Bovada Returns to New York for Online Poker

Last updated on March 16th, 2023

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Gaming enthusiasts in the United States have limited options for online poker, casinos, and internet sports betting. Players living in Nevada have access to online poker from one state-regulated site, and those in Delaware have a similar option – three sites from one licensed source. New Jersey players have many more options, and Pennsylvania is currently establishing its own market.

Since Black Friday, when many companies were forced to depart the US market, few remained open and available to American poker players online. Bovada was one of them, remaining an option for those in nearly every state.

Bovada did remove access to new poker players from several states, such as Delaware, Nevada, and New Jersey, due to their strict regulations. The site also excluded players from Washington State, as it is one that criminalized all online poker, and Bovada does not want to endanger its customers. A few other states were on the exclusion list, such as Maryland and New York.

But for New Yorkers, Bovada is back.

Bovada, arguably the most recognizeable offshore betting site in North America post-BF, is back in the great state of New York! Rejoice boys & girls, you can play #poker, punt in the sports book, and gamble away your entertainment budget in style again!https://t.co/GHYBB8i0Sb pic.twitter.com/68vjMxJw8n
— ProfessionalRakeback.com – meh, rakeback is dead. (@ProfRBcom) November 27, 2018

Holiday Gift from Bovada

Just before the Thanksgiving holiday, Bovada sent an email to players who had previously played on the site to deliver the good news.

“We’ve re-opened our doors to all New York customers, bringing back our feature-rich gaming service just in time for the Thanksgiving weekend,” the email wrote.

Players were given information about rediscovering their passwords, finding the best deposit and withdrawal methods, including Bitcoin and Bitcoin cash, and visiting the FAQ section for other information. And upon clicking on the site, they saw a message that their accounts were re-enabled.

Poker players weren’t the only ones welcomed back, as the internet casino and sportsbook were also re-opened. And new players from New York are now being accepted as well.

New York Further from Legislation

For several years, it seemed as if New York was on the edge of passing legislation to legalize and regulate online poker. State Senator John Bonacic took his poker bills through the Senate and passed them in 2016 and 2017, only to find that Assemblyman J. Gary Pretlow was unable to do the same in the other side of the legislature.

In 2018, Bonacic started down his path again, pushing his new bill through the first committee in January. But as he watched Pretlow, he saw excuses and delays and uncertainty. Bonacic thusly didn’t spend time putting his bill up for a vote, as the outcome looked to be the same as previous years.

Meanwhile, Bonacic was also in his last year in the Senate, having announced his retirement in 2018. Without Bonacic in the driver’s seat in 2019, and with Pretlow seeming no closer to a firm commitment to online poker legislation, New York has been moved from many analysts’ lists of states most likely to regulate internet poker in the US.

Taking all of this into consideration, Bovada knew that New York players and bettors had few other choices and weren’t likely to see a regulated gaming market any time soon. Bovada wanted to give those customers a reputable option.

Poker Options

Currently, poker players logging on to Bovada will find a unique tournament series preparing to start. Having found success with it before, Bovada reignited the 12 Days of Turbos Poker Series, offering tournaments that will begin on Saturday, December 1 to December 12. The series is offering $1.2 million in total guarantees.

Though the series actually ends on a Wednesday, 12 Days of Turbos will be offering its Main Event on Sunday, December 9. The $250 buy-in event will offer a $150K guarantee for its prize pool, but satellites will be available for as low as $3. And satellites are already running for the series.

https://twitter.com/BovadaPoker/status/1067486971029856256

In addition to the special series, there are daily and weekly tournaments that guarantee $1.5 million in prize pools each week, with $460K of that on Sundays alone. The Sunday lineup includes some popular tournaments: