Bodog by Noah Strang
Bodog’s huge selection of sports, competitive odds, and online casino makes it better than most betting sites in Canada. On top of that, its #NameYourPlay and “Props Builder” features set Bodog ahead of the pack even more. If you like large betting markets and an easy-to-use website, we think Bodog is for you.
Bodog Sportsbook Review
Since being founded in 1994 by Canadian Calvin Ayre, Bodog has become one of the most reputable names in sports betting in Canada. Bodog isn’t just known because of its longevity in the market, but also because of its unique features, online casino, wide betting markets, and great odds. Now that we’ve given you a taste of what Bodog has to offer, let’s get into the rest of our in-depth Bodog review.
Bodog Sportsbook Likes and Dislikes
We’ll tell you everything you need to know and then some in this Bodog review. Before then, we thought we’d give you a brief overview by telling you some of our favourite and least favourite things about their betting site.
Bodog Sports Likes
- Bodog’s #NameYourPlay and “Prop Builder” features are some of our favourite things about their site. Unlike at most sportsbooks, what you see available to you isn’t all you get. If Bodog doesn’t have something you want to wager on, you can use the #NameYourPlay on Twitter to request odds from Bodog and then place your new bet.
- The Props Builder tool allows you to build single-game props and parlays, which is fun for creating storylines that you want to see playout throught the game.
- Another thing we like about Bodog is how simple their website is. Some betting sites have “simple” designs that make them feel outdated. This isn’t the case with Bodgog. Bodog’s site makes it easy to find the games you’re looking for while also being easy on the eye.
Bodog Sports Dislikes
- We weren’t that impressed with Bodog’s customer service options. Hopefully you’ll never have to deal with customer service, but if you do, here’s some advice. Don’t go looking through the help center for Bodog’s 24/7 chat, phone number, or email. You won’t find them there. You have to click on an FAQ article and then hit the “NO” button at the bottom of the page. Then you’ll be given a link to the email and chat. Once you do find those options, it can take a while for you to actually talk with someone. Emails can take up to three days to get a response and the live chat regularly takes more than five minutes before you are connected with a real person.
- The other thing we disliked about Bodog was their welcome bonus. It is a fairly standard matching bonus where Bodog will match your first deposit up to $400. You will also get 50 free spins for their online casino. In our opinion, this $400 cap is pretty low compared to other sports betting bonuses. Also, if you’re not interested in the online casino, the 50 free spins are of no use to you. However, if you’re not a high stakes sports bettor and you plan on using Bodog’s casino, this bonus might be a good deal for you.
Conclusion
Overall, Bodog is one of the best sports betting sites in Canada thanks to its wide variety of betting markets, simple website, and bet builder tools. However, we think it could have better customer service options and a more attractive welcome bonus.
Bodog profile
Website: | http://www.bodog.eu |
Company: | Bodog |
Year founded: | 1994 |
License & regulation: | Antigua and Barbuda |
Contact information: | +1-877-263-6422 or by email at [email protected] |
Sponsorship Deals: | Copa Do Brasil (Brazilian FA Cup) |
Headquarters: | Antigua and Barbuda |
Contact information/Support: | : 24/7 chat and through email request form |
Payment Methods: | |
Deposit Methods: | Visa, Mastercard, Interac e-transfer, direct bank transfers, Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, Litecoin |
Withdrawal Methods: | Bank transfer, Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Bitcoin SV, Ethereum, USD Tether, Litecoin, and Cheque by Courier |
Payout time: | 3-5 business days |
Top Features: | #NameYourPlay bet builder, cash-out options, live betting, online casino |
Apps Devices: | No mobile app |
Odds Providers: | Bodog |
Casino: | Yes |
Casino game types: | Slots (200+ games) casino poker, video poker, live dealer poker, roulette, horse racing |
Bodog Sports Overview
In our opinion, Bodog is one of the best Canadian sports betting sites. However, no sports betting site is perfect, including Bodog. While their site excels overall, there is definitely room for improvement.
One of the major areas Bodog can improve on is their customer support options. First of all, there is no phone number to call, so you have to use their 24/7 chat and email request form. Unfortunately, these options are not very efficient and are buried within Bodog’s help centre page.
The one other thing Bodog could improve upon is their welcome bonus. Bodog will match 100% of your first deposit in bonus funds and give you 50 free spins at their online casino. This is a fairly standard welcome bonus, but where it falls short is the cap on the bonus. Bodog will match only up to $400 of your first deposit. This is on the lower end of welcome bonuses out there and makes Bodog a less attractive option for high-stakes sports bettors.
Bodog is definitely attractive to people who want to bet on a wide variety of sports though. Bodog’s betting markets range from the major leagues, like the NFL, to small leagues, like the Ethiopian Premier League. Outside of traditional betting on individual games, I particulary enjoyed Bodog’s Prop Builder and huge futures market.
If there was something I couldn’t find, I liked that I had the option to tweet at Bodog and ask them to make something available. This is thanks to Bodog’s #NameYourPlay feature. I personally never tweeted at Bodog using that hashtag, but I did like looking through the #NameYourPlay page and seeing what others requested. Most were longshot bets, but some were interesting and represented good value.
Another things I really appreciated about Bodog is their banking options. For the most part, Bodog’s banking options are fairly standard. What sets them apart for me though is that they accept cryptocurrency.
You don’t need to be a crypto enthusiast to take advantage of fast deposits and withdrawals using cryptocurrency, which is nice to see at Bodog.
The final thing I liked about Bodog is their mobile site. Unfortunately, Bodog doesn’t have an app. In my experience, when a sportsbook doesn’t have an app, their mobile sites are either garbage or exact replicas of their desktop sites. Thankfully, Bodog’s mobile site falls into the latter category.
Bodog’s mobile site was as easy to use as their desktop site and featured all the same betting markets as well.
Overall, Bodog is a great site, especially for someone who enjoys prop bets and obscure betting markets. Bodog already offers a wide variety of prop bets, but with their Prop Builder, I could design basically any prop bet imaginable. I think Bodog’s bonuses could be better, but this shouldn’t be a dealbreaker unless you are a very high-stakes bettor. Bodog’s customer service could also be improved, but this also shouldn’t be a dealbreaker since they still have customer service options available.
Bodog Score & Rating
While there are many factors you can rate a sportsbook on, here at bettingonlinecanada.com, we think certain factors are more important than others. The best sports betting sites have great bonuses, mobile compatibility, diverse banking options, great key features, strong security, and responsive customer support options.
Here’s how we think Bodog stacks up when graded on those categories.
Bonuses and promotions: Outside of Bodog’s welcome bonus that matches your first deposit (up to $400), they don’t offer many promotions. Existing customers are always eligible for Bodog’s “refer a friend” bonus, but besides that, there are no regular promotions from Bodog. Occasional promos related to big sporting events pop up, but none are that great, in our opinion.
Mobile compatibility and apps: Bodog doesn’t have a mobile app. Instead, you can use their mobile site as a de facto Bodog app. Their mobile site works great on both Apple and Adroid devices, but it isn’t as sleek and easy-to-use as the desktop site.
Banking and payout speed: Bodog’s banking options are as diverse as the rest of the best Canadian sports betting sites and sports betting apps. They go above and beyond even the best sites though because of their cryptocurrency options.
Key features: Our favourite things about Bodog are their features. Their #NameYourPlay and Prop Builder bet builder features are fun additions to an already great betting site. In addition to those unique features, Bodog is a great live betting site, has an online casino, and early cash out features.
Security and trust: Even though Bodog isn’t based in Canada, we think it’s one of the safest sportsbooks in Canada. Unlike some of the new betting sites in Canada, Bodog has a nearly 30 year history of being a safe and reliable option for sports bettors in Canada.
Customer Support: Bodog has a dedicated help centre with lots of FAQs, 24/7 live chat, and an email request form. These are nice things to have, but we think it the chat and email are hard to access and could be faster.
Bodog sports bonuses and promotions
From this point on in our Bodog review, we are going to be looking in-depth at specific aspects of Bodog’s website, mobile site, and features. We’ll start by talking about Bodog’s bonues and promotions.
Unfortunately, there isn’t much to say about Bodog Sportsbook’s bonuses. Unless you refer a friend or plan on making some deposits using Bitcoin, there aren’t many regular bonuses on Bodog.
Like most sportsbooks, Bodog has occasional promotions related to a big sporting event happening, but what Bodog offers isn’t that great compared to other online betting bonus offers. For example, Bodog’s Super Bowl promo gave you the chance to win a $50 free bet if you followed Bodog on Twitter and replied to one of their tweers about the Super Bowl.
Full list of ongoing Bodog promos:
- 200% Refer a Friend Bonus: Bodog will give you free bets equalling 200% of your friend’s first deposit (up to $100) when they sign up using your referral link.
- Crypto Deposit Bonuses: Bodog will match 100% or 150% (depending on the promo code you use) of your first deposits using Bitcoin.
Besides bonuses, Bodog has a rewards program where you can earn reward credits to be used as free bets. In our opinion, this is a cool program, but not very worthwhile since you need to bet a lot to get anything out of it. For context, 2500 rewards points nets you $1. However, you’d need to wager $834 on single sports bets to earn 2500 credits.
Bodog Casino bonuses:
Like with Bodog’s sportsbook promotions their online casino promotions are also limited. They have the same “refer a friend” bonus and Bodog Rewards program but not much else.
Full list of ongoing Bodog casino promos:
- 200% Refer a Friend Bonus: Bodog will give you free bets equalling 200% of your friend’s first deposit (up to $100) when they sign up using your referral link.
- $600 Welcome Bonus: Bodog will match 100% of your first casino deposit (up to $600) and give you 50 Free Spins for slot games.
- 100% Poker Bonus: Bodog will match 100% of your first poker games deposit (up to $100)..
Bodog Sports Welcome Package
For many people, a sportsbook’s welcome package is the most important thing because it means they will have more money to wager with right away. For those who don’t know, welcome packages are rewards betting sites give new users for creating an account with their site. Some are great and others, well, others are not so great. Keep reading to see what we think of Bodog’s welcome package.
Bodog Welcome Bonus
Bodog gives you 50 free spins and matches 100% of your first deposit up to $400 in bonus funds.
How to claim Bodog Welcome Bonus
Claiming your Bodog welcome bonus is a very simple process. Follow this guide to make sure you get your bonus funds:
- Click the “Join” button and create your account.
- Deposit at least $10.
- Your deposit will be matched (up to $400) in bonus funds.
- Use your bonus funds on qualifying bets.
Bodog Welcome Bonus Terms and Conditions
- You have to verify your identity with Bodog before you can make your first deposit.
- Your 50 Free Spins can only be used on the “Gods of Luxor” slot.
- This bonus only applies to your first deposit.
- Your first deposit must be at least $10.
- You must meet the playthrough requirements within 180 days.
- Your first deposit and bonus funds are subject to a 5X playthrough requirement before your bonus funds and any winnings can be withdrawn.
- Any winnings from your 50 Free Spins are subject to a 25x playthrough requirement.
Bodog best sports features
Features are another thing that often make or break whether someone is going to bet with a particular sportsbook. Features are essentially aspects of a sportsbook or even perks you get from betting with that sportsbook. Many of these features are tools or promos that make certain bets more worthwhile. Other features are designed to make sports betting more fun or to give you some more control over what you are betting on.
If you’re one of those people who really values the features a sportsbook has, we think Bodog is for you. Keep reading to see our favourite Bodog features, as well as a list of all Bodog features.
Bodog #NameYourPlay feature
Bodog’s #NameYourPlay feature allows you to go to Twitter and request odds from Bodog for anything they aren’t currently offering on their site. All you have to do is tweet at Bodog using the hastag #NameYourPlay. If Bodog sees your tweet, they’ll provide odds to not only you, but to every Bodog user. You can view bets requested by fellow Bodog users on their website. If any of them interest you, you can place a bet on them too.
Bodog Prop Builder tool
With Bodog’s Prop Builder tool, you can create pretty much any prop bet you want. If you don’t see something you want, go to the Prop Builder and make it a reality. Like the #NameYourPlay feature, if you can’t make the prop bet you want using the Prop Builder tool, tweet #BodogProps at Bodog.
Bodog Early Cash Out
Unlike at most sports betting sites, when you place a bet with Bodog, you don’t have to wait for the event to be over for you to know how much you’ve won or lost. Bodog allows you to cash out early on some bets, which is a good option when you’re trying to cut your losses or make a quick gain before you have a chance to lose your entire bet.
Full list of Bodog features
- Live betting
- Online casino
- Prop Builder bet builder
- #NameYourPlay
- Early cash out
Bodog Sports Coverage
Once you have your created your account and claimed your bonus funds, you’re going to want to place some bets.
With Bodog, you can bet on all the major sports and major leagues, as well as some of the minor and less-popular sports in Canada. As well as betting on the games themselves, Bodog has an impressive catalog of futures and prop bets for every sport you can bet on.
Here are some of the sports you can bet on with Bodog.
Bodog Football Betting
Even though Canada doesn’t have an NFL team, football betting in Canada is very popular. With Bodog, you can bet on the biggest football league in the world, the NFL, as well as Canada’s own CFL.
You’ll find more bets available for the NFL since it is a more popular league, but there are plenty of props and futures available for the CFL too, so Bodog is a good option for both leagues.
Bodog Hockey Betting
While football’s biggest league isn’t well represented in Canada, hockey’s greatest league, the NHL, has a strong footing in the Great White North. There are seven NHL teams in Canada, but all 32 teams are popular in Canada.
The lower leagues and foreign leagues are also popular for fans of hockey betting online. For those fans, Bodog is a great choice. Not only can you bet on NHL games, futures, and props with Bodog, you can also bet on NCAA hockey, the AHL, and over 80 European hockey leagues.
Bodog Soccer Betting
Like hockey betting, soccer betting in Canada is another area where Bodog has all kinds of bettors covered. Whether you’re interested in the big leagues, like the Premier League, North American leagues, like MLS, or even small African/Asian/European leagues, Bodog has something for you to bet on.
For the bigger leagues, there also are a wide variety of futures and prop bets for you to enjoy. Again though, if there’s not a bet you want, you can tweet #NameYourPlay at Bodog and ask them to make that bet available for you.
Bodog sponsorship deals
Unlike many sportsbooks who partner with teams and leagues to advertise their betting promotions, Bodog doesn’t have many sponsorship deals. As of now, the only major thing they sponsor is the Copa Do Brasil, which is a knockout tournament featuring every soccer team in Brazil.
Bodog Betting Markets & Types of Bets Available
Now that we’ve talked in depth about the sports available to bet on with Bodog, let’s take a closer look at some of the popular betting markets and types of bets you can place with Bodog.
Bodog Betting Markets:
- Against the Spread: Betting against the spread is one of the most common types of bets, so of course a sportsbook like Bodog would offer these bets. Betting against the spread is betting on the margin of victory. For example, betting on the Leafs -1.5 against the spread means they must win by two goals or more for you to win your bet. Bodog also offers “alternative spreads” for you to bet on if you don’t like the main spread offered by them.
- Moneyline: Moneyline bets are also very popular bets, and this is because of their simplicity. Betting on the moneyline means you are betting on the winner. For you to win your bet, the team you bet on just needs to win the game.
- Totals (Over/Under): Totals betting is betting on the total amount of goals/points scored in a game. Bodog will set a line and you bet on whether you think the score will be over or under that line.
Bodog Types of Bets Available
- Parlays: Parlays are multiple single bets grouped together as one. For you to win your parlay, every single bet must win. With the wide variety of bets offered by Bodog, there are a lot of interesting and fun parlays to be made.
- Futures bets: Futures are bets on some future outcome bigger than one game, like if you were to bet on the Stanley Cup winner. Bodog has a huge futures market for the bigger sports and you can always request odds for smaller leagues/sports using the #NameYourPlay feature.
- Prop Bets: Prop bets are bets not related to the outcome of the game. For example, you can bet on whether a certain player will score a goal. Bodog is great for prop bets thank to their Prop Builder tool, which allows you to create your own prop bets outside of what Bodog already has available.
- #NameYourPlay bets: Bodog’s #NameYourPlay feature gives you the option to tweet at Bodog and ask them to make a bet available that isn’t currently listed on their site. This is a great option for creative bettors or people just wanting to take part in some fun bets.
Bodog Sports mobile apps
There is no Bodog app. Instead, you can use their mobile site on your phone. It definitely would be more convenient to have an app, but we don’t think it’s a dealbreaker by any means.
We tested the mobile site on Android and Apple devices. From our experiences, the Bodog mobile site is just as good as the best sports betting apps. The Bodog mobile site is virtually identical to Bodog’s desktop site, meaning it’s just as easy to place bets, make deposits, and withdraw your winnings on your phone as it is on your computer.
Bodog banking options
Creating a Bodog account is the first step towards betting on any of the markets we discussed above. The other essential step is depositing your money. After you place your bets, you’re going to want to withdraw your winnings too.
Bodog offers a wide variety of deposit and withdrawl options, including cryptocurrency options. Every deposit and withdrawal method is relatively quick, but cryptocurrency deposits and withdrawals are the fastest.
Our Bitcoin deposits and withdrawals were processed in minutes compared to hours or even days when it comes to other banking options. Because we value speed, we went with Bitcoin, but Bodog’s other options are solid too. See below for a full list of deposit and withdrawal options available to you with Bodog.
Deposit Methods: Visa, Mastercard, Interac e-transfer, direct bank transfers, Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, Litecoin
Withdrawal Methods: Bank transfer, Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Bitcoin SV, Ethereum, USD Tether, Litecoin, and Cheque by Courier.
Is Bodog legal in Canada? Can we trust betting on Bodog Sportsbook?
Here at bettingonlinecanada.com, we only review and recommend sportsbooks that are legal to use in Canada. Bodog is no exception to this as it is 100% legal to use in Canada.
Bodog is what’s called a “grey market” betting site. Grey market sites are legal betting sites in Canada that are not registered or licensed in Canada. In Bodog’s case, the site is licensed in Antigua, but legal for Canadian bettors to use.
This has been the case since Bodog was founded over two decades ago. Over those two decades, Bodog has built a stellar reputation and is still the go-to sportsbook for bettors all over Canada.
Bodog Customer Support
While we think Bodog is a very reputable sportsbook, we can never guarantee that you won’t have problems with them or any other sportsbook. Because of this, we thoroughly test the customer service options of every sportsbook we review.
In our opinion, Bodog’s customer service is not the greatest. They have a dedicated help centre page with a huge archive of FAQs and guides, but they make it harder than it should be to get help from a real person.
To access Bodog’s 24/7 chat and their email you have to actually go to one of the FAQ articles and click the “NO” button beneath where the article asks you if you found the article to be helpful.
Once you do that, you can access the chat and email request form. Things don’t really get better from here though considering how long it takes to get help. It can take as long as three days for someone to get back to you by email and it regularly takes at least 5 minutes to get help through Bodog’s chat function.
We think Bodog really needs to improve their customer service options if they are going to be the best sportsbook in Canada.
Bodog How to Guide
Now that we’ve told you everything you need to know about Bodog, let’s get back to basics and go through how to create a Bodog account, claim your welcome bonus, place a bet, and withdraw your winnings.
How to open an account on Bodog
Creating an account with Bodog is incredibly easy. You just need to click the “Join” button and put in your name, date of birth, mobile phone number, email, and post code. Once you do those things, you’ll be asked to verify your phone number. Do that, and then you can make your first deposit.
Making your first deposit is another easy step. Just go to your profie, click deposit, select your payment method and be sure to opt-in to your welcome bonus.
Bodog Registration process:
- Visit bodog.eu and select the “Join” button
- Fill out the form by putting in your first name, last name, date of birth, mobile phone number, email, and post code.
- Check the box to agree to the terms and conditions and select “Register”
- Verify your phone number
- Make your first deposit ($10 minumum) and claim your welcome bonus.
How to place a bet
Now that you’ve created your account and made your first deposit, you can place your first bet. Doing this with Bodog is very easy.
You’ll see trending events on the left side of the screen. If you’re looking to bet on something that’s not trending, use the bar at the top of the screen to pick your sport. From there, you can pick the specific market you want to bet on and then the specific game you want to wager on. Once you pick your game, the betting market for individual games is very well organized by Bodog. You can peruse every available bet or click a tab to jump to a specific bet you’re looking for.
In addition to the traditional betting markets, you can also bet on bets suggested by fellow Bodog users by looking at the #NameYourBet tab. Normally, these bets are long shots, but sometimes you’ll find some interesting and fun bets there. Of course, if there’s something you want to bet on that you can’t find, you can tweet at Bodog yourself using the #NameYourBet hashtag.
How to request a withdrawal
For many people, the process of requesting a withdrawal is the most important thing about a sportsbook. This is understandable. Everyone to get their winnings quickly and easily. We’re happy to say that withdrawals with Bodog is very quick and easy, especially if you are withdrawing with Bitcoin.
Bodog Bitcoin transactions simply involve moving Bitocoin from one wallet to another. These requests are usually processed within an hour and never take longer than 24 hours.
More traditional withdrawals with Bogdog are also relatively quick. If you choose to withdraw directly through a bank transfer, the process should take 3-5 days, which is comparable or better than most other sportsbooks.
Frequently Asked Questions about Bodog
Hopefully you’ll leave this Bodog review without any questions, but right now, having questions is very understandable. Here are some of the most common questions about Bodog.
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Is Bodog legal in Canada?
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Is Bodog legit?
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Is there a Bodog app?
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Can I use cryptocurrency with Bodog?
Noah Strang is an experienced sports writer having covered many professional sports leagues across North America. He has worked extensively covering the NHL and been accredited media for the Vegas Golden Knights in the past. He’s also known as one of the best iGaming writers across Canada with extensive experience covering the development of legal sports betting across the country. He was born and raised in Vancouver, BC, and enjoys taking advantage of the coastline. When not writing, you can find him watching whatever sport is on TV or playing pickup basketball.