BetOnline started operations in 2004 when it launched as an online sports betting platform. Its management, however, has been in the gambling industry since 1991, making it one of the most experienced and qualified providers of web-based gambling and betting services in the world. Within a few years after being established, BetOnline added a fantastic Casino to its offering, as well as a modern Racebook and Live Casino sections. In 2011, it also introduced its Poker Room and welcomed players from the United States.
Today, its success seems even more impressive considering it is a privately held company instead of being part of one of the giants in the industry. Operated by Blue High House S.A., which is licensed and regulated under the jurisdiction of Panama, BetOnline is a safe, legitimate option for thousands of poker enthusiasts from various countries around the world. Its Poker Room, available both for download and in Flash, uses trusted, RNG-based software provided by Connective Games. In terms of traffic, it is certainly not the largest poker network right now, but it remains highly competitive due to the variety of cash games and tournaments it offers, including the ever-popular Texas Hold’em and Omaha Hi-Lo. Most players would enjoy the many low-limit tables, but there are plenty of exciting poker options for high-rollers, as well.
One of the largest benefits of joining BetOnline Poker, however, is the attractive bonus offering which will be the main focus of the following sections of this review.
Promotions and Bonus Terms
In order to provide its customers with the best online poker experience, BetOnline has prepared a host of poker promotions designed for both new members and existing players. There are generous bonuses intended for newly registered players, as well as various offers for those who are more active on the tables. Different freeroll tournaments are held daily and in addition, players can earn extra points that can be redeemed for tournament entries.
BetOnline has plenty of challenges, leaderboards and tournaments you can take part in. Among them is the $10,000 Weekly Cash Race, which awards the top 20 players in real-money cash games throughout the week, based on the Comp Points they received. The leader receives a top payout of $2,000, while the smallest prizes are worth $10 to $40, depending on the stake levels of the games you play. There are also exciting $130,000 Guaranteed Tournaments held every weekend – buy-ins start from $2.20 and reach $99, while on the last Sunday of each month, players can take part in the $100,000 Guaranteed Tournament with a $109 buy-in. Another popular way to boost your bankroll at BetOnline Poker Room is trying your poker skills in the $5,000 Sit’n’ Go Challenge where leaderboards are divided into three groups, based on the size of the buy-in ($1.50 to $7 for Bronze, $15 to $60 for Silver, and $109 and up for Gold). The payouts are $250, $500, and $1,000 for the respective groups.
100% up to $2,500 First Deposit Bonus
The gambling operator has different welcome bonuses for its Casino, Sportsbook, and Poker Room, each specifically designed to meet customers’ individual interests. All new poker fans can enjoy a fantastic 100% bonus on their first deposit in the Poker Room which reaches the extraordinary $2,500. It is valid for deposits of at least $50 but instead of being credited at once, it is released $5 at a time.
In order to receive the bonus, players need to make a deposit of $50 or more and send an email to freeplay@betonline.ag. As its subject line, they need to write down the bonus code NEWBOL, while in the body of the email, they need to provide their username. Then, the bonus will be credited within 48 hours, while the first $5 of it will be released after earning 1,500 Comp Points. Each following portion of $5 will be released when another 1,500 points are earned. Players have 60 days to release their bonus – if any bonus funds are left unlocked, they will be forfeited.
$10,000 New Player Freeroll
Along with the bonus on their first deposit, new players at BetOnline Poker Room receive a free seat to the monthly 10,000 New Player Freeroll. To get entry, they simply need to make a deposit and the free ticket will be automatically credited to their account. The $10,000 tournament runs on the second Sunday of each month at 17:00 ET.
The ticket you receive as part of this promotion is valid for the following month’s tournament and if not used, it will expire. It cannot be exchanged for cash or entry to other events in the Poker Room. It will be credited within 72 hours of the new month.
Progressive Bad Beat Jackpot
At BetOnline, it is not always necessary to win a game in order to enjoy a large prize. The Bad Beat Jackpot is a wonderful offer which includes a progressive jackpot that starts at $100,000 and increases with every hand played on the designated Bad Beat tables. When it hits, it is shared by the Bad Beat winner and all of his or her opponents on the table. Moreover, even players on the rest of the qualifying tables receive a small piece of the pot.
The Bad Beat Jackpot is triggered when one of the partaking players has four Jacks (or better) but they are not high enough to win the hand. In order to qualify for the jackpot, you need to seat on one of the designated Bad Beat tables (real money ring tables) and contribute to the pot. Contributions are taken automatically at the rate of $0.10 per $4 in the pot and the maximum amount you can pay is $0.50. There are several other conditions that need to be met before the Bad Beat Jackpot can be won.
It hits only when 4 or more players are dealt into the hand and the winning hand, as well as the losing hand, contain both hole cards. In addition, the hand must go to a showdown. Then, if you lose while holding four Jacks or better, you become the Bad Beat winner and receive 27.50% of the jackpot. The player with the better, winning hand receives 15% of the pot, while another 15% is divided among the rest of the players on your table. In addition, 5% of the jackpot is given to the other players on Bad Beat tables. The rest of the jackpot amount is divided as follows – 27.50% is reseeded into the next jackpot and 10% is paid as administrative fees.
Up to $200 Bonus per Friend + $10,000 Refer-a-Friend Leaderboard
The gambling operator has a generous referral program which rewards you for every new friend you invite. When your friend signs up and makes a real-money deposit at BetOnline, you receive 200% match bonus on their deposit. The maximum amount of the bonus is $200, but you can invite as many friends as you wish. In fact, the more referrals you have, the better the rewards.
In order to receive this bonus, you need to visit the Refer-a-Friend page after you log in. You can choose what type of bonus you prefer – whether it is for the Casino, the Sportsbook, or the Poker Room. You can refer your friends via email, Facebook, or Twitter. You will receive your bonus after the referred new player makes a deposit of at least $25 and plays it through at least once. If your friends play in the Poker Room, their bonuses need to be held for a period of 30 days before you can get your bonus. Once you do, it will be released in $5 instalments with each 1,500 Comp Points you earn, similarly to the Poker Welcome Bonus. Before sending a referral link to their friends, players should know that only residents of the USA, Canada, and Australia are eligible for the Refer-a-Friend Program.
General Bonus Terms
The different promotions at BetOnline have specific terms and conditions that need to be taken into account when registering a new user account and claiming a bonus. Players can have only one user account on the website and have the right to a single bonus of each type. This means that a bonus is given only per one user, address, household, email address or IP and the gambling operator may request documentation such as government issued ID to verify user accounts. Of course, players can take part in certain promotions multiple times. One example is the Refer-a-Friend Program which has no limit to the number of referrals an account holder can generate.
It is also important to consider the type of bonus you wish to claim. For example, the bonuses in the Casino are subject to certain rollover requirements, also known as wagering. The Poker Welcome Bonus, on the other hand, does not need to be wagered and instead, it is released over time based on the number of Comp Points earned in real-money play. The rewards from the poker tournaments, Sit’n’ Gos, and other competitions are usually cash prizes or Comp Points which can be redeemed for tickets. The detailed terms of each promotion will be displayed on its main page.
Banking
Payments are of great importance when determining whether an online poker platform is a good bet or not. BetOnline has an impressively large selection of deposit and withdrawal options, including fast and convenient banking methods available even to its US-based customers. The gambling operator does not charge fees for transactions and guarantees instant deposits via most methods such as credit cards. More importantly, it offers quick payouts, with some of them cleared on the same day.
The Cashier system at BetOnline is simple and easy to use, whether you are making a deposit or requesting a withdrawal. All transactions require sensitive information, which is why 256-bit SSL encryption protocols are employed to guarantee high levels of protection and privacy. Players should note that withdrawals go into pending status after a request has been made. The pending times are between a few hours and 5 days. The minimum amount you can deposit at BetOnline is $10, while the minimum for withdrawals is $20. Each banking method also has minimum and maximum limits, which are displayed in this table. Payments can be made only in US dollars (USD), but Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are also accepted.
Credit and Debit Cards
Allowing easy and instant deposits, credit cards are the most preferred banking method among BetOnline customers. The gambling operator accepts both Visa and MasterCard, which are the largest card issuers in the world and most poker players are likely to have at least one of the two cards. Deposits via Visa and MasterCard are secure and show up in your account within several minutes.
Visa Gift Cards can also be used for funding your poker account provided they are allowed for international online purchases. However, credit and debit cards are not available for withdrawals at BetOnline, so players should register an alternative payment method in order to be able to retrieve their winnings.
Digital Wallets
Digital wallets are a popular method for making online purchases and depositing into online betting and gambling sites. Also known as e-wallets, they allow you to top up your poker or casino balance within seconds without having to disclose any personal information to websites. These services act as intermediaries between your bank (your checking account, your credit card, etc.) and the website. At BetOnline, major brands such as Skrill (Moneybookers) and Neteller are accepted and you can make instant deposits via these as often as you wish without paying any processing fees.
These two e-wallets can also be used for withdrawals from your poker account, but there are certain limitations that need to be considered. For instance, the transaction will be processed within 36 hours. Also, you can withdraw your winnings to an e-wallet a maximum of 3 times a week and the total amount of these transfers can be up to $9,900 per week. You can use a digital wallet for withdrawals only if you have already deposited via this particular method. Skrill is not available to Canadian players.
Bitcoin and Other Cryptocurrencies
Digital currencies or cryptocurrencies, as they are known, are still seen by many as something vague and futuristic. Although they do not exist as physical banknotes, they are very much real and can be used for deposits and withdrawals at online gambling platforms just like conventional money. Several types of cryptocurrencies are now accepted at BetOnline, one of which is the incredibly popular Bitcoin. The gambling operator processes Bitcoin deposits instantly and without a charge.
In addition, Litecoin and Ethereal can also be used in the Cashier. These two cryptocurrencies are still unavailable at many online poker rooms, casinos and web-based stores, so in case you have some of them stored in a wallet, you can use them to top up your BetOnline Poker account. The gambling operator also processes payouts to them. The transfer is surprisingly fast, totally secure and free of charges.
Additional Banking Methods
Players who do not wish to use their credit or debit card but are not yet familiar with modern banking methods such as e-wallets and cryptocurrencies have plenty of traditional options to choose from. The gambling operator offers conventional bank wire transfers so that you can directly move funds from your checking or savings account to your poker balance. Usually, this takes up to 3 business days and may come with certain fees imposed by the banking institution you have chosen. Withdrawals via bank wire can also be made and they are usually processed within a week. In some instances, however, your funds may appear in your bank account after 15 business days. You can request a withdrawal via this method every 3 days and the maximum you can retrieve is $24,900 per week.
Another option for making deposits and withdrawing funds from BetOnline is the Person to Person transfer. This method can be found in many gambling sites and consists of various intermediary payment service providers that allow you to send funds to individuals or companies. There are fees associated with this banking method, but BetOnline will cover them for all deposits over $300. When it comes to cashing out via Person to Person transfers, you are allowed one transaction per week which will be charged between $21 and $101.
You can also fund your gaming account using Money Orders, which can be purchased at gas stations, post offices, or convenience stores. Then, they need to be sent to the gambling operator via FedEx, DHL, or UPS. The funds you deposit will normally appear in your account within a few days and a small fee will apply. While deposits via Money Orders are available only to US-based players, withdrawals through this method can be used by customers from various parts of the world. Before requesting a withdrawal, however, they need to know that these orders are sent by courier and usually arrive within 7 business days. A fixed fee of $80 is imposed on these withdrawals.
Of course, you can also top up your poker account by sending a cheque to BetOnline. To do that, you simply need to choose Cashiers Check at the Cashier and follow the instructions. You should know that personal cheques are not accepted. This option can be used for cashouts, as well, but in this case, the banking method you need to pick at the Cashier of BetOnline is Check Express. These cheques are delivered by a courier and they have either a fixed fee of $45 to $75, depending on their value, or are charged a 3% fee in some instances.
| Banking Methods | Minimum/Maximum Deposit | Minimum/Maximum Withdrawal | Deposit Timeframe | Withdrawal Timeframe | Countries Where Available | Currencies |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Visa | $50 – $5,000 | N/A | Instant | N/A | Most Accepted | USD |
| MasterCard | $50 – $5,000 | N/A | Instant | N/A | Most Accepted | USD |
| Skrill | $10 – No Maximum | $25 – $9,900 | Instant | Within 36 Hours | Most Accepted | USD |
| Neteller | $10 – No Maximum | $25 – $9,900 | Instant | Within 36 Hours | Most Accepted | USD |
| Bitcoin | $20 – $25,000 | $20 – $10,000 | Instant | Within 24 Hours | Most Accepted | USD, BTC |
| Ethereum | $20 – $25,000 | $20 – $10,000 | Instant | Within 24 Hours | Most Accepted | USD |
| Litecoin | $20 – $25,000 | $20 – $10,000 | Instant | Within 24 Hours | Most Accepted | USD |
| Person to Person | $100 – $600 | $50 – $400 | Instant | Within 5 Business Days | Most Accepted | USD |
| Bank Wire | $1,000 – No Maximum | $500 – $24,900 | 1 to 3 Business Days | Within 15 Business Days | Most Accepted | USD |
| Money Orders | $300 – $9,000 | $500 – $9,000 | Within 5 Business Days | Within 7 Business Days | Most Accepted | USD |
| Cashiers Check | $1,500 – $15,000 | N/A | Within 7 Business Days | N/A | Most Accepted | USD |
| Check Express | N/A | $500 – $2,500 | N/A | Within 7 Business Days | Most Accepted | USD |
Loyalty Program
Poker players can enjoy a nice and incredibly simple Loyalty Program which rewards them for each dollar they pay in rake. Every player enters this VIP scheme once he or she registers an account at the Poker Room. The program has five tiers, starting at Bronze where no points are needed. Once players earn 25,000 points, their VIP status becomes Silver and while accumulating more points, they can climb to Gold, Platinum and Elite levels. Comp Points are earned very easily and can be redeemed for tournament tickets. Of course, the gambling operator does not allow points to be transferred from one player to the other.
Each $0.01 paid in rake in cash games earns you 1 Comp Point. A rake is a percentage of the pot which is taken as a fee by the house. In addition, you earn 100 Comp Points for every $1 you pay for tournament fees. You should know, however, that in order to receive any Comp Points from tournament play, the fee must be $1 or up. Players can see their points balance directly from the Poker Client. Then, they can use the points not only to gain entry to various tournaments but also to release bonus funds from their bonus balance.
Software and Poker Games
Playing poker at BetOnline is a pure entertainment, as the software used by the gambling operator is very simplistic and easy to use even for new members. It was provided by Connective Games, an online gaming software supplier which has been in the gambling industry since 2006. Their gaming platform is reliable, adaptable to customers’ needs and with various customization options. After a modernization of the software in 2017, players can now enjoy faster games, improved graphics, and multi-table functionality.
In order to join BetOnline Poker Room, you will need to download the Poker Client on your computer. It is available for free for both Windows-powered PC and Mac computers. The installation takes only a few minutes and then, you can access the Poker Room directly from your desktop. Those who do not wish to download the software have an alternative – the BetOnline Poker Room is also available as an instant-play platform. It can be opened in literally every modern web browser and all games run equally well, with all poker options and functionalities available.
BetOnline Poker Room comes with a large game Lobby, a fully functional Cashier, as well as an interesting Options section which can be opened easily by clicking your avatar in the top right corner of the screen. From here, you can personalize your entire poker experience by choosing a table theme and an avatar or adjusting the audio and animation settings. In addition, you can change various other things such as the display and gameplay options, the chat settings, the colour and the theme of the playing cards, and the buy-in for games.
Cash Games and Tournaments
When you open the Poker Room at BetOnline, the Lobby is located on the main page and includes all cash games, tournaments, and Sit’n’ Gos. You can choose to play real money games or with Play Money in practice mode – as a newly registered member, you receive 1,000 credits which can be used in various practice cash games and tournaments. One immediately notices that the most popular poker game at BetOnline is Texas Hold’em, although there are also Omaha Hi and Omaha Hi-Lo options. The gambling operator also offers several other games such as 32 Card Poker, Americana, and 7 Stud Hi/Hi-Lo.
The Lobby displays all available games by type (No Limit, Pot Limit, and Fixed Limit Hold’em, Omaha or Omaha Hi-Lo), by a table name, by the number of players, by average pot, and more. The majority of cash games are low and medium-stakes tables ($0.01/$0.02 to $0.50/$1) but there are also a wide array of options for those who prefer stake limits of least $1/$2. Stakes here reach $5/$10, with many of the tables being special Bad Beat Jackpot games.
Most Sit’n’ Gos are No Limit Hold’em with buy-ins starting from just $1,50. These tournaments offer quite attractive prizes of up to $1,200 but, of course, registering for the richest games will cost you more – tickets can reach $215. The variety of tournaments – regular, freeroll, guaranteed or satellite events, should be able to satisfy every poker player. Daily tournaments are held, but the largest prizes are given over the weekends when several tournaments with a total guaranteed prize pool of $130,000 run throughout the day. There is also an exciting monthly $100,000 Guaranteed Tournament in which you can take part in after paying the $109 buy-in.
Mobile Poker
Connective Games, the gaming studio which supplies the poker software to BetOnline, has recently migrated entirely from Flash to HTML5. This means that its poker software is now available on all computers, smartphones and tablets. Customers do not need to necessarily play their favourite poker games from their laptop or desktop computers. Instead, they have instant access to a large part of the BetOnline Poker Room, including many of the cash games and tournaments.
The Mobile Poker Room is available to users of both Android and iOS devices for free. If you are accessing BetOnline Poker via an iPhone or an iPad, you will need to visit the gambling site and scan the QR code. When you do this, you will be able to play poker games in the browser of your Apple device. Android users, on the other hand, will need to download the BetOnline Mobile Poker App. Once again, a QR code displayed on the Mobile section of the website needs to be scanned. The application will be instantly downloaded and you must open the app folder in the memory of your device to allow the installation.
The Mobile Poker Room requires at least iPhone 5 or iPad 3, so you will not be able to open it in-browser if your device is older. The Android app can be installed on phones and tablets that run on Android 6 or a later version.
Licensing Info
BetOnline is a privately-owned online gambling company based in Panama and it offers its Casino, Poker, Racebook and Sportsbook on the international market. The website is operated by Blue High House S.A., which is fully licensed and regulated by the local regulator of Panama, the Gambling Control Board under the Ministry of Economy and Finance. The authority monitors all games to make sure that they operate fairly and under acceptable standards. It also keeps a full record of financial transactions and makes regular inspections.
Customer Support
With guiding principles such as transparency, integrity and respectable attitude towards players, the gambling operator has established itself as one of the most trustworthy providers of poker, casino and sports betting products in the world. There are plenty of advantages to playing poker at BetOnline – diverse gaming options, exciting tournaments, fast payouts, and more. But what most online punters look for in a good web-based poker platform is the reliable customer support service.
And this is exactly what BetOnline is striving to achieve – the support professionals on staff are experienced and knowledgeable, they are available at any time of the day or night, and they will be happy to assist you even with seemingly trivial issues such as forgotten passwords or bonus activation. You can contact them by phone (1-888-426-3661), email (cs@BetOnline.ag or poker@BetOnline.ag for poker-specific queries) or even better, via the Live Chat functionality available in the Poker Client and on the BetOnline website.
Poker and gambling enthusiasts should know that the platform is currently available only in English. Still, it contains very useful information about the bonuses and promotions on offer, about the general rules of the website, and about users’ privacy and security on the Internet. In addition, there is a wonderful FAQ section where punters can find answers to some of the most important and frequently asked questions.