Casino Deposit/Withdrawal Method Overview

Think ahead if using your credit or debit card. The casino may allow you to deposit yet not withdraw on the same card, a particular problem if you’ve used credit to deposit and want to pay back your balance with winnings, as doing so will mean you have to transfer the money across via a separate means. It can be much easier to keep track if you choose the same method for both, rather than dealing with multiple payment types. Card withdrawals can be slow, too, when compared with lightning fast e-methods and as with any use of online data, there’s a slightly higher security when inputting card details online (although industry standard SSL encryption makes it pretty safe). Individual card providers will pose their own restrictions too, some of which may be based on your geographical location, adding on fees for payments made abroad. But, there are some upsides: if you have a loyalty or points scheme attached to your credit card, it can be well worth using it to pay for absolutely everything, including your bets.

In terms of plastic, it’s not all debit and credit either. You could also consider Paysafecard, designed to provide the safety of anonymity. Because it’s a pre-paid set amount, there’s less risk you’ll overspend. The downside of this being that the effort of topping up the card, while small, might prove irritating.

Neteller and Skrill are arguably the best known and most prolific casino e-wallets, thanks to them being extremely fast and super safe (at no point during any transaction are your personal details disclosed). It’s no wonder they are used by gamblers everywhere, making moving your cash from place to place an easy process. PayPal is a strong contender too, though is still gaining ground in the world of live online casinos, so you there are considerable limitations on where you can use it.

As e-methods aren’t land based, the exchange of international currency isn’t an issue, which is ideal if you’re playing at a live casino which doesn’t operate from your country of residence. A major downside of this method is that e-wallet deposits often make you ineligible for bonuses and often you won’t be able to use them for your first deposit anyway, so perhaps not the best opener when seeking a new live online casino. Otherwise, these e-wallets are superb, proving a fast, straightforward and secure way to manage your bankroll.

Undoubtedly the old school method of all the options on the market currently, this is a snail mail way of managing your money, taking up to a week to get to you if you request it over a weekend. The future of the high street bank is in question (albeit most of our bank based dealings have gone online). Nevertheless, many people prefer to deal straight from one account, without involving any subsidiaries or intermediaries. Below are some of the most popular ways to make a casino deposit directly from your bank account – some of these are instant!

While this maintains simplicity in terms of your personal accounting process, there are some major drawbacks. Withdrawals are generally slower, often taking three to five working days (not including the casino processing time) and sometimes incurring extra processing fees which will vary from bank to bank – so you’ll need to check your own for details.

Bitcoin is rarely out of the news these days as the most famous form of cryptocurrency. Some say it’s dying out, many say it’s the future, but it can seem like a mysterious, foreign entity to all but the well-informed. If you enjoy a level of anonymity in your daily dealings, cryptocurrencies like bitcoin, litecoin, ethereum, zcash, dash, ripple and monero are a superb way to keep your regular finances as a separate entity. When it comes to joint accounts and credit cards, you may want to keep your live casino dealings private and using cryptocurrency does that to a greater degree than any other payment method. It’s also the most secure: provided you know what you’re doing and are storing it safely, it’s about as safe as you can get provided you don’t disclose your private keys. In the unlikely event that a casino is hacked, your credit, debit or bank details are not stored and so you won’t be at risk. Withdrawals and deposits take minutes – not hours – except in rare cases, which is a major pro if you want your winnings quickly or have to wait for a deposit to clear before you can make your next spin. Fees for transactions, the majority of the time, are considerably kinder than many other methods

However, cryptocurrency is subject to fluctuations in value. If you’re not a regular gambler, a lot of time might pass between a deposit and withdrawal, in which time the worth of your coin could have dropped, meaning that technically you’ve lost money. It’s a kind of double gamble with a high level of volatility and, therefore, won’t be to everyone’s taste. On the flip side, you might get lucky (bitcoin rose in value by 1850% from 2015 to 2018, but is constantly changing) and hit a win at the same time as an increase in your currency’s market value – in which case you’re quids in. If you like to play it safe, don’t do a great deal of betting, don’t know anything about cryptocurrency and don’t want to, then this method definitely isn’t for you. A good tip with crypto is that if the numbers aren’t looking good, you should wait till the market picks up. It’s hard to predict how things will go and if it will pick up at all. You could stand to lose a lot, or gain way more, which for the real gamblers is an enticing and exciting prospect carrying double the thrill.

Using prepaid cards and vouchers is recommended to those that play rarely and for small amounts. These vouchers are usually sold as a one off deposit code and can be used for anywhere between €/£10 and €/£200 per voucher.