{"id":678,"date":"2017-04-12T15:19:13","date_gmt":"2017-04-12T15:19:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.betting.ca\/?post_type=reviews&p=678"},"modified":"2022-12-21T09:19:35","modified_gmt":"2022-12-21T14:19:35","slug":"bodog","status":"publish","type":"reviews","link":"https:\/\/www.betting.ca\/reviews\/bodog","title":{"rendered":"Bodog Canada"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bodog Canada<\/strong> was launched in 1994 by the Canadian Calvin Ayre. The brand\u2019s background is a roller coaster \u2014 it was seized by the US Government twice, sold to the Mohawk Morris Gaming Group, and the domain was ultimately released in 2017. In its peak years, around 2004, Bodog was the biggest gambling brand in Canada and a powerhouse operator internationally.<\/p>\n

In recent years, Bodog managed to recapture some of its former glory, but it\u2019s really only a shadow of its former self. Its reputation has been tarnished by a series of controversies, which is why many Canadians are hesitant about putting their trust in this legendary gambling site.<\/p>\n

Despite its checkered past, Bodog has always been a top-notch gambling site. All of this controversy never had anything to do with its quality of service or the way the brand was treating its customers.<\/p>\n

Bodog is still a prime destination for Canadian punters. As a token of hospitality, the brand offers a pretty amazing 100% welcome bonus of up to C$200<\/strong>. But even looking beyond the bonus package, the site has a solid reputation for offering elite customer service, a wide range of props markets across all sports, as well as the option to capitalize on four different gambling products under one link.<\/p>\n

The question now arises \u2014 should you stick with a gambling operator that has stood the test of time, or should you go elsewhere to satisfy your betting appetite? I guess you\u2019ll have to read my in-depth Bodog review below to find out!<\/p>\n

Bodog History and Details<\/h2>\n

Bodog\u2019s roots go back to 1994. The site was launched by Calvin Ayre<\/a>, a Canadian entrepreneur, who at the time was involved in several business endeavours, including payment processing and software.<\/p>\n

The name Bodog is derived from a unique branding strategy Ayre came up with. He conducted a scientific study on what type of brand name would be the most resonant, taking into account factors like how many syllables it should have. He figured that it should be easy to spell and remember and that it should have six letters or less. Ultimately, it would have to be distinguishable from its competitors.<\/p>\n

After establishing a sound brand name, Ayre decided it was time for the company to branch into other verticals. In 2004, Bodog added a poker site to its portfolio of products. Quickly thereafter, the company signed a couple of celebrities from the poker world to be its poker ambassadors, which further enhanced its image.<\/p>\n

In the following two years, Bodog rose to prominence, becoming Canada\u2019s leading gambling brand. In 2006, the company cemented its status as the industry leader by purchasing WorldWide Tech Services<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

In 2007, the site\u2019s domain was seized by the U.S Government because its owner, Ayre, still had assets in his name in the States. It was at this time that Bodog was sold to Mohawk Morris Gaming Group<\/strong>, a company headquartered in Kahnawake Reservation in Quebec.<\/p>\n

After agreeing to a settlement and paying 50 million dollars, Mohawk Morris regained the Bodog.com domain in 2009.<\/p>\n

In 2011, the U.S. Department of Justice went after offshore operators that were offering their services to US residents. Several gambling brands were shut down, and Bodog had to cease operations again.<\/p>\n

Since the company was registered in Antigua, a country that has won several disputes against the U.S. for interfering with Antigua-based companies, Bodog had a strong case for recapturing its domain once again. The domain was released in 2017 as Ayre broke all connections with Bodog.<\/p>\n

Bodog remained a juggernaut in the iGaming industry. Ayre himself has completely given up on the company that made him a billionaire and moved into the cryptocurrency market.<\/p>\n

Betting Offer at Bodog Canada<\/h2>\n

Sports betting has always been the bread and butter of Bodog, and so is the case to this day. The site offers two individual betting sections, one for horse racing and one for sports. The layout of the user interface is very sleek and very simple to use, as all it takes is to pick a sport, find your event, and click the market you want to bet on. The bet slip will automatically pop up on your right-hand side, where you can enter your wager and pick what bet type you want to place.<\/p>\n

The main choices are, understandably, hockey<\/a>, basketball<\/a>, and football<\/a>, but there are also sports like darts<\/a>, snooker<\/a>, and ski jumping on the menu. The betting markets cover a variety of leagues and events, including the NHL<\/a> and CFL, which can be filtered further by the drop-down menu that automatically pops up when you open up a category. However, the only available type of odds is American (Moneyline<\/a>) odds.<\/p>\n

Apart from the more traditional sports, there are no specialty options available except for e-sports. But as a plus, you can also use the Horse Racing<\/a> section under one account, where you find around 20+ tracks to bet on, including the local Woodbine, Aintree, and the other US, UK, and Canadian tracks.<\/p>\n

Bodog Sports Betting Markets<\/h2>\n

In terms of overall market coverage, Bodog Canada is pretty decent. The offering looks limited when compared to 5Dimes or some other elite sportsbook, but they do offer a solid range of options for a medium-sized gambling site.<\/p>\n

North American markets steal the spotlight, with the majority of Bodog\u2019s clientele coming from Canada. All the popular sports in Canada are well covered, including football<\/a>, baseball<\/a>, basketball<\/a> and hockey<\/a><\/strong>. Within each sport, there is a diverse selection of betting markets in both pre-match and in-play<\/a> formats. Their collection of props and futures markets is on par with the biggest names in the industry.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll find dedicated sections for NBA, NFL, MLB, NBA, NCAA and College Football<\/strong>. Bodog also has a deep betting menu across all soccer<\/a><\/strong> matches. You can place bets on top-flight European leagues, including Serie A, La Liga and the Premier League<\/strong>, in addition to UEFA\u2019s most prestigious tournaments, namely the Champions League<\/a> and Europa League<\/strong>. The sportsbook even provides odds for lower-tier leagues and competitions.<\/p>\n

Bodog also offers lines for MMA<\/a>, boxing<\/a>, golf<\/a>, tennis<\/a>, darts<\/a>, cricket<\/a>, rugby<\/a>, Formula 1<\/a><\/strong>, and the increasingly popular esports<\/strong>. You can also bet on political affairs as well as events from the entertainment world. There are even a number of virtual sports markets for those who are into this type of betting.<\/p>\n

Depending on the sport and the competition, you have a variety of betting markets at your disposal, ranging from standard spreads to money lines, teasers, parlays, halves, and props.<\/p>\n

Each event currently found under your selected sports menu is expandable to reveal the available betting markets for the match. Here you can find the standard Moneyline<\/a> (1×2<\/a>) bets, point spreads<\/a>, over\/under and total markets, as well as a variety of proposition bets like both teams to score, margin of victory, correct score, double chance, full time\/half time, and more. Some of the more interesting options include overtime bets, which are not available for every event. Of course, there is more variety in sports like soccer and cricket, which get more coverage from oddsmakers, than sports like cycling or darts.<\/p>\n

When you add more than one selection, your bet slip will automatically give you the option to group them into a parlay<\/a>, combine several (2, 3, 4 +) team parlays, create a round-robin or take up all of the options. This way, you can quickly make advanced bets with a few simple clicks.<\/p>\n

Live Betting<\/h2>\n

When compared to other sportsbooks, Bodog\u2019s odds are not particularly appealing, especially when it comes to betting on favourites. Still, there is some good value available on obscure markets, so as long as you\u2019re not spending big bucks on major events, you\u2019re good to go. A bigger issue here is that Bodog Canada posts odds<\/a> much later than its competitors, so there is definitely room for progress in this respect.<\/p>\n

Live betting<\/a> is where Bodog shines brightest. The platform is laid out extremely well, and it\u2019s easy to find your way around. More importantly, their live betting markets go beyond the standard options (totals, spreads, and money lines). Within each sport, you can choose between a vast selection of player and team props with odds updated by the minute.<\/p>\n

Bodog Canada also provides in-play betting<\/a> markets, which you can explore by clicking the Live Betting category. Once you do, you will see a different interface where the events currently in play are ordered at the top, while the next events in line will be available under their relevant menu. And once you open a match, you will see the current score, time, and match stats at the top, while all available markets will be listed below.<\/p>\n

But what\u2019s probably the best thing about the Live Betting menu is that you can log in pre-match and enable the Quick Bet mode, which will automatically create your bet slip with a pre-defined wager as soon as you click on the market.<\/p>\n

As it stands, Bodog doesn\u2019t provide live-streaming services. This is a major downside since most non-US sportsbooks offer this feature.<\/p>\n

Bodog Website Design and User Experience<\/h2>\n

The Bodog desktop site is extremely intuitive and easy to navigate. All the mainstream sports are easily accessible via large icons located at the top of the homepage. On the left side, all the popular leagues are presented, and to see the market offering for a given match, simply click on the number left on the main market odds.<\/p>\n

The website is immaculately designed. This isn\u2019t your run-of-the-mill sportsbook with a simplistic design. It\u2019s a unique blend of class and substance.<\/p>\n

The platform is divided into sports, casino, poker, and horse sections. You can switch from one gambling product to another using quick links at the top of the page.<\/p>\n

Users can change the odds format, choosing between fractional, decimal, and American types.<\/p>\n

The betting slip, which pops out on the right side as you select a betting market, is a bit narrow for my taste. I personally prefer slips that are wider so that I don\u2019t have to scroll too much. This is certainly not a deal-breaker, but it\u2019s something that the sportsbook should improve, in my humble opinion.<\/p>\n

Mobile Betting at Bodog Canada<\/h2>\n

Bodog wouldn\u2019t be able to survive the fierce competition if it didn\u2019t keep up with the latest tech trends in the iGaming world. So, when mobile betting<\/a> emerged, Bodog quickly adapted. The mobile version of the website is built with HTML5, which means it will work seamlessly regardless of whether you use iPads<\/a>, iPhones<\/a>, Android smartphones<\/a> and most tablets. Much like its desktop counterpart, Bodog\u2019s mobile site features a smooth interface and a wide array of betting markets.<\/p>\n

Users don\u2019t need to download anything to place bets on the go with Bodog. Simple browser-based access will do the trick. Once you reach the mobile version of the site, you\u2019ll be able to explore all of the content available on the main site. This means that you can place bets, fund your account, or contact customer support wherever you are, whenever you want.<\/p>\n

Bonuses and Promotions at Bodog Canada<\/h2>\n

If you are joining Bodog Canada for the first time, you are eligible for any bonus offered by the casino, poker, or sports betting section. However, when it comes to sports, there are fewer rewards to be claimed, although not anything you can easily overlook.<\/p>\n

Welcome Offer<\/h3>

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Like pretty much every Canadian-friendly bookie, Bodog Canada offers an introductory bonus to newly registered users. After signing up for an account, you\u2019ll instantly become eligible for a 100% match bonus of up to CA$ 200. Granted, CA$ 200 is much less than you\u2019ll find in other places, but with this bonus, you actually have a chance to collect some winnings. Why is that? Because the offer comes with a ludicrously low 5x wagering requirement.<\/p>\n

There is no code, odds limitations, or any special instructions \u2014 merely make the qualifying deposit, and the bonus is yours for the taking. Speaking of which, the qualifying deposit is CA$20 when it comes to this particular offer.
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Other Promotions<\/h3>

Your insatiable hunger for bonuses probably can\u2019t be satiated with just <\/i>one bonus, but don\u2019t you worry, Bodog also offers a full set of recurrent promotions. Since the promotional lineup changes on a daily basis, it would be pointless for me to talk about the promos that I came across while reviewing the site. What I can tell you is that gamblers of all preferences are in for a special treat in Bodog.<\/p>\n

The sportsbook currently runs a hefty refer-a-friend <\/i>promo. The principle of the offer is as follows:<\/p>\n