| Banking methods in the late 1990’s to around October 2006, was much easier to find a method to fund your gambling experiences online. Almost every major banking method offered by online gambling sites accepted USA members to use their services for a players gambling transaction. Such methods included the most popular, Credit Cards, as well as numerous E-Wallet Banking services. I say up to October 2006, because that is when online banking for USA Gamblers changed quite dramatically. During this time, the United States Government was scrambling around with laws to be passed, and one of the most important bills that was considered a “Must Pass” bill was introduced. This bill was mostly about USA Port Security and everyone was in agreement that it was to be passed as a crucial law to be enforced to protect the country against terrorists. Some politicians waited until late into the night, just before the bill was to be introduced and signed, then added those known-so-well earmarks which included a portion to ban online gambling activity. It was suggested that terrorists were transferring money through such gambling sites and was using that money to fund their terrorist activities. With all of this in place, the bill known as the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) was blindly signed into law on Friday October 13, 2006 by President George W. Bush. The bill in general terms came down on banking transaction companies that received or paid out monies tied to internet gambling sites, but never has been completely enforced, as there are many loop-holes in the bill that many institutions can get around for the time being. Advocates such as the Poker Players Alliance and even congressman Barney Frank, have been trying to battle this fight ever since.
With all of this said, many online E-Wallet providers and gambling sites simply just banned USA members from their use. Two of the most notable E-Wallet companies to ban USA members was Neteller and Moneybookers. With the ban of these two most popular E-Wallets, more seemed to open to accept USA members at the moment. Even though the most popular E-wallets no longer accepts USA members, there are still quite a few options left for USA players to use. Below, you will find well known, trustworthy options for USA players which are accepted by many online gambling sites world wide.
Credit/Debit Cards:
Credit/Debit Cards are still accepted at almost all gambling sites that accept USA players. The four major Credit/Debit Cards such as Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Diner’s Club are most accepted by all online gambling sites. Credit/Debit Card are the most simple because you use the Credit/Debit Card right from your wallet and fund your account without going through to much hassle. Also, some pre-paid debit cards such as Netspend and Wired Plastic, which issue re-loadable Visa or Mastercards, are also accepted by many online gambling sites. Most gambling sites require a player using a Credit/Debit Card to register their card within their casino system. These registration processes usually ask for the issuing card holders bank name, expiration date, along with card holder’s name and address. Also the security code on the back of the card is also asked for before any deposits will be accepted. While just about all gambling sites will accept deposits from players that provide the information above, almost all online gambling websites require players to fill out a “Faxback form” and also ask for copies to be made of a players credit card front and back, along with a players photo or government issued ID before any withdrawals will be processed. Sometimes, Credit/Debit Cards will be rejected while trying to make a deposit with certain gambling sites, and are not always accepted. If you wonder if using Credit/Debit cards are safe, many online gambling sites use very sophisticated algorithms and are encrypted will with the same type of encryption protection as many major financial institutions use, giving players maximum security.
E-Wallet Companies:
An Online E-wallet is like an online bank account that makes it easier to pay for things online. For Example, Paypal is one of the most widely known E-Wallets in the world, that is used to send and receive payments to and from merchants and fellow Paypal account holders. Though Paypal is not accepted at any gambling sites, there are many other E-Wallets that are used and accepted by almost all gambling websites. When opening an account with an E-Wallet institution, many E-Wallets require members to activate their accounts by linking their personal bank accounts to the E-Wallet. This is mainly a security concern, to prove that the new member opening an E-Wallet account is who they say they are. Also, when gambling online, to receive your winnings, you would want to have you bank account linked with your E-Wallet so that once you receive payment from the casino to your E-Wallet Account, you can then proceed to have your winnings withdrawn from your E-Wallet to your bank account. As mentioned above, Credit/Debit Cards are easier to deposit with online gambling sites, due that you do not have to spend time opening and verifying an E-Wallet account, but for winnings to be paid, Credit/Debit Cards can no longer be used to have winnings placed back onto cards. Therefore, an E-Wallet account, Bank Transfer, or even an issued check will be used to pay casino winnings. With this said, an E-Wallet account is a more reliable source
to accept casino winnings. This is because certain minimum amounts will be allowed for bank transfers, and checks issued for winnings can take up to 3-4 weeks. With casino winnings being paid to an E-Wallet account, as soon as a casino decides to process your winnings, the payment will show up almost instantly, usually within 24-72 hours. Here are the most used and popular E-Wallets accepted by gambling sites for USA players:
Quicktender/UseMyWallet:
Quicktender is one of the newest preferred E-Wallet methods in use of USA gamblers. QuickTender is a secure and trusted internet based payment system and provides the highest levels of internet security and privacy. Quicktender usually has new members to verify their accounts by registering a personal bank account, and then will make a withdrawal (usually under $1.00) from your bank account and then you must complete the verification by coming back to quick tender, and entering the amount that was withdrawn. This is pretty much for security purposes, and to verify that the person opening a Quicktender account is actually that person. At one time, you had to receive an invite from a casino to register membership with this E-Wallet. If this happens to still be the case, almost any gambling site that offers Quicktender/UseMyWallet can assist you in receiving an invitation.
Key Points:
As the name suggests QuickTender offers quick and effective payment services
QuickTender uses sophisticated fraud detection and ID verification systems backed up by a dedicated team of risk experts
QuickTender is a highly flexible and state of the art payment platform
QuickTender European based Customer Service Team is committed to ensuring your satisfaction in all areas of our service
Account Fee’s:
Registration Fee: FREE
Bank Wire Deposit Fee : FREE, although some banks may charge a Wiring Fee
Credit Card Deposit Fee : 5% of deposited funds into Quicktender account
Withdrawals to bank account: 30 USD Flat Fee
Payment to an online merchant FREE
Transaction Limits:
Transfers to merchant: 20,000 USD
Bank withdrawals: 1,000,000 USD (upon approval)
Credit card deposits: Min 50 USD / Max 500 USD(Per transfer)
Deposits from a bank account: No limit
E-Wallet Xpress:
E-Wallet Xpress is another online E-Wallet that accepts USA members and enables customers (E-Wallet Xpress members) to deposit, withdraw and transfer funds to online merchants. Customers can instantly transfer funds to/from any merchant website that supports E-Wallet Xpress as a payment option. Security is a top priority at E-Wallet Xpress to provide members with the most secure way of funding their E-Wallet account. Keeping their customers' personal information secure is their top priority, and in order to keep your information safe they utilize all available measures. E-Wallet Xpress’ Cutting edge technology and security protocols are equivalent to many major banking institutions.
As with pretty much any E-Wallet, to ensure the security of your E-Wallet Xpress account, they must validate the bank account information given during the registration process.
Key Points:
Registration is quick and easy !
No Credit Card required
Instant Funding Methods
Fund directly from your bank account
Real-time access to funds
Unlimited payouts
Detailed statements 24/7/Live Support
Transfers between you and merchants whether you are sending a payment/deposit to a merchant or you are receiving winnings/payment from a merchant, there are no fees for that. However, fees are involved when withdrawing from your E-Wallet Xpress account to your personal bank account. A fee of 10% up to $150 will be charged for this transaction. Personally, this fee seems to be quite high compared to such E-Wallets as Quicktender, which charges a flat rate of $30. There are many options to use to deposit funds into your E-Wallet Xpress account, however, the use of Credit/debit cards are not mentioned as a depositing funds method.
USA Options Used To Fund E-Wallet Xpress Accounts:
Checking(Registration)- $150 max deposit/per day and is no initial fee.
Basic Checking(Subsequent)- $750 USD Per Week - 5pm EST and a $10.00 USD fee.
Xpress Funds™ Checking(Not available during registration)- $750 USD Per Week - 5pm and a EST 8.8% ($2.50 minimum) fee. There is 3 different verification levels with the highest allowing up to $4500 to be deposited.
Money Order- $1000 USD Per Day and no fee.
Bank Wire- No Limit with a $15.00 (Bank Charge) fee.
900Pay™- $150 USD Per Calendar Month with a 15% fee.
All in all, it seems that E-Wallet Xpress isn’t as easy to fund an account, and also seems that deposit limits on the mentioned methods above are pretty limited. There also seems to be almost a fee on every method. A further look into their terms and conditions of membership with E-Wallet Xpress has some terms within that aren’t very appealing either. I would strongly suggest to read complete terms and conditions listed on their official website before creating an account.
900-Pay:
900-Pay is a branch of E-wallet Xpress and allows users to purchase content from the Internet and have the cost of the purchase billed to your phone bill. It is the industry's only fully automated and secure online telephone billing transaction system. The ease of use of this service will have you spending within minutes. To purchase online, you simply click on the 900Pay button located on your merchant's website.
There is no registration needed. All that is required is an Internet connection. After having clicked on the 900Pay button, follow the instructions and the cost of the purchase is billed to your phone bill. In addition, both the merchant and yourself are notified of the purchase.
There are no additional charges on E-Wallet Xpress' 900Pay service, however, your service provider may charge all applicable state or provincial taxes. Not a lot of information available on the website alone, but 900-Pay does offer a live chat operator and a FAQ list to assist you with any questions you may have. The website lists available USA price points as $ 25.00 USD, $ 35.00 USD, $ 50.00 USD ($50.00US Monthly Limit) . Some key points are no credit card needed, no credit check, and billing will be applied to your residential phone bill. (cell phones not applicable.) Casino accepting this method of payment is very limited, and may limit your playing ability trying to use this depositing method.
Western Union:
Western Union is accepted by many gambling sites to deposit funds into your account with the gambling site. If you have selected a gambling site that accepts Western Union as a deposit method, simply follow the directions provided with that gambling site. Pretty much how it works is that you would select Western Union for deposit, and the gambling site will provide you details of a person for you to send the funds to. You then take that information and go to any Western Union retailer, fill out the paperwork for the transfer of funds, and the retailer will give you a receipt of purchase or transfer along with a MTCN number. This number you will need to bring back to the cashier in the gambling site you are trying to deposit in and enter that number. Your funds will be credited to your account within 24 hours(usually a much shorter time period). This is basically how it works, but be sure to follow the directions on that gambling site you have chosen, as they may slightly differ. Also, keep in mind, that each deposit made via Western Union may have different details every transaction, so be sure to visit the gambling site each time you want to deposit via Western Union to make sure you have correct details per each deposit.
Western Union has over 270,000 locations worldwide and a nearest location to you can be found using the Western Union website Retailer locator. Fees for using Western Union differ depending on where the gambling site is located or where the funds are being sent. Western Union limits transfer transactions to $1,000 within a revolving 30-day period.
Moneygram:
Moneygram basically is used the same way as Western Union is used. Be sure to follow directions from the gambling site accepting moneygram as a deposit option, as some details may differ then the exact way Western Union is applied. Fees for transfers via Moneygram differ depending on where the casino is located, where the money will be sent. One big plus using Moneygram as a depositing method to a gambling site is that there is no credit card or banking account needed to deposit. Players can use cash if they would like, but keep in mind, above certain amounts, The Moneygram vendor may ask for a Valid ID along with a Social Security Card and birth date. These amounts are usually anything above $1,000 or more. Moneygram has over 100,000 worldwide and in the USA, you can find a Moneygram branch via Moneygram’s retailer locator on their website. The most known retailer of the Moneygram service is Wal-Mart. Like Western Union, you will also get a receipt with a reference number which you will have to provide the gambling site with to credit your account with the funds.
Personal Check, Money Order, And Bank Wire Transfer:
These options may not be the fastest way of getting funds deposited to your gambling site of choice, but they are still an option. As with personal checks and money orders, it can generally take up to a week before funds will be credited to your account when sent via snail mail. The only good thing I can say about these options is that there is no registration or credit card required when using these methods. But with the few reliable E-Wallet options, these methods for deposit seem to be out-dated and rarely used anymore. With that said, they are a safe option and still are accepted by many casinos.
Bank Wire transfer is a safe way to directly transfer funds directly from your bank account to the gambling site account that you are trying to fund. All you need is a valid bank account for this method, but keep in mind, there are some gambling sites that do not accept this method, even though they accept USA players. Also, sometimes when using Bank Wire Transfer, the funds could be credited with 20-30 minutes, or it could delay as long as up to a week for the funds to clear.
With all of the information provided above about USA accepted methods of payments, I believe Quicktender is one of the best. I personally use this E-Wallet and never had many problems with them. The only thing I didn’t like at 1st was the flat Fee of $30 to withdraw from your Quicktender Account to your bank account, but after researching other available options, this $30 flat fee didn’t seem so bad. Also, when you receive winnings from a casino to your Quicktender account(no fee for this), you can just leave the money there and fund your next deposit with your choice of gambling site. You can let your winnings accumulate into larger amounts before making a withdrawal. Whether your withdrawal is $100 or $10,000, your fee will still be only a flat $30. Many online gamblers have certain likes and dislikes when it comes depositing/withdrawing with gambling sites. You have all the information above to decide what option will suit you best in the long run. Hopefully, all of this information was helpful, and good luck with your next gambling adventure!
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