BetAmerica Review

As of 2021, BetAmerica has officially merged with its sister site Twinspires

Founded in 2008, BetAmerica is a legal US-facing gambling site that offers pari-mutuel betting and DFS-style handicapping contests. In 2017, the site was purchased by Churchill Downs Inc. (CDI), a Delaware-based corporation that owns the legendary Churchill Downs racetrack, which is the home of the Kentucky Derby.

BetAmerica isn’t the only pari-mutuel wagering service operated by CDI, as the company also owns TwinSpires.com. CDI is allowed to offer advance deposit wagering services under a Multi-Jurisdictional Simulcasting and Interactive Wagering Totalizator Hub license issued by the Oregon Racing Commission.

Welcome Bonus

BetAmerica will match your first deposit dollar for dollar, up to $100. This offer can be claimed only once, so if you want to get the maximum bang for your buck, make sure that your first deposit is at least $100. If you make two deposits of $50, you’ll receive only $50 in bonus cash.

Regardless of the size of your deposit, the promotional funds will be credited to your account as a pending bonus. The pending bonus cannot be used for wagering and cannot be cashed out. Instead, it will be released into your normal cash balance at a rate of 10% of the value of your wagers.

The bonus needs to be cleared within 30 days. If you fail to clear your pending balance within that timeframe, your remaining promotional funds will be forfeited.

Legality and State Restrictions

BetAmerica is licensed to offer wagering and contests in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Residents of Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Montana, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington are restricted exclusively to wagering, while residents of Alaska, Georgia, Hawaii, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, and DC are restricted to contests only. Residents of Arizona, Nevada, Puerto Rico, and Virginia don’t have access to any BetAmerica services.

You need to be 18 years of age or older to create a BetAmerica account.  This does not apply to the residents of Alabama, who need to be 19 or older, and Texas-based customers, who need to be at least 21. BetAmerica will electronically verify the date of birth of all new users and will ask for a Social Security Number as well as residential information.

Betting Platform

BetAmerica has been designed from the ground up to facilitate browser-based betting on smartphones and tablets. Even though the site is compatible with most desktop browsers, including Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Safari, its mobile-centric nature becomes apparent once you open it on a device equipped with a large screen. The buttons are slightly too big, the navigation bar is multi-layered and very wide, and there’s plenty of scrolling involved.

Consequently, while the site will definitely work with any contemporary PC or Mac, we’d recommend using a mobile device for a better user experience. This is especially true if you own an iOS device, as BetAmerica has an excellent betting app, which can be downloaded directly from the official Apple Store. Unfortunately, this option isn’t available for Android devices because Google does not allow any gambling software in the Play Store.

As far as betting opportunities are concerned, BetAmerica supports the three basic bets (Win, Place, Show) and a wide range of single-race exotic bets (Exacta, Quinella, Trifecta, Superfecta, Super Hi-5) and multi-race exotic bets (Daily Double, Pick 3, Pick 4, Pick 5, Pick 6, Grand Slam). Boxing bets is also an option, which essentially puts BetAmerica on an equal footing with brick-and-mortar OTB facilities.

Unlike other US-facing pari-mutuel platforms, BetAmerica offers fantasy sports-inspired Racing Contests, which require handicappers to pick horses from multiple races and compete for points, which are awarded based on their performance. Contests are also available for greyhound races, even in jurisdictions that prohibit standard greyhound betting.

Available Racetracks

BetAmerica covers races hosted in the United States and abroad. BetAmerica customers have access to 300 tracks, including all of the top thoroughbred tracks from North America, such as Del Mar, Santa Anita, Churchill Downs, Belmont, and Saratoga. The site also covers Standardbred and Quarter Horse racing from Meadowlands, Woodbine, Remington Park, Los Alamitos, Sunland Park, and more.

Furthermore, with more than 1,000 dog races covered every week, BetAmerica is the largest greyhound racing platform in the United States. It’s also the only US-facing betting platform that offers in-depth handicapping resources for people who are interested in greyhound races. Unfortunately, due to state-level regulations, greyhound betting is available exclusively in Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Massachusetts, Oregon, and Wyoming.

Video Streaming

BetAmerica operates a live video streaming service and gives its customers access to race replays. Live streams can be accessed from the FastBet section or from Handicapping Contests, while replays can be found under the Racing tab. Unfortunately, video access is not unlimited – verified members can watch 10 hours for free per calendar month. VIPs get a better deal and can watch 30 hours without paying. Additional video balance is awarded at a rate of 1 hour for every $10 wagered on a contest.

Please note that it’s impossible to check your current video balance in the iOS app. If you have this app and you want to check your video usage, you’ll have to perform this action using the browser-based version of the site.

VIP Program

All BetAmerica customers are automatically enrolled in a loyalty program called Wager Rewards, which can best be described as a volume-based scheme with a few twists. The program allows handicappers to earn points by placing wagers. These points are normally awarded at the rate of 1 point for every dollar put at stake, but high-volume customers can raise their Wager Rewards Levels, which acts as a point multiplier applied to every bet. Furthermore, the number of points awarded for betting on a small number of tracks is reduced, which is bad news for all Del Mar fans (0.1 award ratio). Finally, points gained for placing single-race exotics are boosted by 20%, and points gained for placing multi-race exotics are boosted by 10%. Wager Rewards points can later be redeemed for BetAmerica merchandise, or for cash at the rate of $1 per 100 points.

To put this information in some context, exotic wagers are already quite powerful in the hands of experienced players, so BetAmerica’s offer is definitely more generous than similar programs offered by TVG or TwinSpires. Please note that this doesn’t necessarily apply in California, where the maximum reward rate is fixed at 1%, and in Arkansas, Illinois, Minnesota, New York, and Washington, where it’s fixed at 4%.

Wager Rewards aside, BetAmerica customers can attain VIP status by reaching a $25,000 lifetime handle, betting $7,000 within their first 30 days on the platform, or betting $10,000 within any 7 days. VIP members get expanded deposit limits and gain access to exclusive promotions and contests, free views of past performances, and special events. They also earn loyalty points at an increased rate.

Other Promotions

BetAmerica may have an amazing loyalty program, but unfortunately, it does not offer much in terms of seasonal promotions. Most limited-time offers simply award players with additional loyalty points for placing specific kinds of bets. For example, in February 2019, Multi-Mondays allowed handicappers to take advantage of a 2x multiplier on multi-race wagers, while Featured Track Thursdays increased their Wager Rewards gains on Aqueduct bets.

Banking Options

BetAmerica supports seven convenient ways to fund your account. Below, you’ll find a list of the available options:

• eCash: Make an instant transfer directly from your checking or savings account. BetAmerica won’t charge you anything on eCash deposits.
• Credit/debit card: The first deposit is free, but there’s a 3.98% fee on subsequent transactions. Certain Visa cards are automatically declined by the issuing bank because some banks in the US do not approve any transactions for legal gambling sites. Thus, it’s recommended to use a MasterCard.
• PayNearMe:  Print out a PaySlip or create it on your phone, take it to the local convenience store (7-Eleven, CVS, Family Dollar), and make a deposit using cash. The store will charge you $3.99 per transaction.
• Green Dot: Purchase a MoneyPak card at Walgreens or any other Green Dot retail store, load it up, and make an instant deposit to the site.
• Neteller: Fund your e-wallet account with your Visa to transfer funds to your BetAmerica account.
• Prepaid cards: You can make a deposit using a prepaid card purchased at one of your local convenience or grocery stores. Restrictions, verification requirements, and limits vary by card. Most cards have a $500 limit.
• PayLucky: Create a PayLucky account and make an instant deposit using your debit or credit card. There’s a 3.98% fee on every transaction.
• Check or money order: Make a deposit via traditional mail. The money should be turned into wagering credit within 3-5 business days.

Online withdrawals are always settled with an eCash transfer or via Neteller. If you don’t want to use these methods, the only alternative would be to order a check by traditional mail, which should arrive within 3-5 business days.

Customer Support

BetAmerica customer service can be contacted via the following channels:

• Live Chat
• Phone: 1-866-607-7929
• Email: help@betamerica.com

In addition, you can try to find the answers you need in the Self-Service Center, which can be accessed via BetAmerica’s website. This part of the service is somewhat inconsistent. Certain topics, like the Kentucky Derby, Racing Contests, or PayNearMe deposits, are covered with meticulous attention to detail. Other sections are woefully basic and unlikely to quickly provide you with the information you need, which might be frustrating if you want to look up something without spending a lot of time trying to locate and decipher answers.