Online Poker Deposit Options
When choosing a poker room it is very important to consider many things before making the plunge and signing up. Does the room have the games you want to play? Is the bonus or rakeback offer substantial and easy to clear? And most importantly, do they have deposit options that suit your needs?
Quite simply, if the room does not have a deposit method that you can use, what is the point in signing up?
With the USA in limbo in regards to poker due to the UIGEA bill, depositing at an online poker room has undoubtedly gotten much more difficult for US players. Many sites do not offer much in terms of various deposit options and if they do, it is highly likely that 90% of those poker deposit options are not available to US players.
The effect of the UIGEA and restricted deposit options has made things quite difficult for all parties involved. If a player cannot find a room that offers an option that works for them, they just simply will not play. If players do not play, the online rooms miss earning revenue.
So the real question is what deposit options are available to players ?
Additionally, what options are available to players that live in the US ?
Here is our list of the most commonly used deposit options around the world as well as the information you need to know to make an educated decision on which deposit option may be best for you.
Best Poker Deposit Options
MasterCard/Visa: A large majority of online rooms allow their players to use their MasterCard or Visa debit or credit card, including US players. This is one of the best options that can be used because depositing literally takes about 3 minutes and only a few minutes after that (most times) for the funds to be available in the player’s account.
The only thing to keep in mind is that not all financial institutions allow their members to transfer funds to online casinos or poker rooms. It is best to check with your bank prior to attempting to make a deposit and it may be a good idea as well to have a back up deposit option.
NETeller: NETeller is one of the most popular deposit methods and is a good back up for players who cannot use their credit or debit card. Players will find this deposit option in most of the larger online casinos and poker rooms and will be happy with how easily their NETeller account can be funded using a bank transfer, credit card or debit card.
Sadly, this option is not available to US players.
Moneybookers: Moneybookers is a virtual wallet that is only available to non-US players. It is very easy to use as players can simply load it with their credit card, debit card or via wire transfer. Players can also make withdraws back to their Moneybookers account, make purchases or transfer money to those they know. International players will be happy to know that Moneybookers can be found in all the major online poker rooms including Absolute Poker, Full Tilt, Cake and PokerStars.
PaySafeCard: The PaySafeCard is an excellent deposit method simply because it is a pre-paid card. That alone makes it extremely safe and reliable to use. Aside from using this card to play poker, players can also use it the PaySafeCard at over 100,000 locations including stores, retailers, and other gambling sites worldwide. PaySafeCard has been on the rise simply due to its simplicity and added safety. This option adds extra security as it is a pre-paid card which will prevents players from having to input their personal information online. The PaySafeCard is accepted at sites such as Full Tilt, PokerStars, Titan Poker and Pacific Poker. This is a non-US deposit option.
eWalletXpress: eWalletXpress is an online virtual wallet that is starting to gain popularity, as its services are available to both non-US players and US. Players can fund their eWalletXpress account using their bank accounts or credit cards. The major rooms that accept this option are Cake, Aced and Carbon Poker.
UseMyWallet: UseMyWallet is an e-wallet that eliminates the need of inputting personal information online. Players simply fund their account using their bank account or credit card and then load their player’s account. A couple of the poker rooms that offer this method include Cake and Players Only Poker.
This method is available to players in Canada and in the US.
ECO Card: The Eco Card is available only to non-US residents and can be funded using a bank account or credit card. Since the Eco Card is a virtual wallet, players can be worry free knowing that they just need to fun their account and transfer the funds with no need to input any of their personal information.
Some of the more popular sites that offer this deposit method include Aced Poker, Cake and Titan Poker.
Click2Pay: Click2Pay is one of the most popular methods used outside of a debit card, credit card or NETeller. Their services are not offered to those in the US but are offered to over 25 other countries. ClickandBuy is a respected deposit method that can be funded using a player’s debit and credit card. Players will find Click2Pay in several online rooms including Full Tilt, PKR, Titan, PokerStars and Carbon Poker.
Entro Pay: Entro Pay is a deposit option that can be used by US players and can currently be found in online rooms such as Aced Poker, Carbon and Titan Poker. Players can fund their account through a credit card, debit card or electronic check. The Entro Pay card is a great alternative because it is a prepaid card and will allow players to keep more of their information private if they wish.
UKash: UKash is another prepaid card that is available to non-US players. This is accepted in rooms such as Titan, PKR, Absolute Poker and Pacific Poker. UKash cards are available in several locations through out Europe.
EntroPay: EntroPay is a prepaid card that can be loaded using your credit or debit card and can be used to load your players account at sites or to make purchases wherever you see a Visa symbol.
Wire Transfers: Players can make a wire transfer from their financial institute with the funds being available as soon as the bank releases the funds.
Visa/Maestro/Switch/Solo/Visa Electron: These are other versions of various UK based debit cards that players can use to make an almost instant deposit into their poker account. This is a preferred method next to using a Visa or MasterCard credit card because players should see funds into their account almost instantly.
Top Poker Deposit Methods
What players will find is that even though these are the most popular and commonly used deposit options, they are not readily available at all the major poker sites. That’s why it is very important to do research prior to signing up to a room to ensure that your preferred deposit options are available. Since poker is going nowhere any time soon, we can only hope that this will not be an issue much longer.
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