Bodog88 Casino Review

Bodog88 is one of the arms of the well-known Bodog brand, but the big difference is that they serve only the Asian market. Specifically, to be able to open an account and play with Bodog88, you must have an active account with a bank in one of the following countries: China, Malaysia or Thailand. 

That’s exactly why many of the bonuses and offers are offered in Chinese Yuan or Malaysian Ringgit. If you are European based player, we’re afraid you are out of luck when it comes to Bodog88. But if you are an Asia based player get ready, as serious casino-infused action awaits you!

All-In from the Outset

Sign up with Bodog88 and you’ll have a players’ welcome bonus of 177% up to RM 1,177 handed to you. You may use this bonus on some really cool slots games, as it is applicable for play on Gold Digger, Mega Moolah, and Lucky Koi among others. You are probably going to be disappointed to find out that there are hardly any other big bonuses given out outside of this, so you will be left to rely on the odd promo to supercharge your account when you need to. Whenever there is an exclusive game event or special promotion in place, given the sparse nature of Bodog88 promotions you should to look claim whatever is offered with both hands.

The distinctive aspect about Bodog88 is that the Live Dealer is a game selection all of its own, which includes standalone promotions and bonuses. For example, you can get a cool Reload Bonus of 37% up to RM 117 daily, or you could use the AG Live Casino Rebate to claim up to 0.7% in weekly cashback.

Up the Ante

Due to the fact Bodog88 accepts players only from China, Malaysia and Thailand, the depositing methods are restricted to three currencies from those countries: CNY, MYR, THB. To send funds to a Bodog88account, there are really not many options besides debit cards, bank transfers and ATMs/over the counter services. Furthermore, to catch the attention of the target market, the site is only available in Chinese and English. 

Stacking the Deck

Bodog88 offers several different types of casino games for members to get stuck into. The best-known games are live dealer based, which happen to be real casino games transmitted from a live dealer studio that is set up just like any other conventional casino. The site has real gaming tables and human dealers that deal out cards, react to player actions, and rotate the roulette wheel by hand. The games happen live, but gamers place their bets online.

Live casino play rules the roost at Bodog88, but it certainly doesn’t stand-alone. The other types of casino games on site are traditional computerised games that work with a random number generator (RNG). Here you will find the typical table games including baccarat, roulette, craps and many options of poker-based card games, such as Let 'Em Ride (Let it Ride), Pai Gow Poker, Caribbean Stud Poker, Tri Card Poker (Three Card Poker), Triple Edge Poker, Poker3, Heads up Hold’em and Caribbean Hold'em Poker. A variety of blackjack options are also available, such as Single-Deck Blackjack, Double-Deck Blackjack, European Blackjack, American Blackjack, 21 Burn Blackjack, and Pontoon. 

Aside from table games, Bodog88 offers a good amount of video poker and slots. You’ll find 45 different slot games, many of which can be identified from conventional casinos like those in Macau. Others are unique to their site. For video poker you’ll find a total of 26 games offered, including Jacks or Better, Bonus Poker, Deuces Wild, Joker Poker, Double Bonus, and more.

Play the Hand You're Dealt

Bodog88 Poker will only be open to residents accessing from a China based IP address. As an independent platform, it can be downloaded in English, Chinese, Thai, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Japanese, Korean and Spanish. These extra languages make it easy for both Chinese as well as foreigners residing in China to play poker online at Bodog88.

While only China based residents can use this site, when sitting at the tables you will find yourself also playing against players from America and Canada. The reason being that the room operates on the Bodog Poker Network. US players gain access from Bovada.lv Poker and Canadians gain access from Bodog.eu poker. These three regions all use totally different websites, but play poker online alongside each other.

Perhaps, the best feature about Bodog88 poker is that all the tables are anonymous. Contrary to other poker sites where usernames are shown, at Bodog88 players are represented by a ‘number ID’. They are listed as Player1, Player2 and so forth, with this ID changing every time you sit down at a new table.

This is really a huge advantage to casual gamblers, as at other online poker sites, the pro players are known to collect a lot of data about the performance of rivals. They use scripts, purchase hand histories, and apply other tools to gain an upper hand and then target the weaker players. At Bodog88 the aforementioned is impossible because you are never sure whom you are playing against. This has resulted in a fairer playing experience coming about, which is quite frankly refreshing to see.

Legal, But only Just

Bodog88 is definitely a legitimate company with a great history to prove it. The site is licensed in the Philippines to accept wagers from players in all regions they service. While in China, Thailand and Malaysia local government agencies might view them as being unauthorised under their local laws. Saying that, those government agencies have no jurisdiction over them no matter what they say. It is far from possible for them to take legal action for two reasons. In the Philippines, where Bodog88 operates and is licensed, sports betting, casino play, and poker-focused gambling are all completely legal.

Following that, Bodog88 does not have any physical presence in China, Malaysia, or Thailand. As Bodog88 does not have any physical presence in the listed countries, the government agencies of those countries cannot stop them from operating there. The reason being Bodog88 is abiding by the law in the country where it is based. So therefore, players from China, Malaysia and Thailand can use Bodog88 with virtually no risk.

When the Chips are Down

Players in China and Thailand might face a big problem in that the website will likely be blocked. Why? Because foreign based bookies are operating legally in the countries where they do business, the governments of Thailand and China cannot really take any legal measures against these companies. So alternatively, they sometimes try to stop users from visiting websites like Bodog88 by simply blocking access.

Should this happen, you’ll need to sign in through a mirror website, or make use of a VPN. There are many mirror website services available online. If you discover you were able to register and then get locked out, just email Bodog88 and ask them about what mirror site you can access from.

The Biggest Dog in the Yard

The apparent drawback to Bodog88 is the appearance and the layout. The whole design of the site is rather mediocre, as it looks fairly dated. It most likely won’t appeal to modern players that are accustomed to seeing a lot of interactive images and special features. Nonetheless, if playing is all you are interested in, and you come from one of the accepted countries, then Bodog88 will meet your online casino playing needs.