Recent Deposit Methods for USA Online Casino and Poker Players
There is a resounding question coming from online poker, casino, bingo and sports betting enthusiasts hailing from the United States. Are there any viable deposit methods left for US online casino and poker players?
The evacuation of online casino and online poker payment processors from the US market started four years ago when NETeller shut its virtual doors to American online gamblers on January 19, 2007. This was a direct result of the government’s frivolous passing of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA), and the Department of Justice’s attempt to snag millions of dollars from the company without any real regulatory merit.
Such activities have continued from the DoJ, tossing threats at online payment processors in an effort to scare them away from accepting US player deposits. Moneybookers, FirePay, Click2Pay, Citadel and other once reliable means of deposit and withdrawal were quick to follow suit, and the number of eligible payment processors dwindled.
A new deposit option arose, called ePassPorte. It seemed great for a little while, but quickly sunk into the muck when the menacing DoJ reared its ugly head once more. Next came eWalletXpress. It was the perfect solution for US online gamblers, and lasted a good long while at that. It seemed with eWalletXpress around, US players would not have to worry any longer.
Then in late 2010, it finally happened. The payment processor started denying deposits and withdrawals to its US members, stating there were “technical difficulties” on the website; nothing to worry about, just give us a little time to fix it. They finally told the truth, sending out a message to all US members to inform them that their deposit could no longer be accepted.
The DoJ had gotten to eWalletXpress, and they were being forced to pull out of the US market, just like all of the US-facing payment processors before them. Users were told that they would still have full access to withdrawal any funds remaining in their account, but that would be the end of it.
So where does this leave US online gamblers looking for alternative payment methods? All hope is not lost – at least not yet. There are a few alternative payment methods for US online gamblers.
eChecks Casinos & Bonuses – These are the number one option for US players, and most US-facing casino and poker sites do accept them.
Click2Pay Casinos & Bonuses – Once the most favored option for Americans, Click2Pay only serves US players with a pre-existing account (no new members).
PIC-Club Casinos & Bonuses – One of my personal favorites, this US deposit method is run by poker players as an investment business. Whatever you deposit gets invested by the company. The company in turns transfers money to your poker account, thus you are not technically depositing to an online gambling account. It’s very clever, look into it.
UseMyWallet Casinos & Bonuses – This is basically a virtual wallet where you transfer funds to/from your bank via the payment processor. No known problems.
Wire Transfer Casinos & Bonuses – Many online gambling sites will take a direct wire transfer from your bank. It’s slow but secure and reliable.
Cash Transfer Casinos & Bonuses – You can still transfer cash directly through agents like FedEx, Western Union and MoneyGram. Look for the Cash Transfer logo, or any of the agents listed above.