Bally Sportsbook Review
Bally pushed the reset button on its entire sports betting operation. They spent an estimated $3 billion to build out the initial Bally Bet sportsbook. The results? Less than optimal as market share never exceeded 1 percent and CEO Lee Fenton eventually resigned due to “unacceptable” online results.
If that wasn’t bad enough, Bally’s other business — regional sports networks — is expected to go bankrupt in 2024. They’ve been in bankruptcy protection since early 2023, but things could spiral out of control next year. Several NBA and MLB teams use RSN to broadcast games in local markets so this is not a small issue by any means. So yes, a dark cloud is hanging over Bally as a whole.
Not that it’s stopping Bally though. Specifically with Bally sports betting, the company is attempting to right its wrongs with a 2.0 version of the platform. This time, they’re integrating technology from Kambi, which formerly built out DraftKings’ own platform (the two companies split a few years ago). During this transition, Bally Bet actually went dark in several different states. The new Bally platform went live in late 2023.
So what’s the verdict on Ballybet 2.0? Is it worth its salt in this hyper-competitive industry? You’re about to find out because we’ve reviewed Bally’s sportsbook on this page and we aren’t pulling any punches.
States Where Bally Bet Offers Legal Betting?
Legal sports betting in the United States isn’t completely black and white. In 2018, sports betting became legal at the federal level — but that doesn’t mean every state allows it. The 2018 ruling gave states the right to make it legal within their borders, most of which have done so now five years later.
But even if legalized, states differ in their process. For instance, some states only allow in-person betting but not online wagering. Most states, though, allow both. Then you have states that don’t allow online registration unless the bookie has a physical presence(cough Nevada cough). It can all get so confusing, but we’ve done our best to simply if for you.
Bally Bet is currently up and running in seven different U.S. states. They are as follows:
- Arizona
- Colorado
- Indiana
- Iowa
- New York
- Ohio
- Virginia
As for whether it’s available online or in Bally’s physical locations, we’ve created a chart to quickly sum it up. Online bettors are in luck cause all seven states allow Bally sports betting from your phone or computer:
| State | Mobile Betting | Retail Betting |
| Arizona | ✅ | ✅ |
| Colorado | ✅ | ✅ |
| Indiana | ✅ | ✅ |
| Iowa | ✅ | ✅ |
| New York | ✅ | ✅ |
| Ohio | ✅ | ✅ |
| Virginia | ✅ | ✅ |
Bally Bet is completely regulated and legal in those seven states. We’d expect them to eventually push into other states too, but as of right now, if you try to bet on Ballys sportsbook in, say, Illinois (where online gambling is legal), the platform will not accept bets. There is geo-targeting that prevents this from happening.
Bally Bet Features
When Bally Bet rebuilt its platform with Kambi, it was not the smoothest of transitions for existing users. First of all, they were asked to remove any money they had on the platform by a certain date. If they didn’t, they were sent a physical check in the mail with their remaining balance.
Now that it’s re-launched, users have to create an entirely new account. What worked in the past, including the login credentials, weren’t carried over. Obviously, that’s cumbersome but if you’ve never used Bally Bet before, then you can ignore this since it has no real bearing on you.
The good news, however, is the Kambi-operated platform works way better. Kambi’s experience in the space is obvious as there are no major issues using Bally Bet. Things work like they’re supposed to and errors are hard to come by.
But at the same time, there are hardly any differentiating features at Bally Bet. The only thing that stands out is the Bally rewards program. Spending consistently on bets accumulates rewards points, which can be redeemed for online free play or hard cash at a physical Bally location. That’s nice, but we need to see more out of Bally Bet if they want to compete with the major names in the regulated space. The industry is too competitive to not stand out in some way.
The Bally Bet app does support all the major sports though. You’ll be hard-pressed to NOT find a betting line you’re looking for if you stick to the most popular leagues. Here’s a sample of the sports that are bet-able on Bally:
- NFL
- College Football
- NBA
- NCAAF
- NCAAB
- NHL
- MLB
- UFC
- Boxing
- MMA
- Soccer
- Golf
- Tennis
- Motorsports
Bally Bet Mobile Betting
These days, you need a top-notch mobile betting experience — no excuses. This is probably why Bally Bet decided to scrap its 1.0 version of the platform in favor of the Kambi-operated version. As we said before, that ultimately was the right move long-term because we found no major issues with the mobile betting experience.
Bally Bet can be downloaded either on Android’s Google Play Store or Apple’s App Store. One thing we’ll say is to ignore the reviews. On both app stores, Bally Bet has poor user ratings and reviews. Most of these stem from the defunct platform — not the current one using Kambi.
Users can also bet on the go using the web browser on a phone or tablet. Bally’s sportsbook site is fully responsive so it’ll adapt to any screen size. There’s no real drop-off from using Bally on a big computer compared to your iPhone, for example.
The biggest reason for mobile betting on Bally is clearly the in-play feature. Live betting on sports games as they’re ongoing is a major trend, and one Bally Bet isn’t missing out on. It works, but we would love to see even more games available for in-play wagering. Right now, it’s reserved for the most popular sports (NFL and NBA, for instance). Supporting more sports would go a long way in creating separation between Bally and its competitors.
Bally Bet Promo Code
Bally’s sportsbook bonuses ebb and flow. What you see on there today might not be what’s offered in two months. Moreover, states might have specific deals, which was the case when Bally Bet NY opened up in the Empire State. So it might be worth going straight to Bally’s site and seeing what’s up for grabs at this very moment.
If you’re too lazy to do that, then we’ll tell you it’s offering as of this writing at the end of 2023. The current Bally Bet promo goes for $200 in free play. To redeem, a bettor just needs to risk $50 on any sport and they’ll get four different $50 bonus bets right back.
The best part? No Bally Bet promo code is necessary to redeem. The promotion is applied automatically so you really can’t miss out on this deal.
Bally Bet Customer Service
Before we wrap up our Bally review, a quick note about its customer service quality. It needs to be better, simple as that.
There are three modes of contacting support staff. The first is via email at support@ballybet.com. The second is via a live chat system on the site itself. The third is via phone number (each state has a different number to contract which is annoying if Googling online).
But here’s the main issue: response time is so-so. It could be way quicker. The last thing you want when you have a burning question about your money is to wait hours to hear something back. If Bally could improve response speed, its customer service would be in another stratosphere.
Top Sportsbooks
Located in a state where Bally Bet isn’t legal yet? You might want to check out one of the bookmakers below then. Per our latest sportsbook reviews, these offshore betting sites are just as good — if not better — than regulated platforms like Bally. Since they are offshore, they’re accessible to just about anyone in the world too. See the table to get started now.
