Online Poker Deposit Options

The UIGEA act of 2006 made life difficult in terms of online poker deposit options, with first the banks and then Neteller blocking poker site transactions. Fortunately there are now a wide number of online poker deposit options available – while some of them involve a little effort to set-up, once they are in place you can deposit and withdraw from online poker sites as easily as ever.

While the number of online poker deposit options is large, they can be broken down into 3 main categories. These are ‘electronic wallets’, pre-paid cards and direct cash transfers. This article will outline how each of these deposit methods work and the popular brands involved in each one.

Online Poker Deposit Options – Electronic Wallets

This deposit option for online poker involves using an intermediary between your bank account and the poker site. You set up an account with one of the many e-wallet processors and then transfer money into that account. This takes a few days to complete, however once cash is in the e-wallet account the transfer to and from online poker sites is pretty much instantaneous.

There are many e-wallet services available. US Players can use eWalletExpress and ePassporte (often used through 3rd party processor ‘FPS’), worldwide players are still able to use the Neteller service.

Electronic wallets are the best choice of online poker deposit options for those players who expect to be making several deposits and withdrawals – or moving their poker bankroll between sites to take advantage of the latest poker bonus offers.

Online Poker Deposit Options – Pre-Paid Cards

Using the pre-paid card online poker deposit option can be divided into two card types. The first is pre-paid visa cards, which are widely available at gas stations and convenience stores countrywide. These are available in denominations of $50 to $100 and carry a small fee at the point of purchase. There are many brands of pre-paid visa card available – some of these will require an additional online verification step before use and others are available to use immediately (details of this are available at the point of purchase). Once you have your card then depositing on to an online poker site is simply a matter of typing your card details into the cashier window.

Pre-paid phone cards are also available for use at some poker sites. One example being the ‘Fonelinx’ card. Here you apply for your card online and transfer money to this from your bank account. Once again the poker site deposit is simple.

Pre-paid cards are an easy online poker deposit method and ideal for those wishing to transfer smaller sums.

Online Poker Deposit Options – Cash Transfers

The leading poker sites have implemented a process for players wishing to transfer larger sums through the leading cash transfer organizations such as Western Union and MoneyGram. Players wishing to make their online poker deposit using these methods will need to e-mail the poker site before making any transfer. The sites then mail back with specific account details for you to transfer the money to – usually in the form of an individuals name in a foreign country! You then go to your nearest branch of the cash transfer company and complete the transaction (the company will charge a small fee).

This is the preferred online poker deposit method for players wishing to deposit larger sums ($500+) and makes a great alternative to electronic wallets for one-off payments.