While there is no Ferrari of sportsbooks, Bookmaker.com – hailing from the BetCris family – is a good BMW. You can count on a fairly good, comfortable ride with their company.

Customer service is top notch, their website is well done and customer complaints are rare. They have a solid loyalty program and they do a good job of making their clients feel like true VIPs, opposed to just another account number.

They are one of the shops that opens the lines but their lines are still softer than the industry’s best as far as juice is concerned. Regardless, for a good overall customer experience, you can’t go wrong with Bookmaker.

1. Who Bet’s Here

Being one of the main books who open the lines, Bookmaker tends to attract a lot of sharps who like to hop on the lines early. Their juice is low but it isn’t the lowest around, so it’s not only sharps. They do have a good public base.

Depositing
Credit Cards
Western Union (fees covered for $300 or more)
Moneygram (fees covered for $300 or more)
Bank Wire (min. $3000)
Certified Cheque

Withdrawing
Western Union (One free payout per 30 days)
Moneygram (One free payout per 30 days)
Bank Wire (minimum fee $80)
Certified Cheque (One free payout per 30 days)

2. Customer Service

Bookmaker’s customer service – across all platforms – is very reliable. You’ll get an over-the-phone agent with an accent once in a while but everyone is easy to deal with.

As for contacting customer service, with the toll free phone number in the middle of the home page, along with two links to their ‘contact us’ section, you won’t have issues getting a hold of Bookmaker. Their wagering center and customer offices are open 365 days a year.

If you prefer something a little more quick and dirty, Bookmaker does offer a live chat with their operators using the standard Liveperson software. A good feature with Bookmaker’s chat is that you don’t have to give your name, account number or topic before you enter live chat. You simply click the link and wait for an operator to free up.

The contact us page is broken up into sections so you can call or e-mail the specific department you need. They don’t cut corners with a one-number-for-all.

Methods of Contact
Phone
E-mail
Live chat

3. Placing A Bet

Placing a bet at Bookmaker is very easy. Via the website, you are presented with checkbox menus that are easy to navigate. Over the phone, you give your account, the bet and confirm it. Via mobile, you download the application for your PDA or cell phone (yes, the Apple iPhone is supported) and you navigate through the software.

Methods of Betting
Phone
Internet
Mobile

4. Variety

Bookmaker.com has a good variety of betting in their sportsbook. As far as major sports go, everything is covered and outside of the odd exotic, you’d be hard pressed to find something that someone else offers that they don’t.

Speaking of exotics, they don’t go crazy with their sports and non-sports props. They have a few just to say they do but it’s not a book where you can bet on all sorts of wild entertainment and sporting props.

Limits
NFL Game: $20,000
NBA Game: $5,000
MLB Game: $5,000
NHL Game: $5,000

5. VIP Program/Loyalty Program

One thing that really separates Bookmaker from everyone else is their VIP program. They have three levels of membership and each has special perks.

When you sign up, you’re put into the Gold Membership category and the more you bet, the higher you grow into Platinum and Diamond.

The more you bet, the more BetPoints you accumulate, which can be put towards more free payouts, gift cards, frequent flyer miles, cash back and gear from the Bookmaker store.

It’s nice to get comped for you action, like you would in a casino in Vegas, and it’s a great feature that Bookmaker has added to reward its players for being loyal.

6. Bonus & Rebate Program

Bookmaker.com has moderate bonuses but still right in the thick of things compared to most other books. They don’t need to catch your eye with an exorbitant bonus because they have a strong enough reputation.

New accounts receive 20% free-play bonus. The strings attached are a 5-time rollover and you have to deposit at least $300 to get the free-play. The maximum free-play bonus you can receive is $500.

The free-play is a bit annoying, in comparison to other sportsbooks who give you a cash bonus with a rollover.

Bookmaker also offers a reload bonus, which is a 10% free-play and it comes with a three-time rollover. Again, the maximum bonus received for a reload bonus is $500 and you won’t get a reload bonus if you have withdrawn within the last 30 days.

Lastly, you’ll also get 8% horse rebate on internet exotic wagers.

7. Website & Usability

Bookmaker.com is a clean, crisp-looking site. In comparison to plain pages like TheGreek or Pinnacle, this one has all the good looking flash bells and whistles.

Signing up is an easy process. Click to join, fill out one form with your information and you are set (no need to confirm via e-mail). Upon first signup, it will to their cashier section where you can go through the initial deposit process.

Security checks every time you log in, which hinders the process when time is an issue, but it is worth the sacrifice for the safety of the customer.

Admittedly, the landing page when you login is very busy – the color scheme is a bit random, spacing is cluttered – but it isn’t difficult to get used to.

While the landing page has a lot on it, the benefit of that is that you can jump to practically anywhere you want to go, be it to bet types (parlay, if bets, teasers) to account details (open bets, history) to other sections of Bookmaker (sportsbook, racebook, casino, poker).

Placing a bet at Bookmaker is child’s play. Click, click, boom.

8. Reputation

Bookmaker is part of the BetCris family, which means it’s backed by a company with a very good reputation in the sports betting industry. It may be one of the newer members of the family (2007) but the pedigree shouldn’t be questioned.

As far as financial security goes, Bookmaker – and BetCris – is among the most secure.