There are plenty of banking options that players have when they head to online gambling sites. Here are the most popular you will find.
Are you wondering how to deposit and fund an online gambling account in the United States?
Our guide covers all the ways to put money into an online gambling account, possible deposit problems you might encounter at gambling sites, and tips for resolving deposit issues quickly.
These online betting sites have the top deposit methods for US players to fund their account.
Below, you’ll find guides to banking and laws by region. As always, you should follow the laws in your local jurisdiction. As laws change frequently, be sure to consult a legal professional if you have any questions about the legality of online gambling in your area.
American players have to deal with strict gambling regulations, which means they can’t use e-wallets for gambling related transactions. This means that the most reliable method of making a deposit is to use a credit / prepaid card or a money order at a trusted US-facing gambling site. Cashing out is usually available only via check by courier or a bank wire transfer, and while both methods are extremely reliable, they also take quite a bit of time.
Canada isn’t as strict about gambling, which means that Canadian players have access to e-wallet sites. Credit and debit cards can be used as well, though these are limited to deposits only in most online gambling venues.
Australia is yet another lenient country when it comes to online gambling. I’d advise using e-wallets or credit/debit cards for deposits and e-wallets for cashing out. Other methods are obviously also available, but why would you pay for a Western Union or Moneygram® money order when you can have the same service for free? Finally, Australians can use the POLi service, which basically allows you to use your bank account for instant internet banking.
Much like in the case of Australia, players in New Zealand should use a credit card or an e-wallet service for making their deposits, and an e-wallet service for processing withdrawals. What’s more, and again just like Australians, New Zealanders can take advantage of the POLi service if they don’t want to use their credit card.
Most South African gambling sites prefer their customers to use Visa or MasterCard for making a deposit and traditional bank wire transfers for withdrawals, though some sites do allow South African residents to deposit and withdraw using e-wallets.
Indian players should usually stick to Skrill (Moneybookers) when depositing at India-accepted gambling sites, but credit cards and bank wire transfers should also be reliable with most India-facing sites. Just keep in mind that some Indian banks and credit cards don’t like their customers engaging in gambling-related transactions.
The United Kingdom is a very gambling-friendly country, so most options listed in a casino or poker rooms cashier should be available there. In fact, some venues go as far as to support micropayments via your phone bill, as long as you are a resident of the UK. Nevertheless, I’d recommend using an e-wallet or a credit card for making deposits, and e-wallets for withdrawals due to low costs and high speed.
Credit card transfers and deposits are often declined due to insufficient funds – basically, you won’t be able to exceed your credit limit or deposit more than you have in your bank account.
Nevertheless, if you’re sure that you have enough funds to make your payment, the first thing you should check is whether you’ve correctly entered your billing address and whether the address matches the one you used when signing up for your gambling site account.
Another solution would be to try a smaller deposit, as many banks restrict the amount of money you can send to online gambling sites. If that doesn’t work and you’ve tried using another card to no avail, you’ll have to contact your credit card company to solve this issue. Finally, make sure that your card has been cleared for online/international transactions.
Many gambling sites have restrictions in place on the maximum allowed deposit, which means that you won’t be able to pay more than a certain amount with a single transaction. Usually, this limit is set between $1,000 and $2,000, and unfortunately, there’s no way to circumvent it other than by making two or more payments.
If you’re a high roller and you’d like to deposit more, I’d advise looking for a site that doesn’t have any maximum deposit restrictions in place. Whether you’re from Europe, Asia or the United States, finding a reliable poker room, casino or a sportsbook that doesn’t force you to limit your payments shouldn’t be an issue.
However, if you’re planning to deposit big, make sure to check the withdrawal limits – larger bets usually mean bigger winnings, and there’s nothing more frustrating than having to wait five or six weeks before the entire cash out request has been processed by the site. Also, make sure to e-mail your casino or poker room of choice and ask if their maximum deposit limits can be raised; you’d be surprised how many of them will gladly comply.
While most deposit methods are instant, which means that funds will be credited to your account the moment you confirm the transaction, some options will require you to wait for the money to go through. For example, a deposit made with a credit card will be finalized after being approved by your credit card company, while a bank wire transfer may take up to five business days.
What’s more, some methods take longer to process on the casino’s side. This kind of information should be accessible on the casino’s or poker room’s website, but if you have any doubts, you should contact customer support. The best way to avoid all these problems is to use an e-wallet to make your deposit if possible, which is almost always instant.
Hopefully, after you gamble online for a while you’ll have some winnings to cash out. This part of our guide will teach you what you need to know about getting your winnings back to your bank account, where they belong.
Gambling-friendly countries like the United Kingdom make it very easy for players to withdraw their winnings, as e-wallet services like PayPal and Neteller are available to their residents. As a result, cashing out is safe, quick and generally painless – once your e-wallet account has been verified, you won’t be forced to wait for weeks before your money arrives.
Consequently, most sites won’t bother sending you a check by courier (though it is an option at some venues), however, if you want you can usually request a traditional bank wire transfer or even a Western Union or Moneygram® cash transfer if you used one of those services when making a deposit.
The United States is a special case, as the country has very strict gambling regulations which differ from state to state, but despite that has a massive gambling market. As a result, American gamblers have limited choice in terms of available withdrawal options, especially since e-wallet transactions aren’t available for them. As a result, the most common cash out method is to receive a check via courier, which usually takes up to ten business days to deliver.
Another popular option is a Western Union or Moneygram® cash transfer, but keep in mind that this becomes available only if you made a deposit using the same channel. Bank wire transfers are also available through many sites and some specific casinos and poker rooms might even allow you to withdraw using a debit card – in that case, the money usually takes about five business days to arrive.
A legitimate gambling site will provide you with a reason whenever your withdrawal gets denied, letting you know what you need to do to fix the issue. In such cases, most gambling sites will require you to verify your account by providing them with the following documents: proof of identity (driver’s license, picture ID), proof of address – usually 2 copies (utility bill, phone bill, credit card statement), copies of all the credit/debit cards that were used to deposit with the site as well as a completed and signed faxback form. If any of those documents are missing, chances are your cashout will be denied.
Your withdrawal request will most often be denied if the site’s staff detects a violation of the rules – most gambling sites are very strict when it comes to collusion and other forms of cheating, which may lead to some misunderstandings. Fortunately, and if there was no misconduct on your part, such situations can easily be resolved. The best course of action is to provide the site with a thorough explanation of the actions that raised their doubts.
Finally, if you made a mistake of depositing with one of the rare scam sites that are out there, taking legal action may be the only way of getting your money back. Nevertheless, keep in mind that such sites thrive on the fact that people aren’t aware of their malicious intents. In such a case, attracting the attention of a major gambling services review site might improve your chances of receiving a payment without taking the issue to the court.
Many online gambling sites have cash-out restrictions or limits, which might become annoying if you’re trying to withdraw massive amounts of money. Usually, the limit will be close to $2,000 per week – whenever your withdrawal request is higher than the restriction, you’ll be paid in $2,000 weekly installments.
Most online casinos don’t apply these restrictions to jackpot and progressive wins, though if you want to make a regular cashout there’s nothing you can do to speed up the process except for e-mailing the service provider and trying to come to an understanding, which is more likely to work with poker rooms than it is with online casinos.
Cashing out can take much longer than making a deposit, so always keep that in mind and don’t immediately assume that the site is trying to scam you. For first-time withdrawals, the account verification process usually takes up to five business days – add ten more days for the site to process your request once your account is verified and you’ve got a solid two weeks between making the decision to withdraw and actually receiving your money.
Nevertheless, if the site’s staff is trying to hedge or the transaction hasn’t been completed in more than a month, you can definitely assume that there’s something wrong. In such a case, you should definitely report the situation to a renowned gambling review website and give the issue some exposure in the casino, poker or sports betting community. Scammers usually prey on clueless victims, so letting people know about their schemes is usually enough to force them to pay.
If that doesn’t help, filing a lawsuit may be the only way to go. Generally speaking, the best way to avoid slow payments or downright fraud attempts is to play on renowned sites only, as their reputation is way too valuable for them to engage in such malicious practices.
Hopefully, after you gamble online for a while you’ll have some winnings to cash out. This part of our guide will teach you what you need to know about getting your winnings back to your bank account, where they belong.
Gambling-friendly countries like the United Kingdom make it very easy for players to withdraw their winnings, as e-wallet services like PayPal and Neteller are available to their residents. As a result, cashing out is safe, quick and generally painless – once your e-wallet account has been verified, you won’t be forced to wait for weeks before your money arrives.
Consequently, most sites won’t bother sending you a check by courier (though it is an option at some venues), however, if you want you can usually request a traditional bank wire transfer or even a Western Union or Moneygram® cash transfer if you used one of those services when making a deposit.
The United States is a special case, as the country has very strict gambling regulations which differ from state to state, but despite that has a massive gambling market. As a result, American gamblers have limited choice in terms of available withdrawal options, especially since e-wallet transactions aren’t available for them. As a result, the most common cash out method is to receive a check via courier, which usually takes up to ten business days to deliver.
Another popular option is a Western Union or Moneygram® cash transfer, but keep in mind that this becomes available only if you made a deposit using the same channel. Bank wire transfers are also available through many sites and some specific casinos and poker rooms might even allow you to withdraw using a debit card – in that case, the money usually takes about five business days to arrive.
