Although Bodog has faded into the background in the last couple of years, there was a period in time in the late 90’s and early 2000’s where they were the mainstream sportsbook. From owning a record label, to an MMA league, to all sorts of other ventures, Bodog was the book in the public eye. Then the feds removed them.

To the guy who only wants to bet, it might seem odd that Bodog had so many ventures but the truth of the matter is they were just – and still are – trying to give you the most value out of your betting experience.

They don’t have the sharpest or earliest lines, but what they do have is an overall fun feel, which is unparalleled in the industry.

They have had slow payout problems in the past (in 2008) but they have put a lot of their efforts into correcting that and are now among the fastest in the industry.

1. Who Bets Here?

Bodog is a shop where the casual guy comes to play. Their lines are softened up by their public players, which means you’ll pay more for the popular picks of the week.

Depositing:
Credit Cards
Ewallet Express

Withdrawing:
Courier Cheques (One free payout per month)

2. Customer Service

Part of the overall good experience with Bodog is their stellar customer service. The best example of it isn’t the fact that they answer the phone when you call or that they promptly answer your e-mails. Every sportsbook does that.

The best example from Bodog was their payout problems early on in 2008, which they spent a great deal time resolving. A lot of people were angry by the long delays, which is understandable, but just six month down the road the company now has some of the fastest payouts in the industry.

It’s a good sign when a company can take a real negative and make a positive like this.

Methods of Contact:
• Phone
• E-mail

3. Placing A Bet

Placing a bet at Bodog is a very smooth process. It’s not as fast some of the other shops around, where you click to bet, click to confirm and you’re done without even changing pages, but this process is meant for a different type of bettor.

The lines display is found on the left-hand side and once you pick your poison, the full lines lay out in the center of the page. After you make your pick, you have to go to a separate page to confirm.

For live betting, a new window pops up for a whole separate menu of action.

The whole look of the site is very crisp and clean. You may have to click an extra couple of times but everything is nicely laid out for you to see.

Methods of Betting:
Phone
Internet

4. Variety

Bodog has a huge variety of betting options, which really makes it a fun place to bet. They have a diverse list of options, which obviously covers the main sports but also offers plenty of props under each one.

If you want to wild and place your Dancing With The Stars or Emmy exotics, they’ll accommodate you there as well.

Once you log into to their live-betting program, the selection opens even. Bet on every down, hit and basket – quite literally.

Overall, there’s enough to keep every type of degenerate busy.

Limits:
NFL Games: $2,000
NBA Games: $1,000
NHL Games: $1,000
MLB Games: $1,000

5. VIP Program/Loyalty Program

Bodog sportsbook doesn’t offer a VIP program at this time.

6. Bonus & Rebate Program

Bodog offers a 15% cash bonus, which would normally put them right in the middle of the pack. But one them that puts them head and shoulders above crowd is the fact that you only need to rollover your money once. It’s quite rare that you only have to rollover your money once before you withdraw when a company is giving you a 15% bonus. At that rate, if you can find one good winner it makes more sense to deposit than to keep it in the risky stock market.

7. Website & Usability

Bodog has a fantastic website, which is arguably the best in the industry.

A lot of the new shops have flashy, colorful websites like Bodog but nobody has the clean layout that Bodog has. There’s a lot of content on their website but it doesn’t feel like it. Their color scheme is simple and your eyes are always led to the right places.

Their website offers a regular dose of betting articles, which is always nice to have, and they have daily content updates (blogs, videos, podcasts) in their Bodog Beat blog.

The concept of the site is to offer more than just betting and while it’s still not quite the site that you’d bookmark, it’s head and shoulders above the industry norm for sportsbooks.

8. Reputation

Bodog has a pretty good reputation, even though the betting community has furrowed their brows on a number of occasions regarding the sportsbook. Some people questioned the security the company after CEO Calvin Ayre taunted the feds by going on the cover of Forbes magazine, and then getting busted, some people have wondered about their domain battle (Bodog.com vs Bodoglife.com) and many were concerned about their protracted payouts last year.

But Bodog has steamed on through all of their tough winds and they are still standing strong. They were a bigger brand when they had their MMA and mainstream media connections but they are slowly climbing back to those ranks.