Bovada and 5Dimes are among the world-known bookmakers and casinos online. While both accept players from a long list of countries, their primary focus is on bettors from North America i.e. American and Canadian punters.
Both betting sites have a long history of offering online services to gamblers worldwide and they both went through serious transformations during the years. Bovada allows US players from all states except bettors from five USA states that have gambling regulations: Delaware, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey and New York. For their part, 5Dimes enable US players from all the 50 states to place bets and play casino games at their website.
5Dimes: Company Info
5Dimes are one of the oldest betting sites that are still online. Initially, they started as an online sportsbook aimed at the US betting market only but gradually started accepting punters from all over the world, attempting to position themselves as a global player.
Their parent company, 5Dimes Group, was established in 1996 and their first online casino went online the same year. A couple of years later, their launched their online sports betting service.
The company behind the current website 5dimes.eu has its headquarters in San Jose, Costa Rica.
American William Sean Creighton, a former professional gambler, founded one of the first online casinos and sportsbooks from Costa Rica. Unfortunately, he was kidnapped in 2018 and his dead body was recovered by the Costa Rica police a year later despite ransom being paid to the kidnapers.
At present, 5Dimes Group operates seven online betting and casino websites, including one focusing on punters from China and another targeting India’s sports betting market. Those include BetAnySports, Sportbet, Chinese Bookie, BombayBet and VietBet.
The company is registered in Costa Rica, but they do not have an actual gambling license issued by a regulatory authority, as Costa Rica does not issue licenses to gambling operators and does not have a gambling authority. Nonetheless, they are in the business for more than 20 years, which makes them a trustworthy sportsbook and casino operator.
Bovada: Company Info
Online bookmaker Bovada starts as a software company named Cyberoad, providing both software and payment solutions to three of the first Internet sportsbooks back in 1997 or around the same time 5Dimes launch their website.
After a few turbulent years on the market, Cyberoad goes bankrupt and in 2001 the company launches a betting site under the brand name of Bodog. A clever move is to use the Esportz software platform, which was once developed and owned by Cyberoad.
Bodog begins to invest heavily in their online poker business in 2004 by signing 2004 WSOP Main Event runner-up, David Williams, and third place finisher, Josh Arieh, to their team of professional poker players sponsored by Bodog.
Another boost for the Bodog brand is the acquisition of one of the oldest and most trusted gambling sites on the US market, WorldWide TeleSports (WWTS), in 2006.
In 2011, they start a new brand – Bovada – which is aimed at providing services to the American customers of Bodog.com. Now, Bodog still operates but does not accept punters from the United States. Since then, the two companies develop as separate brands.
Their current Bovada.lv site does not accept US players from five regulated states only – Delaware, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey and New York.
Private company Mohawk Morris Gaming Group (MMGG) is the current owner of Bovada with their headquarters in Mohawk Territory of Kahnawake in Quebec, Canada.
The CEO of MMGG is Alwyn Morris, a Canadian who is a two times kayaker Olympic medalist although many believe that Calvin Ayre, the online gaming pioneer and billionaire inspires the success of both Bodog and Bovada.
Bovada operates under a license by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission in Canada.
5Dimes vs Bovada: Compare Bonuses and Promotions
Bovada and 5Dimes have plenty of gambling bonuses and promotions for new and existing players with Bovada offering welcome bonuses of up to $3,000 for new accounts.
| Bonus type | 5Dimes | Bovada |
|---|---|---|
| Welcome Sports Bonus | ✅ | ✅ |
| Weclome Casino Bonus | ✅ | ✅ |
| Crypto Bonus | ✅ | ✅ |
| Reload Bonus | ✅ | ✅ |
| Refer a Friend Bonus | ✅ | ✅ |
Additionally, Bovada has a welcome bonus of up to $500 when you sign up for their sports betting service while 5Dimes offers a 50% Plus welcome bonus of up to $520 in free play on your first sports betting deposit.
Cryptocurrency-friendly Bovada has a $750 sports betting bonus for Bitcoin betting accounts and new casino players can redeem up to $3,750 if using Bitcoin in their online casino.
Bovada have also a cash-back bonus program called Bovada Rewards. Gamblers receive points where 100 Casino Points are equal to one bonus dollar they can place as a real money wager. The number of points a player is earning when playing at Bovada depends on the specific casino game with slot machines and table games earning three and two points per one $10 wager while all other games producing one point per one $10 or $25 bet.
As for 5Dimes, they have created quite a unique bonus program, which asks for new players to select what specific reward program they prefer. The default reward program for new accounts is set to the Reduced Juice Rewards. Players need to contact their Live Chat support to check if they are eligible for other reward programs available at 5Dimes.
The two sites are offering bonuses for referring a friend as well as cash back bonuses.
Both 5Dimes and Bovada provide casino players with jackpot casino bonuses and live dealer casino rewards that include free spins and various promotions. Reload bonuses are available to members of both sites when a player is funding his betting account.
All-in-all, each of the two sports betting and online casino sites is offering plenty of bonuses and promotions with 5Dimes having a greater overall number of bonuses while Bovada is offering greater bonus amounts as a whole. You should also bear in mind that your account will not be eligible for all and each of the available 5Dimes bonuses, so you need to evaluate each of their bonus programs to choose one that best fits your betting style and personal preferences.
5Dimes vs Bovada: Sports, Betting Options and Live Betting
As a whole, Bovada and 5Dimes offer bets on all popular sports such as major soccer leagues and the Champions League, NBA basketball, NHL hockey, American football leagues, international baseball and MLB, motor sports (NASCAR), tennis, cricket and other sports. Overall, Bovada accepts wagers on 29 different sports while 5Dimes cover 24 sports.
| Bookmaker | Available sports |
|---|---|
| 5Dimes | American Football, Baseball, Basketball, Hockey, Soccer, Tennis, Racing, Boxing/MMA, Cricket, Darts, Entertainment, Golf, Horse Racing, Lottery, Martial Arts, Politics, Rugby, Snooker, Table Tennis, Volleyball, Wrestling, Esports. |
| Bovada | Baseball, Boxing/MMA, Cricket, Football, Basketball, Gaelic Games, Golf, Hockey, Horses, Motor Sports, Rugby, Snooker, Soccer, Tennis, Darts, Bandy, Athletics, Australian Rules, Cycling, E-Sports, Handball, Badminton, Volleyball, Beach Volleyball, Futsal, Kabaddi, Water Polo, Winter Sports. |
Esports betting is available on both sites with Bovada covering tournaments for Call of Duty, Counter Strike, League of Legends and DOTA 2 while 5Dimes accepting bets on CS:GO, Dota 2, League of Legends, Rainbow Six Siege, Start Craft and Overwatch. It seems that 5Dimes offer higher pre-match odds as compared to Bovada and other bookmakers.
Only Bovada offers wagers on entertainment events such as reality TV shows, various contests and winners of different awards. They also allow bets on politics, mostly events related to the US elections.
Both Bovada and 5Dimes have futures on horses and soccer games.
Bovada’s special games include betting on a numbers game that runs on their site while 5Dimes are running a Pick 3 or Pick 4 lottery for their US and Canadian members.
Bovada and 5Dimes support live betting on numerous sports and events while enabling bettors to select the odds format – American, Decimal or Fractional. In-game betting is available on both sportsbooks. Both websites allow live in-play wagering using a browser while Bovada also offers a mobile casino app that also supports sports betting.
Bovada runs a number of contests and leaderboards enabling players to win fixed-amount jackpots or various bonuses, offering leaderboard contest bonuses starting at $10 with 5x rollover but the specific bonus varies by game and leaderboard. For their part, 5Dimes accounts are defaulted to their Reduced Juice Reward Program with a limit of $500 per selection. Bettors should contact 5Dimes support if they want to change their account to one of the other reward programs.
5Dimes and Bovada cover the full range of wagering options, with both sportsbooks offering bet types as varied as straight bets, pleasers, parlays, Round Robins, futures, props, totals, reverses and handicaps.
Finally, both 5Dimes and Bovada offer more than enough options for betting on various sports utilizing a rich pool of bet types. There are some small differences in the bets offered with 5Dimes accepting wagers on exotic sports like lacrosse while Bovada offering bets on entertainment and political events. Also, 5Dimes supports three versions of their sportsbook – Live In-Play Wagering, Sports Betting Ultra and Live Betting Extra – with the first one offering mostly straightforward betting, the second one adding more bet types and parlays and Live Betting Extra aimed at bettors wiling to place wagers on the go.
5Dimes are boasting over 1,000 wagering lines available every single day but Bovada offers a similar choice of bets and covers even more major sports. You should be aware that 5Dimes pay more attention to their sports betting service while Bovada tend to develop their sportsbook and casino simultaneously.
On the other hand, 5Dimes members get sports betting bonuses they can use in the casino section. The two sites have dynamic lines but Bovada have better live games coverage.
5Dimes vs Bovada: Compare Odds and Betting Limits
Bovada and 5Dimes release their odds at about the same time, which means both are making their odds public a little bit later compared to sportsbooks targeting the professional bettors. Both sites are focused on attracting American and Canadian punters, which in turn means that you can find some advantageous odds on certain North American sports and leagues.
| Bovada Betting Limits | Spread | Money Line | Totals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basketball: NBA | $2000 | $1000 | $1000 |
| Baseball: MLB | $1000 | $2000 | $1000 |
| Football: NFL | $5000 | $2500 | $2500 |
| Hockey: NHL | $2000 | $2000 | $1000 |
| Tennis: ATP | $2500 | $2500 | $2500 |
Wager limits vary by sports and bet type at both online sportsbooks. 5Dimes restricts bets placed on their website and by phone to a minimum of $0.50 and sets a maximum of $5,000 in the base amount. They limit Live In-play bets to $500 but there are no restrictions how many times you can place a specific wager once it closes.
As for Bovada, their minimum bet is set at $1.00 for all sports and maximum bets vary from $250 for placing wagers on NASCAR through $5,000 for spread bets on NHL games to $10,000 for odds to win the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
Bovada tends to offer higher odds on different games as compared to other sportsbooks and 5Dimes is not an exception while both publish odds at about the same time.
Bovada also uses dual lines and from time to time adds a half-point to favorites.
Overall, 5Dimes are on the low side when betting limits are concerned and Bovada allows for much greater maximum bet amounts. Both sites release their odds relatively late as compared to other popular sports betting services, which might be advantageous for novice players but is not an option that works for professional players who want to place early bets.
5Dimes vs Bovada: Casino Games and Software Providers
Along with their sportsbook, 5Dimes maintains an online casino, which actually comprises five casino rooms; namely, Grand Casino, Jackpot Casino, Gold Casino, Bonus Casino and Match Play Casino. 5Dimes’ Grand Casino is offering more than 200 casino games including over 90 unique video slots as well as different variants of baccarat, roulette and craps. Their Grand Casino also offer nine variations of Blackjack. Gamblers can play the games on offer online or download a game and play later.
5Dimes’ Jackpot Casino offers more than 120 casino games online, including standard and 3D video slots, video poker and keno games as well as all traditional casino table games. This casino features a horseracing 3D racebook and selected games are available for mobile.
Their Bonus Casino is said to offer the best possible odds and payouts on some of the popular casino games. According to the 5Dimes official website, these games in their Bonus Casino are paying out the following:
| Payout Percentage | % |
|---|---|
| Blackjack: | 98.006% |
| Table Games: | 99.141% |
| Slots: | 97.391% |
| Video Poker: | 99.233% |
| Other: | 97.872% |
| All Games: | 98.717% |
5Dimes’ Live Dealer section supports Live Blackjack, Live Roulette (Single Zero and all new Enhanced Payout American Roulette), Live Baccarat and Live Blackjack Early Payout and features a monthly leaderboard.
A section on their website offers mini-games that run in a smaller window, including Blackjack, Video Poker, Baccarat, Solitaire, Roulette as well as a number of slot games.
Software makers BetSoft, RTG, GGL, ESI Sports, GameTime Software, ViG soft, DGS and 5Dimes Group (their proprietary software) are providing the required software for running all the 5Dimes online casinos.
On both sites, you can play any of the available casino games in a browser on a Windows PC or Apple Mac. The download version of 5Dimes’ Grand Casino is available only for Windows.
For their part, Bovada provides support for mobile devices that run on Android and iOS and offers more than 320 casino games. Their games selection covers all classic casino games such as blackjack, craps, baccarat, roulette, and table poker with a total of over 160 video slot titles being available in their online casino.
They both also offer specialty games such as bingo and keno with Bovada having more than 10 bingo games in their casino.
Gamblers can enjoy six games in Bovada’s live casino room, including Early Payout Blackjack, Classic Blackjack, European Roulette, Baccarat and Super 6. Their casino offers an advantageous Basic Strategy software that assists players in determining their next move. Tables’ limits start from $5 for Early Payout Blackjack and go up to $5,000 for tables with Classic Blackjack. Bovada use software from RTG, BetSoft, Rival Gaming and their proprietary Bodog software in their online and live casino.
Bovada are offering up to $3,000 in welcome bonuses for new players starting with a 100% Match Bonus up to $1,000 and then enabling a 100% Second Casino Bonus up to $1000 which you can redeem twice.
For their part, 5Dimes are offering a play-for-fun option for players to test their skills in a specific casino game or practice their skills. They also offer coupons for special bonuses, for Blackjack mostly.
Both online casinos cover the whole selection of classic table games while Bovada has more games on offer in total. On the other hand, 5Dimes support different versions of their casino and each of them offers different perks and features for player to choose from. 5Dimes have no macOS app for their downloadable version of Grand Casino, which will disappoint some players but their casino games are still playable in a browser on Mac computers just like Bovada’s.
Overall, Bovada’s online casino offers a more straightforward experience with 5Dime offering casino and rebate options that are confusing for some players. You can make a wise move to try the play-for-fun version of 5Dimes before start playing for real money.
5Dimes vs Bovada: Poker Bonuses, Tournaments and Software
Bovada are part of the world-leading PaiWangLuo Poker Network, while the Winning Poker Network powers 5Dimes poker room.
At 5Dimes, gamblers can play poker in their browser on Windows and Mac PCs while Bovada requires download of a poker software agent in order to start playing.
Bovada supports mobile poker playing on Android and iOS devices such as smartphones or tablets and so do 5Dimes by offering a mobile app that runs on most mobile devices.
Bovada’s poker welcome bonus offers to match 100% of a player’s first deposit for up to $500. Many of the bonuses in 5Dimes’ casino and poker rooms are tied to their sports betting but they run Guaranteed Tournaments in poker where all the money go directly into the prize pool without charging any fees. 5Dimes actually do not offer any poker welcome bonus.
Both poker rooms are running a good number of poker tournaments and contests with Bovada offering more daily tournaments in poker. Bovada’s guaranteed poker tournaments vary from $1,500 to $15,000 in daily prize money ($100,000 every Sunday) while 5Dimes offer weekly poker tournaments with prizes of up to $550 but with buy-ins as low as $0.01. Bovada boasts that their poker room is giving $1.5 million in prize money week in and week out. 5Dimes have a point collection system that converts their Grand Poker Points into real money at a rate of 35% rakeback.
A distinguishing feature of the Bovada poker site is that they support anonymous poker tables, which in turn means that players can play with more freedom, and change their playing style as they wish without opponents knowing who is sitting at the other seats around the table.
Minimum stakes at 5Dimes online poker rooms start at $0.01 and Bovada offers poker tables with stakes/limits starting from as low as 0.02/$0.05 and $10/$20.
To conclude, Bovada routinely makes it to the top 5 of the most popular poker rooms for US players, while 5Dimes are experiencing difficulties to make it even to the top 10. This does not mean you should avoid 5Dimes poker room but be aware that they have limited number of bonuses, their interface is a bit outdated and their focus is more on their sports betting business.
5Dimes vs Bovada: Compare Deposits and Payouts
Bovada are focusing heavily on cryptocurrency betting and limit their methods for depositing funds basically to bank cards, cryptocurrency and Zelle online payments. Both bookmakers accept American Express, MasterCard and Visa debit and credit cards. Bovada supports also Union Pay cards. 5Dimes have a limit of $500 a player can deposit a day using a bank card but there are no fees on debit/credit card deposits.
| Payment methods | 5Dimes | Bovada |
|---|---|---|
| Visa debit/credit | ✅ | ✅ |
| MasterCard | ✅ | ✅ |
| American Express | ✅ | ✅ |
| Zelle | ❌ | ✅ |
| Union Pay | ❌ | ✅ |
| Bitcoin | ✅ | ✅ |
| Bitcoin Cash | ❌ | ✅ |
| Vouchers | ❌ | ✅ |
| Wire Transfer | ✅ | ❌ |
| Person to Person | ✅ | ❌ |
Those players who are after a more secure and anonymous way of betting can deposit funds at both 5Dimes and Bovada through Bitcoin while Bovada accepts also Bitcoin Cash.
While Bovada supports a very limited selection of payment methods as compared to other bookmakers, 5Dimes offer a wide choice of depositing methods that include bank cards, wire transfer, Person to Person, Cashier Check, Money Order, Electronic Check, Sportsbook Transfer, Account to Account Transfer as well as Bitcoin deposits.
You need to contact 5Dimes support service to get price quote for depositing funds through Person to Person and Money Order but all other depositing options bear no fees. Your first bank card deposit at Bovada is free but all subsequent deposits are subject to a fee of 5.9% or higher, depending on the card you use. Deposits through vouchers, Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash at Bovada are free.
Minimum deposits at Bovada start at $10 for vouchers and Bitcoin/Bitcoin Cash with maximum allowed deposits standing at $5,000 if you are depositing through Bitcoin/Bitcoin Cash.
You are allowed to deposit a minimum of $50 via bank card at 5Dimes while Bitcoin deposits start at $25. You are limited to $500 if depositing via your bank card but Bitcoin deposit limits go as high as $10,000.
When payouts are concerned, Bovada limits your choices to Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash and Check by Courier only. In contrast, 5Dimes allow gamblers to use any of the listed payment methods also for withdrawing their winnings.
Both gambling websites do not charge fees on Bitcoin withdrawals. Bovada does not apply fees for withdrawing through vouchers and 5Dimes have no fees on withdrawals via Account to Account Transfer and Sportsbook Transfer.
Bovada also does not charge fees on non-Bitcoin withdrawals made within a period of 90 days. If you make another withdrawal within this period, a $100 processing fee is charged for each additional withdrawal. 5Dimes charge $40-$80 on Cashier Checks, as well as an $80 fee on both Money Order and Bank Wire payments.
5Dimes limits players’ withdrawals to $9,500 via wire transfer or money order at a time and sets a limit of $10,000 for Bitcoin payouts. Other withdrawal methods have lower limits.
Bovada have no limits for Bitcoin/Bitcoin Cash withdrawals but your winnings are being paid in increments worth $9,500 each until the full amount is paid. The site allows players to make one Bitcoin withdrawal within a period of three days. Payment through Check by Courier and vouchers at Bovada have a maximum cap of $3,000 per withdrawal.
Overall, 5Dimes have a wider choice of both deposit and withdrawal methods while Bovada clearly focuses on cryptocurrency betting, mostly through Bitcoin payments. Nonetheless, they support all the widely used credit and debit cards as a way to deposit money and get your winnings.
5Dimes vs Bovada: Website Experience and Mobile Betting
If you a newcomer to the world of online betting and casino playing, you might be shocked with the look and appearance of the 5Dimes website, which sticks to a very 1990-ish website design. Actually, their website is probably the most outdated and old-school looking sportsbook online and their visual appearance is in stark contrast with the modern looking design of other popular sportsbooks, including Bovada.
5Dimes website sticks to an older concept of having just one menu bar on the top of their homepage as opposed to other sports betting and casino sites that usually list their most popular sports in a vertical menu on the left side of their first page.
Bovada, for their part, have a pleasant looking website that looks modern and features popular sports betting, casino playing and poker room options right on the front page. They use a well thought color scheme of red, blue and orange that is in line with the latest trends in web design and while 5Dimes bet on similar website colors, their look is really old-timer.
In fact, 5Dimes sticks to this design on purpose. They are one of the oldest online sportsbooks and thus they do not want to distract their oldest members who are well acquainted with how the site looks and operates.
For their part, Bovada are taking full advantage of design options such as drop-down menus or pop-up boxes to make their website look in line with latest website design trends.
Actually, both sportsbooks are well structured and bettors can reach most options or start betting with no more than three clicks, login included.
Both Bovada and 5Dimes offer a version of their websites that is optimized for mobile devices.
5Dimes’ mobile site actually offers all of the sports betting and casino play options they support on their main website. They support most of the popular Internet browsers that run on Android and iOS devices and you can place wagers and play casino games on their mobile site without installing any additional software. As of now, 5Dimes do not have a native mobile app for Android, iOS or other mobile operating systems, so gamblers are able to bet or play games on the go using their mobile website only.
Bovada maintains a mobile version of their website, which allows for betting on props, futures, betting lines and In Play betting as well as poker and casino. Their mobile site does not require software downloads while Bovada also has a mobile betting app.
Actually, there are three Bovada mobile betting apps that are designed for sports betting, casino games and playing poker, respectively. These are named Bovada Mobile Sports App, Bovada Mobile Casino App, and Bovada Mobile Poker App and you can download any of them on their official website.
All-in-all, you will have a more pleasing experience at Bovada when it comes to how the website looks. Do not let 5Dimes’ website appearance fool you not to check their betting and casino options, though, as they intentionally stick to an old school design that caters to their long-time members and have website sections and features that are being developed with a new generation of gamblers in mind.
While Bovada clearly offers better graphic design, both sites are easy to use and bettors will experience no troubles finding their desired betting options with ease. One more thing you should know about 5Dimes is that their games interface is very well designed and has nothing to do with the outdated look of the website.
5Dimes vs Bovada: Customer Service
Both Bovada and 5Dimes have dedicated Help & FAQ sections that cover the most basic questions about their online casino and sportsbook. Bovada’s website also offers full-text search to find the answer to a specific problem within their Help page. If you already have an account with Bovada, you can also browse their Community section, which enables players to provide answers to specific problems by themselves.
Bovada also maintains a page for novice players where cover not only the specifics of their platform but also the basic rules of the games on offer.
Both sites offer a wide selection of choices to familiarize with their gambling platforms and contact their support team. The options include email messaging, live online chat and contacting customer support agents by phone. In addition, Bovada have also implemented an automated bot – which they call Shawn, the Automated Coach – which is programmed and trained to answer some of the most questions from gamblers.
As many other bookmakers, 5Dimes provides a free 1-8000 phone number for players to call a support agent. They have different customers support phone numbers for general inquiries, problems with new accounts, questions about horse betting as well as a dedicated phone support number for horse wagering.
Bovada adds a more advanced functionality by offering a Click2Call functionality that synchronizes the phone support number with an Android device. According to Bovada, the waiting time for a phone call is 8-10 minutes, connecting with an agent via live chat takes 5-7 minutes and the average response time for email inquiries is 72 hours.
You can find mixed reviews of 5Dimes’ customer support service and most of the complaints are not about their response time – you can contact a live agent within minutes – but about the quality of assistance provided by their customer support. Evidently, the quality of service depends on the individual customer support representative, which is the case with almost any other online bookmaker. What you can do is to close the live chat and contact another support agent.
Overall, both 5Dimes and Bovada offer all the required support options and their customer support service quality is above the industry average. The main difference is that Bovada also have an automated chat support bot.
5Dimes vs Bovada: Which One to Choose?
Both sportsbooks are a top choice for USA and Canada players while Bovada’s online casino appears to offer more games and provide better interface than 4Dimes’ casinos. For years, 5Dimes was a top recommended choice for US punters but recently Boovada are gaining pace and their sports betting offering matches that of 5Dimes, which are actually one of the oldest online sports betting outlets still in the business.
Although Bovada and 5Dimes are a good choice for professional players, Bovada looks more geared toward the recreational players compared to 5Dimes. On the other hand, Bovada offers markedly higher betting limits that are more suitable for advanced punters.
The outdated website look and more complicated navigation might also prevent inexperienced and younger players from selecting 5Dimes as their primary sportsbook.
Nonetheless, both 5Dimes and Bovada offer a wide choice of wagers and live betting options as well as online casinos that are definitely above the industry average. As with any other sportsbook and casino, a good move is to create an account at both bookmakers to try if they fit your needs and gambling strategy, especially after 5Dimes have a play-for-fun option.
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