First Impression
Despite being around for 5 years, GamblersAvenue is still an up-and-coming player in the online gaming industry. The Costa Rica-based outfit is now a multi-million dollar operation that has built a reputation for covering high-stakes wagers and has built a high tech telephone support center that is open 24-hours a day, 7-days a week.
Visitors to the GamblersAvenue website are presented with a professionally laid-out site that contains both a casino and sportsbook. Sign up bonuses vary and can be very impressive - the most attractive of them offers new users who bet at least $100 an additional $100 in bonus cash. In addition to the seasonal promotions, a 20% sign-up bonus, 10% reload bonuses and 5% reduced juice ensure a solid set of rewards to entice users.
Wagering Information
Upon account creation, users have a limited choice of deposit options. Western Union is the preferred method, although NETeller, MasterCard and Visa are also accepted. GamblersAvenue charges no additional deposit fees and they will typically cover the associated costs for deposits of $300 or more. The minimum deposit amount is $50.
Visitors to GamblersAvenue will note extensive wagering lines and options - particularly for US-based sports.
Professional and collegiate level football and basketball, MLB baseball and NHL hockey are the staples; boxing, golf, tennis and auto racing lines are also available. The betting interface, however, leaves a great deal to be desired. Once a new user has logged into his account, there are no instructions on how to proceed or how to view events/lines. The portal-based interfaced simply displays a zero-balance and one can only proceed after realizing they must access the cashier to make a deposit prior to performing any other action.
Despite obvious limitations with the user interface, the high-limits offered by GamblersAvenue is sure to win over some users. The site publishes $2,500-daily and $5,000-weekly withdrawal limits, with exceptions being made by telephone. The minimum bet is $5 for online wagers and $50 for telephone wagers, reasonable minimums that make GamblersAvenue affordable for casual players as well. For those who have questions or wish to perform transactions by telephone, a 24-hour, toll-free number is provided. Wait time was minimal when calling this number, with the quality of support being average.
Cashing Out
Users looking to perform a withdrawal can choose from NETeller, cashier's check or bank wire. While GamblersAvenue typically does not charge any additional fees for the first withdrawal each month, additional withdrawals do incur fees. For example, additional cashier's check withdrawals are charged a whopping $50 each. Even worse, the small print on the website indicates that all "Deposits, fees and bonus amounts should be played five times around as a minimum" before they can be withdrawn. While drafted as a measure against users looking to benefit from the high bonuses, such regulations place a question mark on payout times and efficiency.
Bottom Line
GamblersAvenue is a decent sportsbook, but won't be of interest to those who take their online gaming seriously or require a greater breadth of services from an online gambling site.
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