With so many folks in Alabama looking to bet on their beloved Crimson Tide this coming College Football season, we ask if Bovada is legal in their state.  The answer is a resounding YES and, even better, there are many other top online sportsbooks accessible from Alabama.

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Bovada Legality

The Bovada website is licensed in the Caribbean island online gambling hub nation of Antigua.  That company's stance is simple: If sports betting is legal in the United States (which it currently is) and they are operating from a jurisdiction that allows bet taking, then Bovada itself is legal.  All wagers are taking place in Antigua online via the servers.  Only in states such as Washington where online gambling is explicitly "illegal" could this theory be challenged, according to a vast number of licensed offshore operators.  Even in Washington, the law primarily applies to the individual placing a wager online.  As not to endanger customers, some offshore operators have opted to pull out of the Washington market.  Sports bettors should always refer to the Gambling911.com Endorsed Sportsbook list of licensed operators, which is not all-inclusive as there are licensed sportsbooks that are not currently advertising partners of this website.  All ad partners must be licensed.

Prospects of Sports Betting in Alabama

The state itself does not intend to license in-state run sportsbooks any time soon following a landmark decision by the US Supreme Court, though legislation had been introduced in early 2019.

HB315 was introduced in early April.  It would have created the Alabama Sports Wagering Commission, tax gross revenue at a rate of 10% and allow for seven available licenses to be doled out.

While the bill has until June to pass, the appetite for sports betting in Alabama is nominal, if it all.  This is a stark contrast to the amount of betting done with stateside bookies and offshore sportsbooks during College Football.  Alabama has never been a pro-gambling state, unlike its neighbor to the west Mississippi.

The Crimson Tide Outlook 2019

Nick Saban is the lone coach remaining from Alabama's most recent national title team (2017) as he breaks in seven new coaches for the 2019 season.

The Tide will need to replace a few guys along the offensive line. All-American tackle Jonah Williams and interior offensive linemen Ross Pierschbacher are now gone.  Jedrick Wills and Alex Leatherwood both return.

Najee Harris is expected to be the primary ball carrier for the Tide in 2019.

And then there is this....

From AthlonSports:

If there is one thing that drives Alabama fans nuts, it is their kickers. Joseph Bulovas returns as the placekicker but in comes Will Reichard, from nearby Hoover High School, one of the 15 early enrollees that will take part in spring practice. The two are expected to compete for the starting job this spring and it's a competition that will probably carry over into the summer and perhaps into fall camp. Bulovas was 14-of-18 last year on field goal attempts (also missed six PATs out of 81 attempts), while Reichard was the No. 1 kicking recruit in the 2019 class, according to 247Sports' Composite rankings.

The Crimson Tide will enter the season with 9/4 odds, slight second favorites after reigning champs Clemson.

- Don Shapiro, Gambling911.com