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Bodog Poker is one of the better-known offshore operators offering its poker, casino, and sports betting services to the players in the US and around the world. Although it not a licensed room, Bodog has been around for so long and has so many players that answering questions such as is Bodog Poker legit and is Bodog Poker illegal is something we feel needs to be done.
Despite all the seemingly positive aspects of this operator, it is important to emphasize right away that this room isn’t legal to play at. They are not licensed in the States and any US player playing here is doing so at their own risk. If anything goes sideways, which is a fairly realistic possibility, there will be no legal recourse to turn to.
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Ranked on the size of the welcome package, the cashier and how long the operator has served US players. We earn a commission when you sign up — it never changes the order.
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21+ only. Gambling should stay entertainment — never a way to make money. If it stops being fun, call 1-800-GAMBLER. State law decides what is available where you live; check your own rules before you deposit.
Is Bodog Poker Legal for US Players?
As mentioned above, if you wondering is Bodog Poker legal to play in the US, the short and simple answer is – no. For a poker room to operate online and offer its services in the US, it needs to be licensed and regulated by one of the states, which is most certainly not the case with Bodog at this point in time.
While offshore online poker operators try to interpret the laws in a way that suits them, the facts are very clear. Only poker rooms licensed locally can accept a deposit from US players and allow them to play for real money. Everyone else is operating in a very gray zone at the very best and many of their actions are straight-up illegal.
Is Bodog Poker legit? This is why you shouldn’t
Bodog Poker USA is definitely not legit from the technical standpoint. The fact of the matter is this room operates without a proper license, which puts your money at risk and can lead to other issues and complications along the way. No matter how many players are playing here and on other offshore sites, they simply can’t be legit in the current situation.
If you decide to play here, there is a range of possible consequences you could face. The truth of the matter is that you’re unlikely to face any real legal issues just because you play here, there are other problems that come with the territory and that you might not be able to avoid if you try to deposit, play, and withdraw from Bodog.
What this means in practice isn’t just that your deposit will often be refused. You may have even bigger problems when you decide to withdraw and money hits your bank account. If the bank identifies the source of money as a gambling site, they could even go as far as to close your account altogether, which is clearly very inconvenient and not worth the trouble.
Then, there are other issues that can appear here as well. You’ll be actively engaging in tax evasion as you’ll have hard time to report any winnings coming from an offshore poker site. It is also possible that you become a victim of scam of one kind or another, even if the operator isn’t directly involved. Since these rooms aren’t held to the same standards as legal, licensed rooms in the US, the level of security and protection is simply lower.
Bodog Poker scam or not? Operator in check
With everything we’ve stated so far in mind, we’ll still perform a brief Bodog Poker review to see what this operator has to offer in all important aspects. While we can’t recommend any US players to play here, it is still good to see how the room stacks up when compared to other, legit operators. That way, you’ll have a better understanding of what to actually expect and why Bodog isn’t all that it may seem to be.
Game types & tournaments
Bodog features a decent selection of cash game tables and scheduled tournaments across different stakes. Of course, the variety of games can’t be compared to some other regulated rooms but it is still fairly decent, with Texas Hold’em and Pot Limit Omaha dominating the lobby. Cash game players can enjoy fast-pace action thanks to Bodog Zone Poker while scheduled tournaments run around the clock, although there might not be enough action for all buy-in levels. Additionally, for cash players, Bodog features anonymous tables so you can’t use tracking software here.
Bonus & VIP program
When it comes to Bodog Poker promotions, players can take advantage of a fairly generous welcome bonus. This isn’t the biggest bonus offer out there but it is a solid bust on the first deposit. On the flip side, though, US players can’t really enjoy this bonus because all the risks and dangers we’ve described earlier in this review. While the Bodog welcome bonus may feel appealing, it’s not worth all the potential problems.
Payment methods
The range of Bodog Poker deposit methods is quite extensive. The room supports a variety of credit and debit cards as well as many e-wallets such as Skrill and NETELLER. Players from the US only have access to a handful of these, though, and oftentimes credit card deposits will be hard to get through. The same goes for cashouts, which can only be sent to bank accounts, which takes a fair amount of time.
Software / usability
The software is probably one of the brightest points of Bodog. The room has devised a really solid solution and players can enjoy a pretty much seamless gaming experience. If there weren’t for other factors and if they were somehow licensed in the US, then their software would likely be one of the main reasons to give them a try.
Player pool & poker network
Bodog shares its liquidity with Bovada but they aren’t a part of any network. They’re pretty much a standalone room, which has its upsides but also certain disadvantages. The biggest one is, of course, the fact that the player traffic is sometimes simply not big enough. You can’t just play any games you want whenever you feel like it.
The future of offshore poker sites in the US
The future of offshore operators in the US is certainly quite questionable and on glass legs at the moment. While many of these gambling sites have fought long and hard to grab their share of the market over the years, the most recent legislative changes are slowly changing the climate in the States.
There is a growing number of regulated sites in various states already and this number is only likely to increase moving forward. This will provide players with many more legal and safe options to choose from, which will put offshore poker rooms in a difficult position, threatening their market presence.
What’s even more, with legislative changes, the government will likely push more to prevent these sites from offering their services to US players. So, many of poker rooms that continue to operate right now could find themselves cut off.
Conclusion
Play with legit operators
At the end of the day, don’t be fooled by all the promises of these offshore sites. They might feature big bonuses and offer various cash incentives but this just isn’t worth it for US players. This is especially true nowadays when you have many great legit operators poker to choose from. Check out our comparison section and find a room where you truly feel comfortable and that meet your standards and expectations. By doing so, you’ll save yourself a lot of headache and will end up playing in a truly safe and regulated environment. This is the only kind of environment where you should consider building a poker bankroll.
Questions players ask
Is Bodog Poker legit?
Bodog is one of the oldest and most established online poker operations around. So, from that perspective, they are pretty legit. However, they offer their services to the US players, which does bring into question their business ethos. This approach could jeopardize their operation at large and puts all of their players at risk.
Can US players legally play at Bodog?
The answer to this questions is simply – no. While US players can deposit and play in Bodog cash games and tournaments, this is definitely not legal. Bodog doesn’t have any of the necessary licenses to offer games in any of the US states, which means their entire operation can’t be defined as legal.
Is Bodog Poker rigged?
While there have been rumors about Bodog poker scam and cheating, there is no real evidence to support any of the conspiracy theories out there. The room may be operating against US laws but there is no real proof there is anything wrong with their software or that players are being cheated in any way.
What are anonymous Bodog Poker cash game tables?
These are cash tables where you don’t know the identity of your opponent, i.e. you won’t see their nickname but only a random alias generated for that specific session. As soon as they leave and join another table, they’ll be assigned a different alias. This renders any tracking software pretty much useless.
Should I play at Bodog?
We don’t recommend any US players to play here. While the site does admittedly have a pretty good track record, all of this can change without any warning if the US government decides to take serious actions. If this happens, players could easily lose all of their funds and perhaps face other issues and problems.