BetAmerica Review
BetAmerica.com originally launched in 2008 as a legal betting site focused exclusively online horse racing back when that was the only form of wagering allowed in the US. After the Supreme Court overturned the federal sports betting prohibition in 2018, BetAmerica wasted little time expanding its horizons to transition into a full-fledged sportsbook.
The modern BetAmerica Sportsbook launched in 2019 with a full assortment of pre-game and in-play wagering for US and international sports. Online casino games were added later to make BetAmerica a one-stop destination for all things betting and gambling.
The BetAmerica sports betting is powered by software from SBTech and now offers a full range of gaming options. Customers can visit BetAmerica online to play games from any desktop computer or download the official app for iOS or Android devices.
Dating back to its early days as a pure horse racing betting site, BetAmerica has developed a positive reputation among customers over the years. The addition of sports betting has been a positive development for Churchill Downs as a whole and a welcome sight for BetAmerica’s many long-term customers.
Today’s BetAmerica review will discuss all of that and much more in great detail as we seek to provide a fair, all-around perspective of what it’s really like to bet online here. Our goal is not to persuade or dissuade you, but rather to give you all the information you need to decide if this is the right betting site for you.
- Types of Gambling Offered: Sports betting, horse racing betting and casino games
- Land-Based Partners: Rising Star Casino Resort in IN, Golden Nugget in NJ, Presque Isle Downs in PA and multiple casinos in MS
- Established: 2008; sportsbook launched in 2019
- Holds Mobile Betting Licenses in: New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Indiana and Colorado
- Deposit and Withdrawal Methods: Visa, MasterCard, PayPal, ACH/E-Check, PayPal, Online Banking, PayNearMe, Play+, and Skrill
BetAmerica New Jersey
Today, BetAmerica Sportsbook is active in New Jersey with a license from the NJ Division of Gaming Control (NJDGE). BetAmerica is partnered with Golden Nugget Casino as required by state law, which mandates that all betting sites operate on a license held by a local casino or racetrack.
BetAmerica Pennsylvania
In mid-2019, Churchill Downs once again expanded its sports betting footprint with the launch of a BetAmerica sportsbook at Presque Isle Downs in Erie. A BetAmerica mobile app for Pennsylvania customers launched that December.
BetAmerica Indiana
BetAmerica holds a sports betting license in Indiana as well. This allowed the launch of BetAmerica Sportsbook at Rising Star Casino Resort in southern Indiana. BetAmerica followed suit with the launch of mobile betting in December 2019.
BetAmerica Mississippi
Parent company Churchill Downs has also expanded the BetAmerica name to Mississippi with the launch of two BetAmerica sportsbooks at Riverwalk Casino Vicksburg and Harlow’s Casino in Greenville.
Michigan
BetAmerica operates a retail sportsbook in Michigan at Island Resort & Casino in Harris. Mobile betting is also slated to come online in the near future to offer sports betting across the state to customers 21 or older.
BetAmerica Sports Betting
Although BetAmerica isn’t exactly an old hand in sports betting, the reputation it has built over the years as one of the country’s major online racebooks has carried over as expected into its assortment of sportsbooks and betting sites that are now open across the country.
Something else that has carried over well into sports betting is BetAmerica’s prior experience managing player accounts, accepting wagers, issuing payouts and the million other technical details that generally go unnoticed by the public but that make for a smooth wagering experience. Placing wagers with BetAmerica is both intuitive and quick.
The minimum age to bet online with BetAmerica is 21 and you must be located in a state with legal online betting. Like all other licensed mobile betting apps, BetAmerica makes use of geolocation technology to ensure you’re within state lines before any wagers are accepted.
As far as sports betting goes, BetAmerica covers all the major sports of the world ranging from baseball to rugby and everything in between. The one thing missing here are wagers on any NBA games involving the Houston Rockets. This is because Golden Nugget owner Tim Fertitta also has an ownership stake in the Houston Rockets. Under NJ law, shared ownership of a casino and an NBA franchise precludes BetAmerica from accepting wagers on games involving that team.
The types of wagers on offer are extensive for each individual event. For example, we visited the betting page for an upcoming MLB game while writing this review and found nearly 60 distinct wagers on offer. The types of wagers accepted by BetAmerica runs the full gamut of moneylines, point spreads, totals, player props and variations of each. You’ll also find first half/second half wagers, alternate spreads, single inning/quarter bets and more.
In addition to accepting standard wagers, BetAmerica Sportsbook comes with a number of other features built into the platform. For example, BetAmerica supports buying and selling points which allow you to alter the point spreads more to your liking. You’ll also find an early cashout option that allows you to close an open wager prior to the conclusion of the event in order to either cut your losses early or to lock in your wins before the game turns against you.
Sports and Leagues Covered:
| MLB | MLS | English Premier League | World Cup |
| Champions League | UEFA | International Soccer Leagues | WTA / ATP Tennis |
| ITF Tennis | Golf | NFL | College Football |
| CFL Football | Rugby | College Basketball | WNBA |
| EuroLeague | FIBA World Cup | NHL | Hockey World Championship |
| UFC | Bellator | NASCAR | F1 |
| Boxing | Aussie Rules | Cricket | Cycling |
BetAmerica Bonuses and Promotions
BetAmerica Sportsbook maintains a running list of promotions that begins with a new customer deposit bonus and continues with ongoing promos based on the current sports that are in season.
BetAmerica Sportsbook Bonus: Bet $50, Get $50
All new BetAmerica sports betting customers can take advantage of a 100% first wager bonus worth up to $50.
You can claim this bonus by signing up for an account and using the promo code BET50 and then placing a your first wager.
After your first wager, BetAmerica will add an equal amount in free bets to your betting slip for up to $50 extra. From there, you can use the free bet to place wagers on any sport. The bonus money itself cannot be withdrawn, but any money won with the bonus is eligible for withdrawal.
To qualify, your first wager must be placed within seven days of signing up for an account. Your first wager must also be placed at odds of -200 or greater to qualify. For example, a wager placed at odds of -200, -110, +200, +220, etc. would qualify. A wager placed at odds of -300, -400, etc. would not qualify.
BetAmerica also offers a $20 free first live bet as an incentive to try in-play betting. You can claim this bonus by signing in to your BetAmerica account and visiting the offers page to opt-in. After that, just place your first live wager of $20 or more and you’ll get $20 extra. This bonus must be rolled over one time (i.e. place an additional $20 worth of wagers) before withdrawing.
Ongoing Sports Betting Promotions
Being a BetAmerica regular customer comes with its benefits as well with an ongoing list of new promotions that is always changing. There is always something new on offer, but some examples from the day this review was written include:
- Bet $5 Get $20: Opt in, make a $5 wager on any sport and get $20 in bonus cash
- MLB Parlay Boost: Get extra value on every MLB parlay wager – place a 2 selection parlay to get a 3% payout boost or a 3 selection parlay for a 5% payout boost
- Premier League Double Payout: Place a 1st goalscorer wager and get double your payout if your player goes on to score again
In-Play Betting
BetAmerica seems to place an emphasis on in-play betting with extensive markets offered for dozens of live events every day. If you log in and visit the “live betting” tab, it is not uncommon to find dozens of events in progress right now that you can join any time to place short-term wagers even after the game has already begun.
To offer some perspective, BetAmerica has live-betting markets scheduled for 84 individual events on the day this review was written – and that wasn’t even during a major MLB or NFL gameday. Leagues covered with in-play betting markets include a variety of domestic events (MLB, NFL, Tennis, etc.) along with no small amount of international soccer events and more.
The in-play betting menu for any particular event typically includes dozens of markets including wagers on the outcome at constantly-updated odds, winner of the next quarter/set/inning and a selection of “fast markets” that are resolved even faster. In all, BetAmerica has one of the more comprehensive in-play betting platforms to launch in the US to date.
Visiting any in-play event at BetAmerica Sportsbook brings up a page dedicated to that one event. You’ll see updated markets in the bottom half of the screen and a virtual representation of what’s happening at the top of the screen. You’ll see updated scores, possession information, live stats and even a depiction of the field showing where the ball is and who is in control.
BetAmerica Mobile Betting App
There are two ways to interact with BetAmerica from a mobile device. If you’re just dabbling, you can point your phone’s browser to BetAmerica.com and a mobile-friendly website will be delivered automatically to your screen. From here, you can sign up for an account, place wagers, request payouts and everything else you could do from your desktop computer.
The other option is to download the actual BetAmerica app for your iOS or Android device. This is the way to go if you end up making BetAmerica your primary sportsbook as you’ll find reduced loading times, easier navigation and a layout designed specifically for the make and model of your iPhone or Android.
The BetAmerica mobile app delivers the full experience as well, including in-play betting all the features included in that. Screen constraints do reduce some of the visual impact of the in-play betting interface, so you won’t see an actual representation of the field, but live scoring data and stats are still displayed and updated in real time.
BetAmerica Sportsbook Screenshots
Mobile Sportsbook Screenshots
BetAmerica Horse Racing
Horse racing betting has long been BetAmerica’s bread and butter. Horse racing is where it all began and continues to serve as a core component of the business model.
BetAmerica holds an interactive wagering totalizator hub license from the Oregon Racing Commission. The Oregon racing license is accepted by most other states and is therefore open to customers from most states.
The racing betting platform at BetAmerica actually comingles wagers taken in-person with those taken at the track to provide an exact replica of the wagering menu you would have if you were at the track. This includes all the standard types of win/place/show wagers along with all the usual exotic bets – all paid at true track odds.
Where the online platform differs from being at the track is in a variety of extra features BetAmerica provides to all customers. For example, you can take advantage of free racing programs and live racing video piped in from tracks around the world.
In all, BetAmerica covers more than 250 North American and international tracks, harness racing tracks quarter horse tracks and greyhound tracks. With more than 3,000 live races covered every week, it would be fair to call BetAmerica a comprehensive racing betting site.
Mobile Horse Racing Betting
BetAmerica offers a mobile racing betting app that is completely separate from the sportsbook app for iOS and Android users. The user experience on the mobile app mirrors that of the full desktop website aside from some minor cosmetic changes designed to better cater to mobile customers.
The BetAmerica racebook app deserves credit for bringing the full betting experience to iPhone and Android users with the full betting menu and even live racing video on offer. Logging in to the mobile app brings up a list of today’s races for easy access along with menu items to add funds, view past results and contact customer support.
Tapping the name of any track will bring you to a page showing the next race along with a list of horses, their odds and menus to select the type of wager you would like to place. Navigation is made simple with intuitive menus and clear labeling.
BetAmerica Horse Racing Bonus
If you’re new to BetAmerica Racebook, you can sign up for an account to claim a 100% deposit match bonus to get up to $100 extra. No promo code is needed to claim this bonus; just make a deposit and BetAmerica will match it dollar for dollar up to a maximum bonus of $100.
The bonus money will then be awarded to a pending bonus account and released at a rate of 10% of all wagers placed on horses. For example, if you place a $20 wager on a race, $2 will be moved from your pending account to your real money account and can then be withdrawn. Your bonus will be cleared over time in this manner until the full amount has been moved to your real money account.
BetAmerica also hosts other promotions and bonuses from time to time, especially in the run-up to major events such as the Kentucky Derby, Breeders’ Cup and so on. If you log in to your account and check the promos calendar, you’ll see if anything special is on offer.
BetAmerica.com Casino
BetAmerica has also launched a selection of online casino games to bolster its sports betting operations in regulated states. Although the casino began with a fairly limited selection of games, the collection has grown significantly since then to include nearly 400 options plus about a dozen live dealer games staffed with human dealers streamed over live video.
The casino is powered by a number of software providers including the likes of Everi, IGT, Konami and the ever-popular NetEnt. Slots feature heavily among the games catalogue with hundreds of options on offer in addition to standard casino staples such as blackjack, baccarat, keno, roulette and video poker.
BetAmerica Casino has also greatly improved the organization and layout of its casino since first launching to make it much easier to find certain types of games. All slots are categorized into a single collection, table games in another and so on. You can further narrow down the list of games by sub-types such as the game’s manufacturer, popularity among other users, whether it accepts large wagers and the size of the maximum jackpot.
Game variety covers a broad spectrum of slots, table games and specialty games with the various software providers each adding their own touch. Some of the NetEnt slots are absolutely beautiful with high quality animations and soundtracks that sound like something from a Hollywood movie while some of the other games offer a more traditional casino experience, including even a few games you can find at the Golden Nugget in Atlantic City.
BetAmerica Casino Bonus and Promotions
Whether you’re new to BetAmerica in general or just the casino, making a deposit with the promo code BETCASINO1000 will get you a 100% bonus added to your first deposit for up to $1,000 extra.
This is quite a hefty bonus, but so are the wagering requirements. After you receive the bonus money, you will have to roll the bonus plus deposit amount over ten times before making a withdrawal. For example, depositing $1,000 to get the full $1,000 bonus amount will result in you having to place a total sum of wagers equal to $20,000 before withdrawing.
As far as casino bonuses go, this one is just about average even though it has a high maximum. Having to roll over the bonus and deposit amount ten times will keep your money locked in for quite a while and make it difficult to clear the whole thing and still have anything left over after all is said and done.
The good news is the wagering requirements can be met with every game in the casino. Most online casinos only allow players to clear their bonuses via high house advantage games such as slots rather than with blackjack, roulette and other low-advantage games. BetAmerica is one of the few without such a restriction.
Other ongoing promotions come and go as well, although not quite as frequently as you’ll find at some other casino sites. One long-running bonus BetAmerica Casino has offered for a while now is the slot of the week promotion which will give you ten free spins if you opt-in and wager at least $10 on that slot game.
Live Dealer Games
BetAmerica has a collection of about a dozen live dealer games, including some streamed straight from the floor of the Golden Nugget in Atlantic City. The full offering includes several blackjack variations, live dealer Casino Holdem and multiple variations of live dealer roulette.
For those unfamiliar with live dealer games, these are exactly what they sound like. Each game is staffed by a real person who deals cards, spins the roulette wheel and calls the game over live streaming video while you place wagers from the comfort of your desktop or mobile device.
The idea here is to create the most realistic casino experience possible, even to the point of streaming video from the actual casino floor so you can join the action with your own wagers. BetAmerica has done an admirable job recreating the in-person experience but could stand to increase the game variety beyond blackjack, Casino Holdem and roulette.
Casino Screenshots
Mobile Casino Screenshots
BetAmerica Customer Support
Customer support comes in several flavors at BetAmerica. The answers to most basic questions can be found on the FAQ page found under the “Help” tab while human support people can be contacted via phone, e-mail and live chat.
A test call to customer support found agents who were courteous and happy to help but did seem at times to lack knowledge of their own product. Phone support is offered from 9 AM to 11 PM ET while e-mail support is open 24/7.
- Email: contact@betamerica.com
- Phone #: 1-866-607-7929
- FAQ
- Live Chat
BetAmerica Payment Methods
BetAmerica accepts a range of deposit and withdrawal methods that range from quick electronic transfers to cash-based options that require no bank account whatsoever:
- ACH / eCheck
- Visa
- Mastercard
- PayPal
- Online Banking
- PayNearMe
- Play+
- Skrill
- Cash in-person at Golden Nugget AC
Withdrawals can take between 2-5 business to clear depending on the payout option selection. Withdrawals can be made via the same options used to deposit. If you’re a fan of cold, hard cash, you can also visit the cashier’s cage at the Golden Nugget for an in-person withdrawal.
