Deposit Options for US Players
By now, you’ve probably heard about the multiple FBI domain seizures and the other details behind the Department of Justice declaring war on illegal online casinos. That in itself may have you ready to give up online gambling all together for a couple of months, but it seem like few people actually know the real reason why all of these events took place. It was not that those poker rooms were “illegal” because of the gaming; they were shut down because they ignored the banking agreements under Federal Law. As long as US players play at online casinos that use approved deposit options, it is still perfectly legal.
1. | Ignition | n/a | Ignition | |||||
2. | Bovada | n/a | Bovada | |||||
3. | BetOnline | n/a | BetOnline | |||||
4. | Intertops | n/a | Intertops | |||||
5. | Sportsbetting | n/a | Sportsbetting | |||||
6. | America’s Cardroom | n/a | America’s Cardroom | |||||
7. | Blackchip Poker | n/a | Blackchip Poker |
Even though gamblers in the United States are still free to wager in any type of online casino they want to, we highly recommend avoiding any type of establishment that accepts bank transfers or eChecks. Here is how gamblers in the US should be funding their gaming accounts instead-
Credit Cards
The UIGEA, which is the set of laws passed in 2007 that apply to online gambling, make it illegal for any US bank to transfer money directly to or from an online casino. Remember that people like you and me are not affected by these laws; they simply apply to the online casinos. While credit cards are by far the easiest deposit option available from this list, they should not be used unless they are issued by a foreign investment bank.
The good news is that many of today’s major credit cards are not US based, plus there are several different types of foreign pre-paid credit cards inside convenience stores as well. As long as the money does not pass through a US bank then it is a legal deposit option under the UIGEA; even though that was not the government’s intention.
Third Party Transfer Site
The UIGEA also says that transferring money from a bank to a 3rd party website to a casino is also illegal, which was Congress’s way to try to eliminate any loopholes within the document. The part that they did not think of, however, is that there are hundreds of websites out there where players can make deposits without using a US bank, which means that this section of the UIGEA is practically worthless. As long as the 3rd party transfer website is funded through PayPal or a credit card, it is perfectly legal for the online casinos to accept these payments.
Of course, how the heck could an online casino know how you transferred money to one of these payment processing sites anyway? This is truly a ridiculous law with absolutely no enforcement value, which is why online gambling at the above mentioned sites is still perfectly legal.
Wire Transfer
The final payment option would be a wire transfer from a service like Western Union, but most consumers would be better off purchasing a pre-paid credit card if they do not have one already. While the above online casinos never have any problems with wire transfers processing, it is the slowest available payment method plus it usually has the highest fees as well.
Background on Current Depositing Situation
Americans are some of the world’s biggest gamblers, and despite some regulations that have made it more difficult for them to fund online gambling accounts, USA players are still welcome at most Internet casinos. However, it’s not always easy to figure out how to get money into your casino account these days, since some popular methods have low success rates. Read below to learn more about the best casino deposit options for US players.
While there are several ways for American players to make online casino deposits, it might be helpful first to go over some of the common methods that aren’t available in the United States. For instance, these days it’s nearly impossible for a USA player to use an e-wallet website to fund an online gambling account. While Americans can still use some of these sites for other methods – most notably, PayPal – there are few if any who will allow those from the USA to use their services in online casinos.
Some credit card companies are also off the table for Americans, as well. While never is a very strong word, we can at least say that it’s highly unlikely that an American Express card or a Discover card can be used successfully at online casinos by Americans. These companies have strong centralized control over their cards, and have policies that disallow the use of them for online gambling (at least in the USA).
However, many other methods are available to USA players. Visa and MasterCard credit and debit cards can sometimes be used successfully to make deposits. While MasterCard seems to have a low acceptance rate, many players find that Visa cards do work reasonably well (particularly when it comes to prepaid Visa gift cards).
In addition, there are several methods that allow you to wire money directly from your bank account to a casino company. Electronic checks (or eChecks) are popular in the United States, as they work just like regular checks but feature much faster turnaround times. Bank wires or transfers are also often a possibility, and casinos sometimes even set up local accounts in the United States to allow for faster and safer transfers that are more likely to be approved.
One increasingly popular method avoids using financial institutions entirely, and allows players to pay for their account balances in cash. Some casinos now allow players to deposit using cash transfer companies like Western Union and MoneyGram. Simply send the money from the local office of the company of your choice, and your money should arrive in your account in just a few days.
While the above methods are the most common, they should by no means be considered an exhaustive list. Online casino sites are constantly coming up with new and innovative ways of allowing Americans to play on their sites, working around any regulations that are in place. While it’s always possible that further crackdowns or laws will continue to restrict the number of ways that US players can fund their accounts, it’s likely that the casino companies will continue to stay one step ahead.