BookMaker.eu has stood the test of time
I’ve been swimming around, sometimes aimlessly, sometimes with vigor in this vast sea of hope.
That, some day I’ll hit it big.
That one big shot, that catapults you from the backdoor alleys of 9-to-5 rut into the farmlands of the predictably rich and the eventual famous.
Alas, that shall remain a dream for now.
But, like they say, Never Say Never, at least not unless your hope dies out for good.
And, like the Shawshank Redemption reminds me; “hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.”
During all my ups and downs, mostly downs, in this “every man for himself” world of sports betting, one brand has always, sort of fascinated me.
Not in the quite sense, that it offers something magical, but its ability to remain relatable, its capacity to carve out a piece in the hearts of the professional gamblers.
I’m of course talking about BookMaker.eu.
It doesn’t need an introduction from me.
Its history speaks for itself.
Instead its solid foundation, along with the likes of its Brothers in Arms; Bodog and BetOnline, that have paved a six-lane highway to where professional sports gambling stands today.
Names like FanDuel and DraftKings would not exist, had the people behind BookMaker would not have taken enormous risks, upended their lives permanently and garrisoned themselves in the remote forests of Costa Rica.
The sad part is that despite all these personal sacrifices, many of its comrades are still present on the Wanted Lists in the US. And for what crime? Taking a few punts on a Sunday Football game.
Right now the situation is more ardently pathetic than it is abundantly absurd.
| BookMaker.eu Features | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Age | Originally starting in 1997 as Bet Costa Rica International Sports (BetCris), later added a separate brand BookMaker.eu for US players; operational as a betting website since 2000 |
| Reach | USA: All States except NJ. Prohibited Nations: ARMENIA AUSTRALIA AZERBAIJAN BELARUS FRANCE FRENCH GUYANA GEORGIA GUADALOUPE KAZAKHSTAN KYRGYZSTAN MAYOTTE NEW JERSEY STATE (US) REUNION RUSSIA SERBIA TAJIKISTAN TURKMENISTAN UKRAINE UNITED KINGDOM UZBEKISTAN VENEZUELA |
| Deposit and Withdrawal Methods | Cards, Person-2-Person Cash, MoneyGram, Crypto Transfers (Bitcoin Preferred) - Withdrawals can also be made through Bank Wire |
| Withdrawal Time Period | Same day for crypto; other methods can take up to one week |
| Withdrawal ID verification required? | Yes, especially if a credit or a debit card is used to deposit. ID card and a utility bill scan usually suffices |
| Bonuses | Promotions: 20% First Deposit Welcome Bonus, Weekly Cashbacks, Refer-a-Friend up to $500 and many more |
| Physical Location | Costa Rica, but its sister site BetCris is legal in many South American countries, like Honduras, Panama and Ecuador among others. |
| License | None for US |
| Early Lines | Yes, pre-game betting odds available for both College and Pro Sports; NBA, NFL, NHL, UFC, Golf, Tennis, etc. |
| Casino Platform | Slots, Roulette, Blackjack, Poker on both the standard platform and Live Casino. |
| Horse Racing | Yes, Horses, Greyhound betting is available |
| VIP Rewards Program | BetPoints™- Gold Reward Level: From 0 to 199,999, for every reload of $50 or more receive a 10% cash deposit bonus (4x rollover, max bonus $500) - Platinum Reward Level: From 200,000 to 299,999, for every reload of $50 or more receive a 15% cash bonus (5x rollover, max bonus $1,500) + BetPoints™ earn you 10% higher cash back rewards than Gold Level - Diamond Reward Level: From 300,000 and up, for every reload of $50 or more receive a 20% cash deposit bonus (5x rollover, max bonus $2,500), BetPoints™ earn you 10% higher cash back rewards than Platinum Level. |
| Standard Terms | Yes, all services follow their Terms of Service |
| Support Availability | 24x7 through Live Chat and Email + Help Center |
| Trustpilot Score | Rated Low - 2.3 out of 5.0 |
| Public Image on Reddit | Good legit offshore betting website with a lot of history |
| Problem Gambling Support | Limited to none |
A bit of history never hurt nobody
Anyways, my purpose wasn’t to open the legal files of BookMaker.eu, but to rather look at it for what it really is; a very trustable and reliable online bookie that has been around since 2000, though its site says 1997.
Starting as BetCris (specifically meant for sharp gamblers and non-US players), founded by a legendary bookie named Ron Sacco, eventually added BookMaker.eu (for US players), into the mix too, aimed at casual sports bettors.
Mr. Ron is an interesting character, who had been active in bookmaking since the 80’s and even spent a few years in a US penitentiary too, as part of a plea deal.
Unfortunately, gone are the days, when the entire legal enterprise of Las Vegas, underground and offshore bookies from LA to Tokyo, used to look forward to BookMaker for building up their own betting lines.
It’s been known to be the number #1 destination to acquire pre-game early odds for all US-based sports games for “years.”
Gone are those days, but it still holds a lot of respect from the old-school bookies, who know what they’re talking about.
As far as the licensing goes, no BookMaker doesn’t have one.
It’s offshore and not legal in the US.
The only factor that counts here is its long-term standing as an upright, honest bookie.
Luckily it holds true to date.
BetCris, its sister site, does operate in many Latin American countries like Ecuador, Honduras, Mexico, El Salvador and Panama, among others.
In fact, it has over 100 local branches in these countries.
Weirdly, BetCris is overseen by its parent company TV Global Enterprises; which is a proper MGA-licensed (MGA/B2C/300/2008) entity in Malta.
This makes it legal, at least in the EU and the Latin American countries it operates in.
So, although BookMaker may not be legal in the US, the people behind it definitely are legit.
Gen-Zs probably haven’t heard of BookMaker
The young and the fresh Gen-Zs would probably wouldn’t even know a thing called BookMaker.eu, thanks to the domination of legal sports bookies in the US.
But, anyone doing sports betting for a living (questionable, but ok) or occasional special-event-only American bettors in their mid-30s and above should definitely know what I’m on about.
Perhaps the most soothing part is the fact that despite all the rock-solid, crush-all-and-win-some, competition, BookMaker.eu has still managed to stay relevant.
I’m not sure how many active bettors still use its platform; a few tens of thousands? may be more.
Thing is if anyone is fed up with low betting limits, unprofessional attitude, loose money-grabbing odds, BookMaker should be given a serious consideration for an alternative.
As long as there’s nothing shady going on, BookMaker will pay out
It has no problem paying large amount of winnings to sharp gamblers.
Not until, they figure out any jiggery-pokery being played behind the scenes.
Don’t do that, if you’re winning fair and square.
Getting an account at a site like BookMaker should be enough for you to remember that your funds are safe and you will get paid.
For the reasons of being fair, I did go through its Trustpilot Reviews too.
It’s got a bad rating of 2.3 out of 5.0, based on 47 reviews, marking it as Poor.
But, if you really read through the bad comments, most of them have to do with the grading of bets.
Like the dishearten gamblers won a few bets, only to have them declined for X and Y reasons.
Now, I’m not saying these reviews are fake, but around 50 reviews for a betting company that has been around for over two decades should get a well-deserved break.
I’m sure BookMaker must have had a strong reason for kicking these people on to the streets.
For example, you can simply Google; “BookMaker eu Reddit” and you will spot a lot of threads like this, this and this, all praising it for its uprightness.
I deposited $1500 of my own money and today it’s more of a Bitcoin Sportsbook than anything else
Last time I played here was back in 2006.
Then left, only to come back years later.
Nothing has changed much.
For example, credit card, person-to-person, wire and check deposits and withdrawals are still available.
It was $10 back then, and now the minimums for both are $50.
The only thing that perhaps, changed in the last decade, was its focus to switch its banking methods to cryptocurrencies.
BookMaker.eu in a lot of good sense, is may be a Bitcoin and Tether Sportsbook.
I mean you visit their site, they got an entire educational section for crypto newbies.
Help is available every step of the way.
This is important, I guess, for people who are in their 50s and don’t know what Bitcoin is.
I deposited around $1500 here.
Funnily enough, didn’t win a dime on sports, but did manage to hit a nice $650 jackpot on one of their slot machines.
Their Live Casino is great too, if you’re into that sort of a thing.
And since, I did use Bitcoin to deposit, the withdrawal was processed the same day; which BookMaker promises.
As long as the bettors use cryptocurrencies, the funds can be withdrawn the same day; though crypto payments have their own withdrawal limits and issues with certain Exchanges, BookMaker can send out money to – which is fine.
Bet on anything, everything. BookMaker ain’t gonna stop
Live in-action sports betting is one its strengths.
The lines are possibly the best in the business.
Like I can bet on any sport that is played on the American soil.
Props, half-time lines, quarter-lines on NFL, NFL, NCAAF, NBA, NCAAB, NHL, MLB, UFC fights, with near instant grading post-winnings.
I mean how can I complain.
I also played the Roulette on their Live Casino platform.
Must say their “elegant and beautiful” live dealers are fun on their own.
I mean men would be men. 😉
Then I also remember testing out a bet or two on Horses.
Did one on NASCAR too, which turned out lucky shot for me.
Being offshore, it doesn’t have an app, but that’s OK.
Their platform works perfect on smartphones.
No problems there.
Personally, I use the desktop Chrome browser anyways.
For some unexplainable reason, Mobile betting doesn’t click me.
But, that’s just me.
Their promos are OK I guess, and do their job for those who want the freebies
For the casual, newbie sports bettors, their Welcome Bonus; 20% cashback (crypto) and 25% (other deposit methods) for up to $500 should gear up things good.
Plus, there’s a few other promos too, like Reload Bonus, Racebook Cash Rebates, Refer-a-Friend as so on.
Of course free money comes with its own troubles.
Make sure you know what their wagering playthrough requirements are, which can go as high as 30X the deposit + the bonus amount, though as low as 8X for crypto deposits.
Their Customer support didn’t disappoint
The support is more than decent.
At least for me, it was.
I contacted them over Live Chat regarding the ID verification.
The matters were sorted out in like 30 minutes.
Their Help Center Lobby looks dandy too.
I mean all the basic Q&As are present, and for others one can always get in touch directly.
This betting site is here to stay – from the looks of it. I just hope the US justice system would agree too
BookMaker.eu is still afloat.
May be the reason is its honesty in its dealings.
Their old and loyal client base just doesn’t trust others enough to leave the nest.
This in itself should be a major indication that this brand is unwilling to give up on its principles of integrity over profits and the mainstream hoopla.
Perhaps one day, the US justice system would be flexible enough to forgive their past transgressions and issue them the required licenses to operate legally in the US.
Until then, it’s your call.