Sports betting in Bahamas
There are a lot of sports lovers in the Bahamas. This country, as well as other exotic locations such as Mauritius or Jamaica, also has a lot of people who love to gamble.
When you put it all together, it becomes obvious that sports betting is as popular here as it is almost anywhere else on Earth, you can find plenty of available sports bonus codes here.
The biggest annoyance for residents is that Bahamian law prohibits them from gambling of any kind.
Of course, there are many casinos located here, but only tourists can use them. The Internet offers all sorts of opportunities, but Bahamians are forbidden to make online bets on internet betting sites.
Despite the regulations in place, the authorities have taken a very lenient approach when it comes to enforcing online betting rules.
They have consistently turned a blind eye to residents enjoying casino games, playing online poker and placing millions of dollars worth of sports bets every year.
The Bahamas is one jurisdiction that is in dire need of updating its gambling laws.
List of bookmakers in Bahamas
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Betting in Bahamas
The official name of the country is the Commonwealth of the Bahamas; it is a sovereign state within the Lucayan archipelago of the West Indies in the Atlantic Ocean, located north of Cuba and southeast of Florida. The capital is Nassau, on the island of New Providence. It became a British colony in 1718 after the British decided to hunt down local pirates. The country eventually gained independence from Britain in 1973.
It has traditionally depended on tourism, and gambling tourism thrives alongside this. The locals love sports, mainly cricket, basketball and football (i.e. football as they call it). Gambling is legal and regulated in the Bahamas and luxury casinos await players, except that locals are not allowed to participate. Sports betting in the Bahamas, however, is still very popular; local players seem to take advantage of the weakness of the laws. At the same time, many international betting shops accept local players, so the options are quite rich after all.
History of online betting in Bahamas
Illegal gambling has been a feature of life in the Bahamas for decades. Lotteries were banned in 1901, but illegal casinos began to flourish in the 1920s. In 1969, the Lotteries and Gambling Act was passed to regulate casino gambling on the islands.
Some online gambling on the islands was legalised under the Gambling Act 2014. The new law established a framework for licensed casinos, national and charity lotteries and taxation. At the same time a new gambling framework was created.
All gambling is controlled by the Bahamas Gaming Board. The Council is responsible for issuing casino licences and overseeing standards.
The Bahamas allows legalised and licensed casino resorts on the islands. The state lottery is also legal, as are electronic bingo, keno, lottery tickets and kickback cards. Bookmakers are also popular in the country.
Key factors when choosing a bookmaker
Deposit and withdrawal options are one of the key factors that new players in the Bahamas consider when choosing a bookmaker. But they are far from the only ones. Our research shows that below are the five most important factors Bahamas punters consider when choosing an online betting site:
- Secure transactions
- A trustworthy reputation,
- Free, easy and fast transactions,
- Favourable / generous bonuses
- Wide range of sports to bet on
Just like deposit and withdrawal options, the legal environment also affects which sports you can bet on.
Online betting sites tend to offer a wider selection of sports than retail bookmakers. Before choosing a bookmaker, look at what sports they offer, how in-depth they cover each one, whether they have the types of bets you want to place, and how their odds compare to the competition.
When it comes to reputation, don’t stop at word of mouth. Read our detailed bookmaker reviews and search the various sites on the BahamasGC’s public register. As mentioned above, the BahamasGC tracks all sanctions imposed against betting sites and keeps detailed records of complaints filed against them.
Finally, when comparing bonuses, current legislation requires betting sites to state all applicable terms and conditions. You are required to read the fine print. If you believe that a bonus was misleading or that a bookmaker has falsely advertised an offer, you can make a complaint to the BahamasGC.
How popular is sports betting in Bahamas?
In The Bahamas, sports betting is not the main type of gambling. The country has a Gambling Act of 2014, which regulates gambling activities. According to this law, sports betting can only take place within licensed betting shops, which are most often located in large casinos and tourist-orientated hotels.
Most locals do not pay much attention to sports betting, concentrating mainly on other forms of gambling or entertainment. Tourists visiting the Bahamas may occasionally bet at casinos, but this type of entertainment is not a major attraction of the islands.
Thus, the percentage of the population participating in sports betting in the Bahamas is likely to be small, and it is not a widespread practice among locals.
How betting is regulated in Bahamas
The Gambling Act 2014 was enacted to reflect the growing popularity of online gambling in The Bahamas. Under the new law, some online betting was authorised. However, online sports betting is now illegal in the Bahamas.
Bahamian casinos can now apply for gaming licences to allow some domestic internet gaming. “Restrictive Interactive Gaming Licences” can also be obtained. These allow players to wager online or from mobile devices on casino premises. However, online gaming from websites operated in the Bahamas is prohibited.
“Internet shops” (betting shops) have been opened on the islands to allow locals to bet on foreign lotteries.
? Country | Bahamas |
? Currency | Bahamian dollar |
⚽ Popular Sports | Football, tennis, cybersport |
? Most Popular Payment Methods | Visa, MasterCard |
Top 5 casino sites in Bahamas
Stake
The platform is private and bettors can find major leagues and tournaments in over 35 sports. As well as popular ones such as football and basketball, punters can also bet in more obscure sports such as pesapallo, ski jumping and Gaelic hurling. Odds on some of the main betting options can be as high as 97 per cent.
Bet on bookmakers and markets
After clicking on the bookmakers section, you’ll be taken to a lobby that showcases the best live streaming of current events. From there, you can navigate to the sport you are interested in. On the main football matches, punters can bet on over 250 markets with odds of up to 96%+ for the main betting options such as 1×2, Over and Under, and no draw.
In basketball and tennis the odds are a little lower at an average of 94%, but in some popular leagues such as the NBA, Euroleague and Grand Slam tournaments you can again find markets reaching the 97% mark. In these sports, Stake bookmaker offers many options such as European and Asian handicaps, totals, win differential, correct score and double result (1st set / match).
Real Time Betting and Features
Betting players can fully cash out on over 1,000 daily live events that you can find on the platform. Advanced features such as auto/partial cashout, bet construction and bet request are not available, however the average bet acceptance time is a satisfactory 4 minutes. Odds on live markets range from 92% to 95%, depending on the popularity of the betting options.
Advantages:
- Cryptocurrency-only wallets
- Verified by CGF
- Proprietary provably fair games
- Major software vendors
- Active community
- 15+ languages
- Instant withdrawal
Disadvantages:
- Commission of 3% for fiat payments
- Fee for withdrawal of funds on the Web
- No welcome bonus
- Low odds on sports
Goldenbet
Many punters like to bet on the outcome of a sports game, match or race. Whether it’s virtual sports, racing, sports broadcasting or cyber sports, you’ll find it all here in Goldenbet’s betting section.
Virtual sports at Goldenbet
What attracts players the most about virtual sports betting is that it is available at any time of the day, 24/7. The action never stops, and the computer-generated images and sound effects make it look like the real thing, but it’s always there when you want it.
Courtesy of:
- Football League
- Football Bundesliga
- Football Eurocup
- World Cup
- Football Champions Cup
- Asian Football Cup
- Football Nations Cup
- Basketball League
- Horse racing
- Dog racing
- Virtual Game
- Live Tennis
- Live Baseball
- Live Cricket
Racing betting at Goldenbet
If you enjoy betting on horse or greyhound racing, you’ll be pleased to know that bookmaker Goldenbet covers both. Markets covered include Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, Australia, Ireland, South Africa, the UK and the USA.
Advantages:
- Excellent range of games from world-leading software providers
- The complete online gamblers casino – including live sports betting and live dealer games
- Wide range of Goldenbet casino bonus and promotion offers
- Welcome bonus offer on sports
- GoldenBet is not on Gamstop
- Easy to navigate
- Optimised for mobile devices
- Accepts deposits via credit cards
- Good range of payment options
- 24/7 live chat facility for customer support
- Goldenbet casino review Trustpilot score 4.3
Disadvantages:
- Lacks a no-deposit bonus offer
- Wagering is quite high at 35x
- No dedicated mobile app
- The FAQ section could be extended
- No phone number for customer support
Betwinner
BetWinner is a licensed, dynamic and modern betting company that offers players a huge range of sports betting events. Players can find literally every current sports game they are interested in on the Betwinner website. BetWinner has become one of the most popular brands in the sports betting industry, serving over 1,000,000 active players.
BetWinner bookmaker operates under a licence issued by the authorities of Curaçao. This licence provides a strict guarantee of security for every transaction and payment made by BetWinner. It also gives the company the advantage of opening player accounts in over 100 different currencies.
The BetWinner website has clear navigation and an interesting design. The bookmaker caters to players from all over the world and offers great terms and conditions. BetWinner’s bonuses are among the highest in the industry. The bookmaker offers a 100% deposit bonus code to every new player betting on sports, as well as a new 100% bonus to every existing player every week.
Advantages:
- Payments via UPI & PayTM
- All gambling products/games that you want
- Good promotions and bonuses for sports
Disadvantages:
- Still very recently established
- Not so many attractive bonuses for casino
Spinbetter
Spinbetter was founded back in 2018. The website is operated by Sprut Group B.V., while the company has received a licence from the Curaçao Gambling Authority. It mainly focuses on Eastern European countries, but it also accepts registrations from over 150 different regions.
The sports betting platform is based on BetB2B and offers very high odds on the major leagues, mobile apps and a wide range of payment options.
The sports broadcasts are exceptional. At any given time, you can bet on over 45 sports before a match. This includes all the popular games such as football, ice hockey and tennis, as well as dozens of minor ones such as hurling, field hockey and kabaddi. The average payout is 96.80 per cent.
On the top WDW market football matches, the odds exceed 98%. You can also find daily enhanced odds on all the top competitions, namely APL, La Liga, Serie A and Champions League. The most famous matches include over 400 different markets to choose from, such as special player combinations. Corner kicks and cards.
Basketball payouts are also very competitive and you can bet on over 100 options, with a particular focus on alternative handicaps and quarter markets. However, props are not available for punters. In tennis, the odds are lower than the average of bookmakers, but you can still find dozens of betting options.
Advantages:
- 50+ Sports and thousands of daily markets
- Live Betting, eSports, Casino & Virtuals
- Fast payments and withdrawals
- Available mobile version and Android App
Disadvantages:
- Limited responsible gambling features
- Customer support is sometimes hard to reach
- Missing mobile application for iOS
22bet
If you are looking for a major offshore gambling site that accepts cryptocurrencies, then 22bet will surely be one of the best options for you. The website started its operations in 2017. Since then, the company has achieved remarkable success in the gaming scene, along with prestigious partnerships such as being involved as a sponsor of Paris-St-Germain.
Offering over 500 football markets with competitive odds, a full casino product with over 2,000 titles, a host of localisation features and a wide range of supported cryptocurrencies, the brand is a well-balanced international cryptocurrency gambling site.
You can bet on over 50 sports, which in addition to the major ones such as football, tennis, American football and basketball, include more obscure ones such as the Winter Olympics and Japanese boat racing. Horses, greyhounds and darts are also on offer. In total, players can find over 50,000 events each month covering all niches.
In top leagues and tournaments such as the Champions League, Europa League, Premier League, NBA, NFL and Grand Slam tournaments, the odds on the primary markets almost always exceed the 95% mark. In addition, 22bet offers several Asian lines, combination bets and alternative handicaps, leaving no one unsatisfied.
Betting In Play
The 22bet sports section also maintains its strengths in live betting. With over 2,000 live events on busy days and average odds of around 94.83%, this is a great option for punters who enjoy betting in-play. Of course, the payouts and total number of markets are reduced when compared to the fixed odds section, there are hundreds more betting options to choose from.
In popular football matches, there are over 350 live markets available with many additional options that include individual totals and overtime, next goal and handicap, goal to the minute and qualification method. In tennis and basketball, in addition to several total lines, you can bet on the exact score in the game, correct score in sets, exact point range and supertotals.
Advantages:
- Large selection of sports
- Regular ongoing promotions
- Great selection of payment methods
- Compatible for all devices
Disadvantages:
- No live streaming