to be able to work around the software without any problems.
Poker Bonus
All first-time depositors are eligible to get a bonus of up to a maximum of $200. (no bonus codes). This bonus is unlocked over the course of five levels, and its effective rakeback is around 20 percent on average (looking at effective rakeback is a useful way to compare bonuses between sites and see how easily they can be cleared).
The bonus offer has a difficulty level that is comparable to that of Bovada and America’s Cardroom, which means that it is ordinary when compared to other US online poker clubs. However, BetOnline gives you 120 days to clear the bonus, whereas Full Flush Poker only gives you 30 days to do so. In point of fact, Full Flush Poker is the only US poker room that offers a bonus that is noticeably easier to clear than any other. Full Flush Poker offers approximately 60 percent effective rakeback. (On a related topic, the withdrawal processing time for Full Flush is likewise more drawn out.)
Rake
BetOnline Poker has a good rake percentage and a low maximum rake per pot, making it a great choice for players that play at micro-stakes ($5NL-$25NL) owing to the fact that it has a low maximum rake per pot. Although BetOnline maintains a relatively modest maximum rake deduction, its rake percentage is larger than that of other sites at all stake levels with the exception of the microstakes. The higher the stakes, the worse BetOnline performs in comparison to other US poker sites.
Assistance to Customers
BetOnline’s customer care department has a lot to gain by observing how other sites, like Bovada, do things. For instance, if you have any queries regarding Bovada, you will receive prompt and expert responses there. Customer support at BetOnline is notorious for being impolite and condescending. It performs a reasonable job most of the time – otherwise, they’d be less profitable – but they’re far from giving a great experience for the customer.
Even though they have come a long way from their darkest days, there is still much work to be done.
The organization provides help via live chat, phone support, and four distinct email support departments (general, poker, casino, and skill games). In addition, customers who are playing with real money (those who have previously placed a deposit) get access to live chat assistance. Both the email and the live chat help have response times that are on the slower end of the spectrum. I have not used their phone support in any kind.
