Bodog was founded in 1994 and is based and licensed in Antigua in the Caribbean. Not a bad place to be!

It was created by Calvin Ayre, a Canadian, and has diversified in a most unusual way, likened by Ayre to the Virgin brand. Bodog Europe, operating as www.bodog.co.uk, is the sports and gaming arm of the business and offers poker, casino and a dedicated horse racing suite, as well as the main sports book.

Bodog are unusual in having a totally separate area of the site for horseracing and although they don't have a huge array of racing markets it still places them ahead of many bookies who do not cover the sport at all. In the main sports book they offer a reasonable array of sports with excellent coverage of ice hockey and other predominantly US sports (though they also cover the European and world leagues within these sports). They also provide odds for some UK-orientated sports such as both codes of rugby, darts, snooker and cricket.

Bodog's odds are one of their strongest features. On football and other sports it is usual to see them heading the best odds lists and through analysis of their odds we found them regularly paying out at a ratio of around 95%. They are also strong on in-play markets.

Bodog's standard offer is a risk free bet of 10 GBP. If you place a first bet of 10 GBP at 2.00 (evens) or higher and it loses you will get your 10 GBP back! The refund is in the form of a free bet, credited within 48 hours and must be wagered three times at the same minimum odds prior to withdrawal.

They offer a 50 GBP welcome bonus in the casino, as well as regular reloads and also a poker sign up worth up to 1000 USD. They also offer a decent selection of cashback and refund offers. At the time of writing they were offering money back on goalscorer bets if the game finished 0-0 on selected matches and also a Scottish Cup special with up to £100 back on losing bets.

The in-play console at Bodog is a nice clean interface that has its own separate area that is launched from the sidebar. Events currently live and those upcoming are listed on the side of the window and there is a nice clear score panel with the outcomes of previous markets accessible. There is also a calendar that allows you to view live events for the next week. So far, so good. However, the console falls down due to a lack of events covered and the small number of markets on each event.

Another negative is the lack of a mobile app for the sports book. It is available for the casino and the agent said it was something they hoped to add for sports betting in the future.

Telephone: 00 800 1004 2004
Email: service@bodog.co.uk
Address: Teledome Building, Old Parham Road, St Johns, Antigua
Other contact methods: Live chat

The customer service options are fairly standard, with live chat available 24/7 and email and phone contact as alternatives. We never had to wait longer than 30 seconds on the phone or chat and staff were always eager to help.

However, although they didn't leave us waiting we had to clarify fairly straight forward requests on more than one occasion which would not bode well if you ever had a more complex or serious issue. There is the usual FAQ and help section and although it is neatly laid out it is not as expansive as can be found on the websites of many rivals.

Bodog is a relatively new player in the gaming market (although they began in 1995 the separation of the brand is quite new) and given the financial clout of the overall company we would expect them to improve in the coming years. The website is easy on the eye, uncluttered and easy to use. Their odds are superb and they cover enough sports to appeal to a wide range of players.

The in-play offering and range of markets are areas that need improvement, whilst the customer service also needs some very minor tweaks before it can be classed as top notch. The opening offer is also far from superb, but this is slightly compensated for by the ongoing offers.

Overall they are a solid choice, especially for fans of US sports and people looking for great odds (and who isn't?). They are highly reputable and secure and certainly worth joining.