Bookmaker.com is the flagship brand of Costa Rican International Sports (CRIS), a company founded by the godfather of sports betting Ron “Cigar” Sacco way back in 1985. With an already 15-year positive track record under their belt as the world’s largest telephone betting company, their first website came online in 2000 branding the words “where the line originates”; a slogan derived from the fact CRIS brands are always the first to post lines. Today, Bookmaker.com is one of, if not the, most trusted brands in the sports betting industry holding a top rating at almost every online betting review site.

The primary reason to choose Bookmaker.com as a betting out is player trust. As if over two-dozen years of timely payouts, without limit collaring or banning winners isn’t enough, Bookmaker.com also has a physical presence in the Republic of Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Argentina, Spain, Mexico, Panama, Brazil and 12 other countries. Bookmaker is a massive betting operation that processes tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of bets daily. Over the years, several punters have reported successful and hassle-free withdrawals of six and seven figure wins. Bookmaker is where the big bettors wager, yet at the same time they cater to all types of players. With betting limits as high as $40,000 per game and dedicated support for the whales, and as low as $1.00 per game, bonuses, and a VIP program for the recreational player, Bookmaker has something for everyone. When betting at Bookmaker.com the one thing you’ll never need to worry about is getting paid after, and no matter how much, you win.

Bookmaker.com Bonus Offers and Promotions

Bookmaker.com offers first time depositors a 15% initial deposit match in the form of free play credits. To clear this bonus you’ll need to wager your deposit + bonus amount five times prior to withdrawal. To claim: after logging in, look for a bonus code inside the cashier. If you don’t see a code we encourage you to contact their staff via live website chat to obtain one prior to making a deposit. If you’re not interested in dealing with rollover and would like to decline the bonus this can be done by simply not entering a code.

In addition to the sign-up bonus, Bookmaker.com offers the following bonuses:

Reload Bonus

10% free play credits for each reload with a 3-time rollover requirement. This is increased to 20% on Tuesdays with a 5-time rollover requirement.

Referral Bonus

When referring a friend to Bookmaker.com you’ll receive 10% the size of their initial deposit as free play credits; 3-time rollover is required.

Bet Points

All Bookmaker.com members are automatically enrolled in their BetPoints loyalty rewards program. Each wager you place earns you a certain number of points based on VIP level. The more active you are at Bookmaker.com the more points you’ll earn. These points are redeemable for cash, gift cards, frequent flyer miles, Bookmaker gear, tournament entries or membership to handicapping service websites.

Free Contests

Each year Bookmaker.com runs a March Madness Bracket Contest which awards $10,000 to first place, $5,000 to second place, $2,500 to third place and other cash prizes all the way to 300th place. There are several ways to earn free entry to this contest; details can be found that time of the year on the bookmaker.com website.

Free Deposits

Bookmaker.com covers all fees for deposits over $300. For those in countries where online gambling is less than friendly, for example the United States, Singapore, Netherlands, etc., making your first deposit via Western Union is advised. How this works is the fees you pay to send the cash transfer will be added to you Bookmaker account balance. After a few successful deposits and withdrawals, Bookmaker.com will automatically make additional more convenient deposit and withdrawal options available to you.

Free Withdrawals

Bookmaker.com offers players one free withdrawal per month. This can be check via courier, ACH e-check, or whatever other method is available to you, which is determined on an account by account basis. If you require more than one withdrawal per month you can use BetPoints to request additional free withdrawals, or pay a small fee such as postage and processing costs for a check by courier. This is a nice added benefit as most online betting sites charge $15-$25 for a paper check withdrawal, while some charge excessive fees which can be as high as $35 or $50.

Bookmaker.com Wagering Options

Every wagering option you’d expect to find at a mainstream online betting site can be found at Bookmaker.com. This includes point spreads, moneylines, totals, futures, buying points, and propositions as well as combination wagers such as parlays, teasers and if-bets. The sports covered include football, basketball, baseball, hockey, soccer, tennis, golf, boxing/MMA, motor racing, handball, volleyball, and Spain’s futsal sport. Entertainment and political wagering propositions are offered, as are other gambling products bingo, poker, tournament blackjack and an online casino from the same website/player-account.

Here are some of Bookmaker’s unique features, I personally enjoy.

Half Point Buys

For football and basketball games Bookmaker allows bettors to purchase one or more half points off the point spread at 10 cents each, with the exception being the 3 in NFL football. For example if the Celtics are -9 -110, other options include Celtics -8.5 -120, Celtics -8 -130, Celtics -7.5 -140 etc. While this isn’t in itself unique, the big deal is that the 7 in NFL football also falls into this category. As I explain in my article on buying half points, buying two-half points through the 7 at ten cents each (meaning all +6.5 -110 taken to +7.5 -130, and all -7.5 -110 taken to -6.5 -130) is the best blind bet in football. To my knowledge while this exists with many local mom and pop type bookies, Bookmaker.com is the only online betting site offering half points on and off the 7 for ten cents each.

Teaser Betting

Bookmaker.com is one of the few sites that doesn’t shade lines to prevent against profitable teasers. For example if an NFL football line is -8.5 -110 at Bookmaker, other betting sites might change the line to something like -9.5 +100 which is essentially the same thing +EV wise on straight bets. Considering only point spreads, and not the price, matter in teasers, the other betting sites are doing this so 6-point teasers no longer cross the three, thus forcing teaser bettors to use the more expensive 7 point teaser option to accomplish the same. While bookmaker.com teaser odds match industry standards for most options, and are less than competitive on the three team options, the fact they don’t shade the line makes the effective odds so much better than the same at other online betting sites.

Also on the topic of teaser, Bookmaker.com starts their basketball teasers at 5 points which is far better than the 4 or 4.5 point option other betting sites offer. It’s also possible to use both basketball and football in the same teaser, getting six points on the football legs and five points on the basketball leg. This option can really come in handy late in the NFL season on weeks where only one +EV teaser leg can be found. I’ve found through historical research teasing NBA favorites of 6.5 to 7.5 points be the best option for a second leg.

To learn more about betting teasers profitably see my comprehensive teaser betting article (coming soon).

NFL Propositions

Bookmaker.com is one a handful of sites to offer certain props consistently for every game of the NFL season. These props include, first score of the game touchdown or FG/safety, which team will score first, will either team score 3 unanswered times, will there be a score in the last 2 minutes of the first half, and a plethora of other team and player props. The one catch is you’ll only find these posted an hour or two before Sunday games. For tips on beating NFL props see our detailed NFL Prop Betting section.

Early Lines

True to their slogan “where the line originates”, Bookmaker is the first site to post lines for nearly all major sports leagues. Serious sports bettors know that when lines first come out they are rough. As wagers come in the lines are adjusted to create balanced action, or to at least find a spot where the largest and sharpest bettors are no longer interested in betting. If you’re talented at sports betting, early lines is where you can find the most value.

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In conclusion to this Bookmaker.com review we ask one small favor. When opening an account at Bookmaker.com or any other sportsbook advertised on our site, if asked “where did you hear about us?” we’d appreciate if you mention onlinegambling.co. Alternatively, on the bookmaker.com sign up form, if asked for a referral code, promo code, or anything similar entering INTENSE, in all caps as shown, will accomplish the same. We very much appreciate the support, encourage you to read the strategy articles on our website, and wish you the best of luck with your bets this season.