BetOnline and Bovada Now Charging Deposit Fees!
Posted by admin on 30 December 2011 in Betting Sites News
Complaints have hit online betting forums in recent days claiming recreational sportsbook BetOnline.com is now charging their clients a 6% fee for credit card deposits. Sports Betting Sites inquired with live chat and was told this is clearly stated in their rules. Searching the rules published on their website we discovered under Cashier Rules > Deposit Rules a rule #5 has been added which reads:
5. When depositing using credit card a 6% processing fee will be applied to your deposit. For example, when depositing $100 you will be charged a fee of $6 and will receive $94 in your account for betting. You will be able to calculate your fees in the cashier prior to confirming your deposit.
Although BetOnline is NOT on our recommended list, we do encourage clients who deposit with them (despite their C+ Rating) to consider using an alternative banking method.
Free BetOnline Deposit Methods
Two US friendly deposit methods BetOnline covers the fees for are listed below.
- Money Order – the BetOnline website now states they’ll accept Money Orders purchased at places such as Wal-Mart, Check Cashing Stores, Convenience Stores, Western Union, Money Gram and Post Offices. You can then express ship the Money Order via FedEx, UPS or DHL and when it arrives they’ll credit your account with the money order amount and the express shipping fee.
- Person to Person (P2P) – When depositing to BetOnline using person to person money transfer service (for example Western Union or MoneyGram) BetOnline will add the amount of cash sent plus (so long as the deposit is for $300 or greater) they’ll add the fee amount as well.
Clients outside the United States can deposit free of charge using Neteller or MoneyBookers.
Bovada.lv Also Charging Deposit Fees
Back on December 14, 2011 Bodog left the US market moving all their American clients to the URL www.bovada.lv. Just prior to this their company instituted a 4.9% fee on all deposits made via credit card which is now in place at Bovoda.lv. Although 1.1% less than the new BetOnline fees, the most concerning thing here is credit card has long been Bodog’s (now Bovada’s) primary deposit method. Upon reviewing their website it does appear Western Union deposits can be made for amounts ranging from $300 to $5,000 and Moneygram for amounts ranging from $300 to $900 with Bovada picking up the fees. No other free deposit methods are available.
SBS Opinion – No Reason to Use BetOnline or Bovada
BetOnline has long been the subject of slow pay complaints, recently has major issues with their poker room involving balance confiscations, and is no longer offering any reduced juice. Meanwhile Bovada’s rating is on hold due to this Bovada Payout warning. We’re personally tracking a few Bovada withdrawal requests from 15-days ago that have not resulted in so much as even a tracking number yet. The edge these two recreational betting sites always had was convenient and free methods for deposit. If you’re willing to pay these fees okay, but if you’re going to deposit via alternate means why not do so at a site such as 5Dimes.com or BetIslands.com that offers far better odds. Or even JustBet.cx or YouWager.eu where better bonuses can be negotiated. At least these four sites will cash you out promptly.
Free Credit Card Deposits
Additionally, we can confirm A+ rated www.bookmaker.eu and B+ rated www.intertops.eu (both US friendly) still offer credit card deposits without any fees charged or deducted. Perhaps this won’t last forever as the latest trends industry wide are less than player friendly, but while available these two sites are far superior choices with reasonable cash out time frames and great track records.