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Bovada Sportsbook - US Players Welcome
Bovada is licensed and regulated in Canada and is part of the Bodog gaming company, that is one of the longest established and most trusted internet gambling companies operating today. The Bovada bookmaker app offers United States based sports punters the opportunity to wager on any football, baseball or basketball game from their iPhone, Nokia Lumia, Blackberry or Samsung Galaxy. Lay props and futures bets on any NFL, MLB, NBA or NHL game from your phone. Lines also offered on soccer, boxing, golf, UFC, MMA, motor sports and lesser known international sports. Bovada and Bodog have one of the highest credit card acceptance rates in the industry, making it super quick and easy for U.S. sports punters to make a deposit. Poker fans can also enjoy playing Texas Hold'em cash games and high-speed poker on any iOS, Android or Windows Phone.
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BETOnline Bitcoin Friendly U.S. Sportsbook
BetOnline have become one of the first major internet bookmakers to accept the bitcoin crypto-currency, making it faster and cheaper to make a deposit or withdrawal. BetOnline have been successfully servicing US-based sports bettors for over 10 years now. In that time they've become one of the most trusted sports betting brands, particularly among professionals bettors who are seeking high betting limits. As you might expect, the app focuses largely on football, basketball, baseball and other popular U.S. sports. A "Live Betting" area lets you wager on in-play events and you can even bet on upcoming thoroughbred and harness horse races. BetOnline is compatible with iOS, BlackBerry, Android or Windows Phone. Get a $50 free play when you place your first wager from a mobile device.
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Carbon Sports USA Friendly - $100 Free Bet
Carbon Sports is another excellent option for U.S. citizens who'd like to wager on a horse race or sports from their smartphone. The Carbon mobile sportsbook is browser-based so there is no download required. It is compatible with iPhone, Windows Phone or any Android device, including the HTC One, LG G3, Google Nexus or Sony Xperia. As you'd expect, every major US league is covered along with odds on upcoming elections, reality TV competitions like Dancing With The Stars or award shows like the Oscars and Grammys. Carbon are also one of the few US friendly internet bookmaker that let you bet on horse racing on the go. Their mobile racebook offers odds on racing from every racetrack in the US. Carbon have been safely and securely processing payments from US customers since 2007.
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All over the globe people are free to use online sportsbooks to place their wagers on sporting events … except in America. Whereas fans of United States Sports in say, the UK, are free to lay money on the New England Patriots to win the Superbowl, the New York Yankees to win the World Series, or the Chicago Bulls to take the NBA crown, for US-based sports fans it's simply not as easy.
Most Americans refrain from using online sportsbooks to place bets as they fear they are doing something illegal. It's very much a grey area … which means USA-based sports fans have to be content with watching Mike Trout hit a ball out of the park or Lebron James find net with a three-pointer without having any money involved in whether their favourite side wins or loses.
So, the question has to be asked … why do US-based sports fans fear using online sports betting apps so much?
The UIGEA
The Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act was passed in 2006 and slammed the door on many forms of internet gambling in the United States of America overnight. The act made it illegal for financial institutions to provide direct banking facilities that funded players involved in gambling, i.e. you were perfectly able to play a few hands of Texas Hold'em or bet on the Philadelphia Flyers to win an NHL game, but you had no legal means of funding your bets, or withdrawing any winnings.
The UIGEA shut down several of the top poker sites, such as PokerStars, PartyPoker and Full Tilt Poker, and seemed to call an end to anyone in the US hoping to use the internet as a means of betting on their favourite sports teams and events.
Most Americans refrain from using online sportsbooks to place bets as they fear they are doing something illegal. It's very much a grey area … which means USA-based sports fans have to be content with watching Mike Trout hit a ball out of the park or Lebron James find net with a three-pointer without having any money involved in whether their favourite side wins or loses.
So, the question has to be asked … why do US-based sports fans fear using online sports betting apps so much?
The UIGEA
The Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act was passed in 2006 and slammed the door on many forms of internet gambling in the United States of America overnight. The act made it illegal for financial institutions to provide direct banking facilities that funded players involved in gambling, i.e. you were perfectly able to play a few hands of Texas Hold'em or bet on the Philadelphia Flyers to win an NHL game, but you had no legal means of funding your bets, or withdrawing any winnings.
The UIGEA shut down several of the top poker sites, such as PokerStars, PartyPoker and Full Tilt Poker, and seemed to call an end to anyone in the US hoping to use the internet as a means of betting on their favourite sports teams and events.
US online sports betting … a hopeless case?
Not necessarily. It is not, in the US, illegal for an individual to use an internet sportsbook to place sporting wagers. No one has ever been prosecuted for using an online sportsbook to place a wager while in the United States.
It is, however, illegal – without special state approval and legal sanctioning – for a company based in the United States to offer online sports betting facilities.
Unfortunately, online companies all around the globe usually decide to cut any chance of prosecution – even though it remains a very grey area indeed – by banning U.S. based players from their virtual premises.
However, some companies are more welcoming than others:
Not necessarily. It is not, in the US, illegal for an individual to use an internet sportsbook to place sporting wagers. No one has ever been prosecuted for using an online sportsbook to place a wager while in the United States.
It is, however, illegal – without special state approval and legal sanctioning – for a company based in the United States to offer online sports betting facilities.
Unfortunately, online companies all around the globe usually decide to cut any chance of prosecution – even though it remains a very grey area indeed – by banning U.S. based players from their virtual premises.
However, some companies are more welcoming than others:
- Carbon Sports
Of the online sport betting sites that accept US-based players, it has to be said that Carbon Sports is currently the most accommodating, thanks mainly to its Antigua & Barbuda licence. The site has gained a decent reputation for allowing US-based players, and runs in tandem with the same company's ventures in poker and casinos.
As well as all the top US-based sports, Carbon Sports has an extensive collection of events in sports usually not associated with the US, including cricket and rugby. It also has an extensive and feature-filled racebook.
- Bovada & Bodog
Bovada is another venture by the Canadian gambling entrepreneur, Calvin Ayre, the founder of the Bodog poker room. Their sports app allows US-based players to take advantage of their Antigua & Barbuda licence and bet on all the big US leagues – the NFL, the NBA, the NHL and MLB, plus college sports. - BetOnline
BetOnline have been around since 2010 and completes the trinity of U.S. friendly sportsbooks with a licence in … you guessed it … Antigua & Barbuda. While their app is perhaps not as functional as Carbon Sports or Bovada, it still gives US-based sports fans what they long for – the chance to bet online and on the go on all the top US and non-US sports.
Sports-betting in the US – what the future holds …
There's no question that the U.S. government is getting a little itchy about legalised sports-betting, especially when the sees the amount of cash brought in by sports betting taxation in other, more 'gambling enlightened' countries. In late 2014, the newly-appointed head honcho of the National Basketball Association, Adam Silver, admitted that he thought legalised sports betting in the U.S. was inevitable, and that the NBA would be open to participation. In the same year, the New Jersey governor Chris Christie announced that his state would openly defy the federal-wide ban on sports-betting and permit regulated, online sports-betting within the state's borders.
It does seem inevitable that the US will one day join the rest of the gambling world in openly allowing US-based sports fans to place wagers with online sports books. Until that wonderful day, the US will have to make do with the off-shore licence options supplied by the likes of Carbon Sports, Bovada and BetOnline.
There's no question that the U.S. government is getting a little itchy about legalised sports-betting, especially when the sees the amount of cash brought in by sports betting taxation in other, more 'gambling enlightened' countries. In late 2014, the newly-appointed head honcho of the National Basketball Association, Adam Silver, admitted that he thought legalised sports betting in the U.S. was inevitable, and that the NBA would be open to participation. In the same year, the New Jersey governor Chris Christie announced that his state would openly defy the federal-wide ban on sports-betting and permit regulated, online sports-betting within the state's borders.
It does seem inevitable that the US will one day join the rest of the gambling world in openly allowing US-based sports fans to place wagers with online sports books. Until that wonderful day, the US will have to make do with the off-shore licence options supplied by the likes of Carbon Sports, Bovada and BetOnline.
