For almost 20 years, Costa Rica based sportsbook BetGuardian has offered its betting services to clients throughout the world. Included in their client base is the elusive American betting market, which operates an unregulated market. While this opens up a large potential client base, it also somewhat restricts the types of payments that this long established sportsbook can offer its customers. We decided to take a look at BetGuardian’s mobile betting site on our Android devices, and base a review off of that. For this review we will be taking a look at the general services that the company offers through its app, the banking system contained within, and the customer service we saw while participating in various betting schemes on the site.
Using the same software suite as other Costa Rica based books such as JustBet, we can honestly say that we’ve seen this pony before. The software itself is good enough, but lacks the polish we have seen from other sportsbooks such as Bovada or Bookmaker.eu.
Everything operates smoothly enough, but the amount of betting options and lack of casino type card games ends up taking away from the utility of BetGuardian’s product. Bets offered include: straights, parlays, and teasers, with multiple sports being contained within.
Just as in the case of JustBet, future or prop bets are missing, which was a real shame for us. Some of our favorite types of bets are the props, and being unable to bet on the winner of the Stanley Cup or Superbowl was a big ding for us. This is a problem that can be resolved if BetGuardian wishes, and we certainly hope that is the case.
Overall, our impression of this software is that it is decent, but lacks the features and bets that are contained on Betguardian’s main site. Therefore it is more of a “meh” than a “must have”.
Dealing with American punters means that financial restrictions will be in place for BetGuardian. While you should know this before dipping in, it really isn’t a bad mark against the site. Through the app, we were able to deposit using our Visa card only.
Things got better when we went through the desktop web version of BetGuardian. If this route is taken, the book accepts Person to Person transfers, bank wires, Neteller, Click2Pay, Ukash, and others.
Withdrawal options could not be processed through BetGuardian’s mobile site, but the desktop site allowed us to cash out with a money order, person to person transfer, Neteller, and Moneybookers.
We did not end up winning anything worth withdrawing, other sites documenting BetGuardian experiences reveal that the book has a good reputation for getting punters their money.
We found the customer service at BetGuardian to be excellent, if not a bit overbearing. We ended up getting multiple calls from our account representative, who continually wanted to update us with new promotions.
We did use the site’s instant messenger to contact the site about a mobile bonus. We found the service to pick up quickly, and we were back to betting within minutes.
BetGuardian is a long established casino that offers solid lines for a variety of bets. While the Android specific mobile site is nice enough, it lacks the polish that we have seen from many other sportsbooks. Our recommendation would be to avoid this site if you are able to wager at European books like Bet Victor, William Hill, or the like.
However, if you are an American punter, you can do a lot worse than the quality and long established BetGuardian, although you may also want to check out other US books. You will be wise to be aware of the mobile site’s shortcomings, but putting down a decent bet is more than capable through the software.