Meet BetOnline.com, a sportsbook that is still developing its identity. They don’t have the “Big Bonus versus Low Juice” selling point anymore, which was really their signature, but they do have a number of good things going for them.

They still have relatively big bonuses, they have a loyalty program and they have some unique betting features, such as parlays of up to 25 games and 21-point teasers.

Even so, aside from a content-filled website with plenty of sports betting analysis, BetOnline.com is lacking a signature selling point that makes itself standout.

While it may not be unique from the crowd, overall, the sportsbook is reliable. There may be some gaps in coverage – you won’t get the best betting variety and you won’t get the earliest lines – but otherwise, this is decent place to bet.

One thing to keep in mind is that a few of the BetOnline owners were stung in a federal investigation back in fall of 2009. The security of the company has not been affected by this and it looks like more of a smokescreen than a serious attempt to impede the function of the company.

1. Who Bets Here

BetOnline has two ends of the spectrum and not much of the middle. A lot of new school players are finding their way to BetOnline.com while their loyal fan base is the old school guys who still call in their bets.

The lines here are not sharp and while they do have some sharks who still have their low juice accounts grandfathered, this is clearly a place where the casual player plays.

Depositing
Moneygram (fees covered on deposits of $300)
Western Union (fees covered on deposits of $300)
Visa Credit Cards
Cheque
Bank Wire (fees covered on deposits of $300)

Withdrawing
Moneygram
Western Union
Cheque (free per calendar month)
Bank Wire

2. Customer Service

BetOnline.com has fairly good customer service. The call center is general the best way to get stuff done, although live help and e-mail is available.

Sometimes they are a bit sluggish to process requests, but they do follow up on them, which is a good sign. Some sportsbooks just sweep requests under the rug in the hopes that you forget; BetOnline doesn’t.

Beyond, payouts are processed reasonably and there aren’t many complaints overall.

Methods of Contact
Phone
E-mail
Live chat

3. Placing A Bet

Placing a bet at BetOnline.com is a very familiar process to many bettors. While the front end of the website looks snazzy, the back end is just the trusty checkbox system. That means just select the sport, enter the amount and confirm.

There are no real tricks here; it’s an ancient system but many sportsbooks use it because it is so tried, so tested and so true.

Methods of Betting
Phone
Internet

4. Variety

There really isn’t a whole lot of variety at BetOnline.com. This is about as meat and potatoes of a shop as you can find.

Don’t worry; they have all the major North American sports covered. You won’t get early lines and you won’t wacky entertainment props either.

As far as actual bet types, though, they do have some cool features that you won’t find at many sportsbooks. You can play 21-point teasers and you can play parlays of games up to 25.

While they may not have the variety in the lines, they definitely do in the bet types.

Limits
NFL Games: $5,000
NBA Games: $5,000
NHL Games: $3,000
MLB Games: $5,000

5. VIP Program/Loyalty Program

BetOnline.com does have a loyalty program, which seems to be a rarity nowadays among sportsbooks. For every dollar you bet, you will earn one loyalty point, which can then be applied to gathering a free play. You need roughly 10,000 points to give you a $25 free play. Also, there are several tiers where you can trade more points for more free plays and etc.

It may not look like much but keep in mind that most sportsbooks don’t have a loyalty program, so just qualify this as a bonus.

6. Bonus & Rebate Program

BetOnline.com has a decent bonus structure where you can get some high deposit bonuses, but keep in mind that they are free plays.

If you deposit between $100-$299, you get a 10% free play bonus with a three-times rollover.
If you deposit between $300-$499, you get a 15% free play bonus with a four-times rollover.
If you deposit between $500-$999, you get a 25% free play bonus with a six-times rollover.
If you deposit between $1000-$1999, you get a 35% free play bonus with a seven-times rollover.
If you deposit between $2000+, you get a 45% free play bonus with a eight-times rollover.

As you can see, they encourage you to deposit more by offering escalating bonuses.

Overall, we’d prefer cash bonuses instead but as we all know, cash is becoming harder and harder to find. And in those cases, the bonuses are never this high.

7. Website & Usability

BetOnline.com has a fairly good website that has a lot of sports betting content. At the end of the day, how many sharp bettors really want to read what “Stan Simmons” has to say about an NFL game? Maybe not many. But the reality is that it shows that the sportsbook has a pulse on what is going on and they are investing in a staff of handicappers to at least provide their customers with another avenue of picks. Whether you like the picks, hate the picks or are neutral to them, they are an extra opinion and an extra point of view.

The content on the site is very comprehensive, which is a nice resource. They also have a stats section.

Beyond that, the site looks decent. It was recently remodeled and while they have left the prehistoric era, they still have some ways to go.

On the inside, the sportsbook’s aesthetics are so-so. It’s a betting engine, so it’s not going to have a vibrant design, but this one looks particularly old school. The functionality is simple with the checkbox system; there’s no betting ticket that pops up and you do have to jump from page-to-page. Some of the newer betting engines avoid that extra navigating.

Overall, the outer part of the website is well done but the inside could use a renovation.

8. Reputation

BetOnline.com’s reputation took a hit when their owns were locked up in a sting operation by the U.S. Government but to be frank, not much has come of it since. They did have a run on withdrawals and people felt insecure but they paid them out as per usual and everything is still business as usual.

Aside from that, the reputation of the sportsbook is fine.