BookMaker Review
A sportsbook operation that opened in 1985, Bookmaker didn't waste any time getting online in the mid-90's - albeit under a different brand name (originally betmaker.com.) A Costa Rica based company, they were one of the earliest venues to start taking bets online.
The re-branding to 'bookmaker' took place sometime in 2007 for various reasons (part regulatory, part due to an acquisition by SportingBet PLC.) Further changes in management have taken place since, but Bookmaker is still well regarded due to it's legacy, early betting lines and coverage.
While BookMaker is first and foremost a sportsbook as most would guess by their name, they do also offer a casino on the back end powered by Digital Gaming Systems.
The Sportsbook
The Sportsbook
Baccarat
Blackjack
Live Blackjack
Craps
Multi-Hand Deuces Wild
Hercules Slot
Jacks or Better
Roulette
Spells and Potions
Games Offered:
The sportsbook is pretty much what you'd expect and all that you'd want from a long time fixture in the industry. The interface is clean and easy to navigate, with the book offering wagers on just about everything you could imagine. All major sports leagues, snooker, table tennis, boxing/MMA, and even e-sports matches. Live match betting is available, as well as a variety of futures bets on major leagues.
If you're a fan of off-track betting, BookMaker also offers a racebook in a separate area on the site. It looks and functions more or less the same as the sportsbook - showing upcoming races, races by tracks, etc with an easy to follow interface for viewing and placing bets.
Casino games are also offered through the same browser interface using the same player account. One thing definitely lacking from the casino is the variety of slot machines. At the time of writing there's a mere 32 varieties to choose from - most of which play very similarly. Of those, there appears to be just one progressive jackpot game, Fruity Fortune.
Blackjack is available in 5 different varieties (not including live games) - single-hand, multi-hand, double exposure, Spanish blackjack and blackjack switch. Other table games include baccarat, caribbean stud poker, craps, let it ride, pai-gow, roulette (both single and double 0) and three card poker. Game presentations are adequate but fairly plain, the roulette wheels in particular have some pretty bad animations. Still, a pretty good selection of table games. Live tables are available for Blackjack, Roulette, Baccarat and Super 6.
There are 8 different video poker games available Aces & Eights, Jacks or Better (single or 25 hand), Double Double Bonus, Deuces Wild (single or 25 hand) and Jokers Wild (single or 25 hand). There could be more variety and the games look a little old (similar to RTG video poker) but have full paytables and play just fine.
Bonuses Offered:
Bookmaker doesn't have the most generous of bonuses, and those on the larger side apply only to players making cryptocurrency deposits.
For new players:
- Non-crypto depositors can get a 15% Cash for the sportsbook + a 50% Casino welcome bonus (up to $1,600 total). The sports portion of the bonus has a 5x rollover requirement on the deposit + bonus amount, and the casino portion 80x on the bonus amount only (to which only slots play counts.)
- People depositing with Bitcoin (or an alternative accepted cryptocurrency) can get a 100% bonus up to $300 with a 30x rollover requirement.
- People depositing with Bitcoin (or an alternative accepted cryptocurrency) alternatively get a 50% or 30% bonus on their first deposit up to $500 with a 15x and 8x rollover respectively.
Our Verdict:
If you're looking for a solid sportsbook to place your bets and aren't keen on bonus hunting, BookMaker is a great place for wagering on sports. More banking options would be welcome (on both the deposit and withdrawal side of things,) but other than that there's not much to complain about.
If you're looking for a good suite of casino games and/or a great welcome bonus to play them with; the lack of slots and video poker games, mediocre table game presentation and lack of good casino bonuses are probably worth passing on. If you like the occasional casino game but are mostly a sports bettor - it's also worth giving a try.
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