Facts
- Established: 2004
- Licensed: Panama
- Phone: 1-888-426-3661
- Email: cs@betonline.ag
Positives
- Accepts ALL 50 USA States
- ALL Credit Cards & Bitcoin Accepted
- 200% Bonus up to $2,000
- Sportsbook & Casino Also Offered
Negatives
- Customer Support Inconsistent
- Limited High-Stakes Games
- Player Volume Still Growing
- Doesn’t Offer a VIP Program
August 2018 Withdrawal Payout Speeds
Bitcoin
(Up to 15 Minutes)
Money Order
(Instant Upon Arrival)
Bitcoin
(Within 15-40 Hours)
Money Transfer
(4-6 Days)
This review was composed by Joseph Falchetti, a professional and competent online gambler for over ten (10) years. His reviews are written as he would address a friend, seeking an honest and real unbiased review of this website; Betonline.ag(com). The direct url to the site is www.Betonline.com/ag.
First thoughts are about the company, you’re putting money essentially into an online bank, and always know who the hell they are. I’ve been using and working with them for 11 years. I don’t really trust the odds at the casino, but as I say in my other articles, I think all online casinos cut in on stated odds. Other than maybe Bovada casino, but they get you with the already crappy stated odds. Other than that the gambling site is perfectly legit such as one you’d find in Vegas. As I’ll state below, any time a slow payment happens it’s usually from difficult processing issues to the United States.
BetOnline continues a bold habitation as one of the best new (post 2011) options for US online poker players these past few years. Their management group has been in the offshore gambling industry since 1991, and BetOnline was originally established as BLS International in 2001 as a sportsbook. They have been providing online poker to customers since 2004 but began dominance because of 50 state acceptance when other operators left the US, the now only poker room to currently do so.
The company is based in Panama City, Panama, where they are licensed and regulated. People tend to get scared off when ‘offshore license’ is mentioned but this site is legit. I’ve watched and used them for about 10 years with no problems. Since their inception, the online gambling provider has grown steadily and is a stronghold of trust in both poker and sports betting. They used to operate at BetOnline.com but have now moved over to BetOnline.ag due to domain regulations. Both domains continue to work.
In addition to running an online poker room as I mentioned BetOnline offers a full-service sportsbook and a Vegas-style online casino. They accept international customers along with US-based players.
Software
Perhaps the one negative on BetOnline is their software. It’s a more than capable as an online poker client, but it’s far behind many other sites in terms of features and polish. Some users have also experienced heavy slowdowns when playing multiple tables. Support seems to be able to clear up most of these issues when inquiries for help are made, but there hasn’t been a software update that entirely fixes theses problems.
For just jumping in and playing, though, BetOnline’s product suits that need perfectly. Multi-tabling is painless, with resizable tables, and there are multiple table layouts. Bet sliders are simple to use, and there are standard table options, like using a four-color deck.
The lobby doesn’t have nearly as many customization options as other poker rooms, but it’s still easy enough to use that players can go through stake and game types in a matter of seconds.
Overall, BetOnline’s poker client won’t blow you away with features, but it’s a straightforward client that is mostly bug-free, except for a few slowdowns reported by some users. The client is also available for both Mac and PC.
Banking (Deposits and Quick Withdraws)
BetOnline has one of the best deposit menus available for any poker room. They offer an extensive list of deposit methods. They accept credit card deposits through Visa, MasterCard, and American Express (only Amex poker site available). Players can also use their card to deposit using a payment voucher that they can redeem if their card doesn’t work using traditional methods.
Other methods include transfers via Western Union or MoneyGram, bank wire, check by mail, and inter-sportsbook transfer. They began offering the crypto-currency Bitcoin in early 2015 as well.
Of course, in this industry, it’s not how many options you have for depositing that matters. It’s how quickly and cost effectively you can pay players. BetOnline excels in that area as well.
Checks are currently taking 6-14 days to reach players. They come with a $35 fee and a maximum amount of $2,500 per check. Players will be entitled to one free withdrawal method a month, which can be requested on Fridays.
Payouts via MoneyGram and Western Union will take 4-6 days to reach players. These can come with varying fees based on the amount requested. The maximum amount for these methods per transaction is $500. These can get expensive, but this method is the quickest way to receive your funds.
Bank wires are the best means of withdrawing large amounts. They take around 7-8 days to reach players, and like money transfers, fees will vary depending on the amount. It’s usually between $45–$75, but your bank may charge you additional fees. The maximum amount per bank wire is $24,900.
Bitcoin is a newer payout option which is usually received by players within 15-40 hours. This cash-out option is quick and easy but the only downfall is it comes with a 2% withdrawal fee. They use to have a 6% deposit fee but as of around August 31, 2016 there is no fee for depositing using bitcoin.
These methods are well within the standard for offshore poker payment processing speeds. BetOnline has continually improved their rates over the past few years as well. Even during the NFL season, a period with high traffic for sportsbooks, the company has held firm with their speeds.
Promos: 200% Welcome Bonus
BetOnline offers perhaps the most legitimate and worthwhile bonus online for poker players: a 200% Welcome Bonus for up to $1,000. That is, if you deposit a maximum of $1,000, you get $2,000 back in bonuses. Players simply need to make a deposit and then email freeplay@betonline.ag with “POKERNEW” in the subject line, and their bonus will be credited to their account within 48 hours.
The bonus won’t be released all at once, however. Poker players must earn POP (Player Option Points) to unlock their bonus in several stages. The full amount of the bonus will be released in five stages, and players will earn POP for all of their real-money play (cash or tournament) at BetOnline’s poker room. Standard procedure for every US room to combat fraud.
POP can also be used to buy into tournaments and is currently the only VIP program that BetOnline offers for their poker players. It’s a solid program for players interested in tournaments but it would be nice if they added rewards for players who mostly play cash games.
Other Promotions
In addition to their deposit bonus, they offer a host of other promotions to players.
There is a Bad Beat Jackpot available on Mondays, where players can get up to $100 if they lose in a hand with a Jack High Flush or better. It’s important to email the hand number to promo@betonline.ag immediately because the bonus is no longer valid one hour after the hand is played.
The 4 of a Kind Promotion is similar. Players will be able to get $40 added to their account if they get a 4 of a kind. They should follow the same steps as the above promotion to claim their prize.
The Chico Poker Network
BetOnline hosts their poker room on the Chico Poker Network. The network is comprised of about half a dozen other sites that share player pools for both cash games and tournaments. Almost all of these sites, like BetOnline, heavily promote their casino and sportsbook offerings.
At peak hours, during the evening for US-based players, the network averages close to 4,000 players online. Chico has consistently taken the third spot in US poker traffic behind Merge Gaming and Bovada Poker for the past two years.
Chico’s games, both cash, and tournament are some of the softest online. There are nearly an endless supply of fish populating the games, who wander over to the poker room after running up their balance in the sportsbook or casino.
Also, since the software isn’t compatible with tracking programs like Poker Tracker or Hold’em Manager, many “grinders” or professional-level players opt to not play there. Experienced players can take advantage of these games, which are mostly devoid of professional-level players, and find some excellent soft action.
Games Offered & Tournament Selections
BetOnline doesn’t offer as many poker variants as larger rooms. There are two sections in the lobby, one for Hold’em and the other for Omaha. They offer both No Limit, and Limit Hold’em games and Pot Limit and High/Low Omaha games. Currently, there are only Hold’em tournaments available.
Cash Games
Not surprisingly, cash game action is mostly focused on No Limit Hold’em. Players will almost never have any issues finding a couple games at their stake level, even during off hours. Limit Hold’em players will have a tough time finding games, however.
There is a strong player base for the micro-limits, along with low and middle stakes. The maximum stake is $5/$10 NL. There are always several full tables available at this level each night. Players will be able to play heads-up, 6-max, or full ring (10-handed formats).
Pot Limit Omaha also has consistent action in the evenings. There is a variety of games at low and mid stakes.
Tournaments
Tournament action has been increasing every year at BetOnline. Though they still don’t have the larger guarantees of some of the biggest sites online, there is over $250,000 in guaranteed tournaments each month. These range from large weekend tournaments, to weekday guarantees, all the way down to freeroll tournaments. BetOnline even offers a monthly MTT Leaderboard Challenge for players.
Sit N’ Go Tournament action is also impressive. There are more games available during the evenings, but players will rarely have to wait long for their tables to fill. Multi-tabling across several stacks and grinding SNGs is definitely viable at BetOnline. Like their MTT leaderboard, BetOnline offers a monthly SNG Leaderboard with up to $50,000 in guaranteed payouts.
Support
BetOnline has 24/7 support for players. There’s a dedicated poker phone line, but you can also contact them via email or live chat. Their quoted response time is 48 hours, but emails are usually answered much faster. Live chat support is available via the poker software with just one click with the caveat that you have $250 in your account for live support, otherwise it’s email only. Betonline has continued to fail on their customer support attribute and is the one negative they never seem to get right which in my mind holds them back.
Our Top Choice
BetOnline certainly isn’t perfect, but they get huge marks from us because they offer poker players an excellent recipe for profits. Firstly, they provide a gigantic 200% Welcome Bonus, which immediately jumpstarts player bankrolls. Secondly, most of their players are terrible. Using basic game selections, it’s easy to identify fish and find profitable games. Most importantly is their payout record, however. They pay players quickly and offer a ton of options for both deposits and withdrawals.
If we had to choose one site to play at in the US market, it would have to be BetOnline considering Bovada is downsizing their poker room as we stated in the beginning of this article.
PokerWebsites.com recommends this as a safe and legitimate site. Please visit www.Betonline.com.
Author: Joseph Falchetti (twitter)
(C) Copyright PokerWebsites.com, 2018
