Of all the things to learn about gambling online, reading about different payment methods before you choose a casino is probably the most boring. I will do my best to entertain you while dropping some knowledge bombs on this page, I swear.
Bottom line is that it’s really important to read up on these things before you make your first deposit because no matter which one you choose in the end, it’s the one you’re gonna be “stuck” with. And there’s a massive mistake you can make and I will get to that one later.
To find out, you’re gonna have to do a bit of reading, but I promise it’ll be worth it. You might even thank me later because this is a mistake not only made by noobs, veterans have fallen for this too.
I could answer this question in more ways than one, but I will offer the most pertinent. Online payment methods, casino or not, are what connects the Internet with the real world. If there was no way to transfer money online there would be no packages from Amazon, movies on Netflix, or ways to win real money in online casinos.
Debit cards and credit cards are the most common ways to move money around on the web. But over the years we’ve been presented with more options in the shape of e-Wallets, while traditional bank transfers are still available.
Only you will know the answer to that one. For me, the best online payment method is the one that works best for where I’m playing. This is why I have more than one e-Wallets, but that’s me. What I like about e-Wallets like Skrill, Neteller, MiFinity, and Trustly. It all comes down to flexibility, reliability and speed.
Another great advantage with Trustly, for example, is that your ID is pre-verified – if that’s a thing. So-called Pay n’ Play casinos used this as a marketing gimmick and it totally worked. Remember Ninja Casino? They were all about Pay n’ Play in Sweden and were crushing it, and then they lost their license… Too bad.
You can pretty much narrow this down to three categories. I have listed them below and further down I will go more into detail on each of them:
Online casinos are doing their best to make sure that their players have plenty of options when it comes to depositing and withdrawing money. Ever since e-Wallets became a thing, they have pretty much taken over and most players these days have one or more.
Most casinos will have logos of their most renowned payment methods in the footer at the bottom of their start page. In a way, you can think of these as seals of approvement since these companies wouldn’t want to be associated with anything dodgy.
Hands down, e-Wallets are one of the most popular payment methods for Europeans gambling in online casinos. They are easy to use and have a lot of added benefits. Since I’m a huge fan of these and use several different ones myself, I will have to admit that I have a strong bias.
Still, we live in the world of Google where you can verify pretty much everything people say online within a few minutes. I dare you to tell me I’m wrong when I say that e-Wallets:
Now you know a little more than you did before about e-Wallets, so let’s go through some of the bigger brands out there and what they can do for you.
This company used to be called InstantBank before they rebranded in 2008 to put the trust in its name, and they have gone from success to success ever since. You’ve probably heard about Trustly before in the same breath as Pay n’ Play casinos. That’s because these guys pretty much invented the concept.
With Trustly, and Pay n’ Play, all you have to do is use your Bank ID to access the casino and follow a few easy steps to make your deposit and off you go.
All their transactions are protected by a 2048-bit RSA encryption and since the company was founded, they have processed more than €1 billion. Trustly will connect directly with your bank account which means that deposits and withdrawals are more or less instant.
Skrill started out as Moneybookers shortly after the turn of the millennia. With a little more than two decades of operations, Skrill is now available in more than 200 countries and is available in some 40 different currencies.
Since they have to comply with US, UK, and EU financial regulations, you can bet they have strict standards when it comes to identity verifications. Still, this is to be expected though.
Relying on a 128-bit SSL encryption, you can rest assured that all your transactions are safe and that your personal information is protected at all times.
Back in 1999, Neteller pretty much set the gold standard for future e-Wallets and they are still one of the most recognisable brands out there when it comes to online gambling money transactions. Just link your Neteller account to your bank account or credit/debit card and you’re good to go.
Of all the e-Wallets out there, this is probably the one with most focus on online gambling, but that’s not to say that all their revenue comes from there. You can also make online purchases but you’ll soon find that there aren’t that many options outside of buying computer games.
Neteller is also very secure and boasts a 128-bit SSL encryption to keep all your data safe from any online threats.
Cryptocurrencies are on the rise in online gambling so it would only be natural that there would be an e-Wallet that supports this. BitGo supports over 100 coins and tokens and process around 20% of all Bitcoin transactions in the world and somewhere in the vicinity of $15 billion per month across all popular cryptocurrencies.
If you’re a crypto-gambler, and not just a trader, then this e-Wallet is a must have. I tried to find what kind of encryption they use but kept stumbling on phrases like “multi-signature” and “blockchain technology” a lot.
I know enough about them to say that if anyone wanted to hack into this e-Wallet they would have to spend the better part of several lifetimes to do it. The only drawback about GitGo is that it’s pretty expensive the use.
PayPal can still be used in a lot of online casinos, unless you’re in Germany. Then you can pretty much forget about this company. The government there made it very clear that they want to market regulated and one way of doing it was to go after payment methods and for some reason PayPal came in the crosshair.
Competition has taken its toll on PayPal as a payment method when it comes to online casinos, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not a great means for moving money from the virtual world to the real one. There are still areas outside of gambling where PayPal is great.
I’m not sure about their encryption. Their site says it’s state of the art but I’m not so sure after I read about the security breach they had in 2020. I’ll admit, that’s a bit of a concern.
EcoPayz is a trusted e-Wallet that’s been around for a long time. The wallet allows you to send and receive money in many different currencies, fast. Like, lightning fast. They have teamed up with Mastercard so you’ll have access to your cash in the real world from virtually any ATM in the world.
Up until December 2020, Skrill and Neteller were the most popular payment methods in Norway but they both decided to withdraw from iGaming services in that country that month. This means that we could see a surge of players switching to ecoPays there.
Only future will tell, but I for one believe ecoPays could dominate the e-Wallet market in Norway among online gamblers. How could they not with Skrill and Neteller out of the picture?
Here’s a multi-award-winning e-Wallet where you can actually participate in giveaway draws where you can win cash. In 2021, MuchBetter launched a promotion called the MegaDraw where account holders can win €12,500 at the end of each quarter.
E-Wallets certainly don’t lack in creativity or innovations. You know the 3-digit CVV code on the back of your bank card? The one you always have to include when you use your bank card as payment method online. Well, MuchBetter was the first e-Wallet company to create the world’s first dynamic CVV code, which means that it changes every time you use it.
This level of security is incredible and makes it impossible for anyone to use your card online if it’s stolen. That’s a huge comfort since you don’t always notice immediately that a card is missing.
My first impression of MiFinity was that it looked like a solid e-Wallet, but once I sifted through their terms a bit more closely, I found a few things that I don’t find very impressive. For example, if you don’t undergo a stringent verification process you can only transfer €10,000 per 365 days.
As long as your account remains unverified, you can only transact €2,000 over a 365-day period. Once you hit €2,000 you will have to verify your account.
I use MiFinity (among others) but my account has been verified so I’m obviously not bothered by these limitations. I just like to have diverse options depending on where I play.
Established in 1998, it feels like these guys have been around for a very long time, but they aren’t massively popular among online gamblers. I haven’t come across many casinos that offer WebMoney, but then again, there are so many casinos online these days that I can’t keep track of all of them. That would be asking a little too much, don’t you think?
Anyway, WebMoney is based on industry standard technology, according to their website, which leads me to believe that they use a 128-bit encryption to secure money transactions.
They have a fairly complicated system when it comes to figuring out what kind of fees are involved but they based on currency and region and the agent’s site as well. It gets a lot easier if you’re using EUR and most transactions are immediate.
You can top up your Neosurf account with vouchers, bank cards, or bank transfers, which is pretty good. This is a pretty small e-Wallet in terms of users. They actually advertise that they help “over 350,000 customers pay and play online on thousands of websites.”
Most of their transactions are free. It’s only when you deposit with a Neosurf voucher that you’re slapped with a 4.5% fee. And when you withdraw there’s a 2% fee for Neocash Cards and a 1.5% fee for bank transfers. Yeah, that sounds about right.
Neosurf is available on a lot of online casinos and if you don’t have an e-Wallet, this is a pretty safe bet. Also, e-Wallets that offer physical bank cards are generally better since you can get to your money in the real world too.
Jeton has only been around since 2017 but have more than 500,000 users and thousands of merchants in more than 100 countries. For now they support over 50 currencies and their website is available in seven languages, but they say that more will be added.
I like that they have 24/7 support which isn’t always a given since some companies don’t have support during weekends, which we all know can be seriously frustrating. Especially if it happens to be Valentine’s Day and your withdraw has gotten stuck…
I haven’t seen a lot of online casinos that offer Jeton, which is a shame. They seem like a really legit company with focus on their customers. And it looks really good that they are authorized by the UK Financial Conduct Authority. It certainly boosts my confidence in these guys.
It’s only natural that Interac would be on this list. Us Europeans may not know that much about e-Wallet because this one is more for the Canadians. If you combine curiosity with a pandemic lockdown, you’re bound to see some interesting figures.
Here’s Interac in numbers for 2020: CA$5.6 billion in debit transactions, CA$763.7 million in e-transfer transactions, and 24.2 million users on average every month. I don’t want to sound like an a-hole, but I can imagine that the top executives in the company are thanking the heavens for this ongoing pandemic and pray for it to continue.
Here’s a statement from their site to its users: “At Interac, we know millions of Canadians rely on us every day. In the face of the unprecedented COVID-19 crisis, we want to reassure you that we are working tirelessly to ensure you can continue to access and move your money as safely and securely as ever.” And my wife calls me a cynic…
I have seen this e-Wallet in a few online casinos and thought I had to mention them because I’m pretty sure they are new to people using their services on this type of sites. Zimpler says on their start page that “you will never have to worry about AML or KYC again.”
That’s a pretty bold statements since virtually all licensed gambling sites have to follow certain procedures to make sure that you’re not laundering money and that you can afford to play in the casino. I wouldn’t take Zimpler’s word for it.
Still, this e-Wallet is mainly for the Swedish market so you shouldn’t expect to find it in casinos where Swedes aren’t welcome. Wait a minute. Swedes are everywhere in iGaming.
Unfortunately, there’s a massive drawback if you’ve decided to use an e-Wallet as payment method when you’re gambling online. Every time you see a banner with a Welcome Bonus and look in the fine print under the offer you will invariably see that Skrill and Neteller are excluded.
There are good reasons for this. The main reason is that players would abuse these bonuses in very clever ways which included loyalty points given by the e-Wallets. This allowed players to deposit, get points, wager, withdraw, get cashback from their e-Wallet, re-deposit and basically get free money to play with.
Or something like this. I had it explained to me and I think I somehow managed to convey the gist of it. Okay, so on to another reason: high transaction fees. You should check in the terms and conditions when it comes to deposits and withdrawals regarding which party (you or the casino) bears the brunt of these fees.
This is where it can get a bit frustrating, especially when it comes to deposits. Like I already mentioned, Skrill and Neteller are almost never allowed to use as payment method when you make your first deposit to claim a Welcome Bonus, but that’s not to say that other types of e-Wallets are banned from this.
But you REALLY need to pay attention here. In some casinos it will say that the minimum deposit for claiming a Welcome Bonus is €20, but your e-Wallet may allow you to deposit just €10. This means that your first deposit could be too small to claim the bonus, and since it can only be claimed with the very first deposit, you’re screwed.
You also need to check closely when it comes to what the casino allows and what your e-Wallet allows because they can be two widely different things.
This is the massive mistake I was talking about at the top of this page. But don’t leave just yet. There’s still more interesting things to come. Did you know that… no. Keep on reading. I’ll get to it.
It normally doesn’t cost a thing to register an account with an e-Wallet. The costs you incur come from the types of transactions you make. Some companies offer flat fees while others will charge a percentage of the amount transferred.
Moving money around is BIG business and these companies know this. Online casinos know it too. Online casinos buy transactions in bulk usually to get a better price. Otherwise the fees would be very expensive and eat into their profit margins by substantial amounts.
Bank cards are the easiest, but not the fastest. Unless you can’t afford to wait 1-3 business days after your withdrawal has been approved, this payment method is not for you. I hope you could sense my wry wit in that previous sentence.
Most people in the world today use bank cards to pay online and to withdraw money from ATMs in the real world. There’s no doubt about it. Americans carry an average of four credit cards while the average number of credit cards per person in the UK is two. Frightening, isn’t it?
Until the global banking elite manage to herd us like cattle to get microchipped, bank cards will remain the number one payment method on the planet. And for good reasons:
But beware, Mastercard is basically only used for deposits. They’re hardly ever used for withdrawals. This is mainly due to the country you’re in and the bank that issued your card. Make sure you check with your bank AND the online casino before you apply for a card.
You’ll never have this problem with a VISA card. VISA cards can be used everywhere for deposits and withdrawals. I have never come across a casino with any issues pertaining to this bank card unless it’s a credit card.
The best type of bank card to use no matter the issuer is a debit card. Some jurisdictions have banned credit cards in favour of responsible gaming.
Forget about using this method to deposit. It could take anywhere from 3-7 banking days for the bank transfer to get through to the online casino. Imagine how insane it would be if you claimed a Welcome Bonus with a direct bank transfer.
You might only have seven days to meet the wagering requirements and by the time your money is added to the account, the bonus will expire. No Bueno!
Direct transfers are exclusively for withdrawals. Sure, they take a lot longer than other payment methods but it will get there.
If you plan on using this method, then you have to make sure that you have all your bank details at the ready. You will need to provide the following information:
Lastly you just enter the amount you wish to withdraw and click the button to confirm. Like I said, this is super easy to use but it can take a lot of time. The transfer time only starts after the online casino has processed and approved your withdrawal. Take that also into account.
More and more casinos and sportsbooks allow players to deposit, play, and withdraw cryptocurrencies. Let’s face it, it was just a matter of time. Bitcoin is no longer the only cryptocurrency out there.
Other currencies like Etherum, Bitcoin Cash, Dogecoin, Dash, and Litecoin are all gaining traction. It all depends on which e-Wallet you use, because you’re going to need one. I mentioned BitGo earlier because it’s by far the most common one that people use and therefore the most common one that online casinos will support.
By now you can imagine the sheer number of transactions taking place in online casinos every day. Believe me, it’s a very, very large number. Obviously, gambling sites must have state of the art security systems in place to guarantee that all money transactions are safe and secure.
Here’s how they do it:
I think it safe to say that online casinos are very secure and most of them are way ahead of the curve. It’s not just up to the casinos themselves when it comes to these matters. Every now and then a new threat is detected and licensing authorities are quick to demand that safety measures are implemented. This is a good thing.
As you can see, there are plenty of ways to deposit and withdraw money from online casinos. Payment methods available to you will vary depending on your jurisdiction and language, specifically when it comes to e-Wallets.
There’s a chance that you never heard of some of the ones I mentioned earlier, but that’s because you probably have different ones available to you. E-Wallets still work in the same way for most parts regardless of the company.
Online casinos offer their games in many different languages and it’s only natural that they would localize payment methods too.
There you have it. I’m sure there’s a lot more to say on this fascinating topic (sarcasm) and if I can think of anything else that should be added to this page, I will just to make sure you’re up to date.
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