Making Deposits and Withdrawals

Because you can’t just hand over a wad of cash in exchange for chips to a cashier at an online poker room or casino, you’ll have to deposit funds electronically.  There are a number of ways to do this, and it’s important that you find a venue that can accommodate your preferred method of dealing with money.

While credit cards are still the most popular depositing method, many issuing banks have begun to block gaming related charges due to legal concerns.  If your card(s) won’t allow direct deposits, there are alternatives.  Listed below are some of the more popular methods for moving your money.

Credit Cards
Many US players will have a hard time using them thee days, but Visa and MasterCard are still accepted at some venues, and are the most commonly accepted card types. Beware that although the casino (or its e-cash merchant) will usually record the transaction as a purchase, your credit card company may see the transaction as a cash withdrawal and apply their customary transaction fees.

NETELLER
NETELLER is an online service not unlike PayPal, but with no restrictions on deposits and withdrawals from online gaming companies.  Deposits can be made to your account via credit card or bank account, then funds are easily transferred back and forth from poker room to customer in real-time.

FirePay
FirePay is a personal payment account that you fund with your credit card without revealing your credit card details or payment history. Because of industry-wide credit card restrictions, most casinos recommend that players user FirePay instead of credit cards. FirePay accepts Visa, MasterCard, or Check. With FirePay, your casino bankroll can be credited in minutes.

PrePaid ATM
PrePaid ATM works like any ATM card, except the balance on the card has been pre-paid.  You can fund these ATM cards with credit cards, wire transfers, and most other methods.

Western Union
You can send cash via Western Union to most online casinos to fund your account.  While WU transfers carry higher transaction fees, casinos will usually compensate with a bonus on your deposit.

Direct Bank Transfer (Automatic Clearing House, or ACH)
This is simply a transfer from your bank to the bank account (or e-cash merchant account) for the casino. This is usually accomplished by entering all the necessary data into an electronic form in the Cashier section of a casino’s Web site. ACH transfers are restricted to US bank account holders, and processing can take up to 7 days.

Wire Transfer
Like an ACH this is also a transfer from your bank account to the casino’s account. But with Wire Transfer, you usually need to FAX or e-mail to the casino a form that will allow them to request a wire transfer on your behalf. They make the request of your bank, and you must then give your bank authorization to wire the money. This method typically takes quite a bit longer because of the extra processing times required.

Check or Money Order
This method is necessarily slow because the check or money order must be mailed, processed by the casino, and cleared by both banks before your account is credited.