A Guide To Online Casino Banking
To be able to play at an online casino, you need to be able to fund your casino account somehow. Thankfully, in this day and age of instant payments, eWallets and vouchers, depositing (for UK players at least) couldn't be easier. Here are your options:
Debit & Credit Cards
Debit Cards are an incredibly easy way of depositing at an online casino. Simply sign up, add your card details, deposit chips and you're good to go. Transactions are instant, meaning you can start playing right away, and usually free. Withdrawals to debit cards are equally simple and very convenient, especially if you have had a bit of a lucky run - some casinos can process withdrawals as large as £99,000 per transaction.
Credit Cards are also very easy to use, however they do come with a caveat - some credit card companies treat deposits at gambling sites as a cash advance and start charging interest immediately (or tack on a cash advance fee). You can also only use your credit card to withdraw an amount up to the sum of your total deposits, meaning you then have to find another way of getting the rest of the cash out if you're 'up'. Obviously for these reasons, credit cards aren't an ideal payment method.
eWallets
There's a strong chance you're already familiar with an eWallet without even realising it - PayPal. Generally speaking, eWallets act as an intermediary between your bank account and the casino. In most cases, funds must first be loaded from your bank account to the wallet, and then deposited from the wallet to the casino. Such transactions are usually instant and free of charge, in fact some casinos even give extra bonuses to players using ewallets as it eliminates the risk of charge backs.
eWallets can also be used to withdraw funds and the transaction is also instant (once it has been approved by the casino). Many players use eWallets to maintain a casino or poker bankroll - sensibly separating their gaming funds from day to day funds and ensuring that there's no risk of accidentally spending the money for your gas bill on the poker tables.
Popular eWallets include Neteller, Skrill (the new name for Moneybookers) and PayPal.
Cash Vouchers
Those who want to use cash to deposit at an online gambling site can do so by purchasing a special kind of voucher. There are a couple of different types such as UKash and Paysafecard, but they all work in pretty much the same way. Vouchers can be purchased using cash at a variety of high street shops, supermarkets and garages (anywhere that displays the paypoint, payzone or epay logos) which contain a unique code. You then enter this code at the casino to make your deposit which should be available to play with instantly.
Cash (via a Betting Shop)
Some high street bookmakers, such as Ladbrokes, even let you bank at their betting shops. The shops can be used for both deposits and withdrawals, meaning you can get access to your cash right away - perfect for a trip down the pub to celebrate with your winnings.