BetNow now is a newer offshore sportsbook which has a few interesting features although there are areas where it could be improved. They primarily serve American clients which is a consistently growing market. Sportsbooks less than three years old are always higher risk than those that have a longer time in the industry. So far, BetNow seems to be on the right track.
BetNow is an online sportsbook that accepts players from the United States and worldwide. They are one of the several new offshore sportsbooks in recent years. BetNow also has an online casino and racebook. As far as we can tell, it is an independent shop operating out of Curacao, where they are licensed. They began operations in 2016. Due to how new they are to the market, there isn’t much in the form of player feedback just yet. The company used to advertise quite heavily at Covers.com which is a popular sports betting news site, forum, and tout service. BetNow has also drawn the endorsement Offshore Gaming Association (OSGA) which should seem to be a positive development.
Covers promotes BetNow and is a recommended sportsbook at OSGA. In recent years, it’s tough to know what to make of an endorsement from respected sites, such as Sportsbook Review. For instance, SBR does a lot of good for players and the industry in general. However, on the other side of the coin, they stood with former scam sportsbook, Bet Islands, to their final hours. This cost players more than a million dollars when the Bet Islands shut their doors and paid no one.
Covers doesn’t have its hands clean either when it comes to issues surrounding the sportsbooks they made deals with and promoted. The BetED debacle was never resolved positively for the players and Covers’ conduct throughout the process leaves many unanswered questions. As far as the actual sportsbook itself, we like what we see from BetNow. They don’t appear to be trying to be something they are not. They’re an offshore sportsbook that focuses on American sports.
Their time in the industry is just too short. As this is being written, the sportsbook has been operating less than a year. Any new operator, even with glowing recommendations from trusted sites and excellent odds, is still risky. BetNow doesn’t offer elite odds, but they do have two strong recommendations. However, we still have to advise a wait and see approach for our readers. BetNow simply doesn’t have enough feedback from players or longevity to be trusted at this point.
Their website is a bit bare. They do have terms and conditions, and some interesting wording about syndicate play, but that’s relatively common at many offshore sportsbooks. They have a deposit bonus, but don’t mention a maximum amount or have their rollover listed, even when plays click for more information.
There isn’t a ton besides North American betting markets. BetNow’s markets are actually somewhat impressive, considering they’re still a small operator. They do have some foreign soccer and basketball markets, but there won’t be much for bettors outside Canada and the United States.
Their cashier options are bare bones. Currently, they only accept deposits through credit or debit card and Western Union and MoneyGram. Most other sites have several more options. They also don’t offer Bitcoin, which has become a standard across the industry within the past few years for several reasons.
Reviewing cashiers at newer sportsbooks is tough. We simply don’t have the feedback from players to offer an accurate opinion. The sportsbooks can say they payout in this number of days, but without reports from players, speeds are almost impossible to gauge.
General Deposit Methods are pretty bare
Credit and debit cards are instant and come without fees. MoneyGram and Western Union come with fees, but BetNow will reimburse players if they send $300 or more. Bitcoin is now available a deposit method. It’s by far the best option, as it is completely free and faster than other methods.
Few Payout Options and no crypto currency options.
As far as payouts, currently they only have two options, check, and MoneyGram. MG withdrawals are notoriously expensive. Their checks also come with a $50 fee. There is no free payout per month as far as we can tell. Bitcoin once again reigns supreme as a cashier option. Payouts for the crypto-currency are completely free. BetNow is heavily promoting Bitcoin now.
BetNow doesn’t have speeds listed on their site for withdrawals, which is a major negative and a red flag. We spoke with support who assured us that checks process within 24 business days. MoneyGram requests process in 72 hours or less. We can’t verify these speeds. Nevertheless, they’re not particularly fast, even without verification. Two weeks for checks is around the industry standard, but 72 hours for MG payouts is definitely on the slow side.
Most sites have a lot more deposit and withdrawal options than BetNow. It’s particularly strange they don’t offer bank wire as a method when you consider their high betting limits. The lack of Bitcoin is another huge negative. Both players and BetNow would save processing fees if they adopted the crypto-currency and perhaps introduced others.
