Best Way to Deposit into a Poker Site from US

The most common question friends looking to get into online poker ask me is “how do I put money on an online poker site?’” In the past, I was able to respond with options they’d find familiar such as with credit card or with PayPal. These days, I have to use a few more words to answer that question, as most US credit card companies have stopped processing gambling related transactions, and PayPal no longer services gambling transactions at sites licensed outside the European Union. The good news is that US poker is still very much alive, and in this article I’ll cover the best ways to deposit into poker from the US.

Depositing via eCheck

If you’re playing at one of the large online poker sites such as PokerStars, Full Tilt or UB, perhaps the best method of deposit is eCheck. An eCheck works just like a regular check, except all the data is entered online. While there is no need to concern yourself with how this works on the poker site’s side of things, but for those of you who are curious, the poker site receives the information you entered, prints a paper check which says “electronically authorized no signature required”, then sends it to their bank for deposit. These types of checks take a long time to clear, often as many as 20 business days. The good news is that as long as your account is in good standing, poker sites will credit your account instantly.

There are a couple downsides to eChecks. For starters, that 20 business day clearing time we mentioned. While your account is instantly credited, you might not be able to cash those funds out until your check clears. Each site has a different policy, and PokerStars seems to be the most fair, restricting only your deposit amount while the excess is available for immediate withdrawal. Other potential concerns are that not all sites accept eCheck, and the ones that do require personal details such as a full social security number, state issued ID, or both, to be entered when making a deposit.

Once again, the site with the most liberal eCheck rules is the world’s largest poker site PokerStars.com.

Depositing via Credit Card

As we mentioned in the intro to this article, many US credit card companies block transactions to US poker sites. The reason for this is twofold. For starters, under US laws gambling debts are not enforceable in court. There have been quite a few cases where gamblers have sued credit card companies and won. Therefore, it is no wonder most credit card companies block US transactions. The second reason is UIGEA which is a law that passed in 2006 that made it illegal for banks and financial institutions to aid in funding online sports betting accounts. Although for the most part this didn’t apply to poker, due to the already high risks gambling transactions posed and the hefty fines and penalties involved, most credit card companies abandoned all forms of gambling transactions period.

While we’re not sure how they do it, one site Sportsbook.com remains successful in processing most US based credit cards. Their poker rooms have decent volume and host some of the softest games online. Another site with soft games is Bookmaker.com, where you can deposit via a third party processor called iPoint. To do so, you’ll need a cell phone # and a Visa credit card.

Depositing via Western Union or MoneyGram

This method might seems like more hassle than it is worth, however there is a large benefit to using one of these cash transfer services to deposit. That benefit is, no holds on your funds. For example, when you deposit via credit card or eCheck you’ll generally need to wait for the deposit to clear in full (as many as 20 business days. When you deposit via Western Union or MoneyGram your funds are free and clear right from the start.

While not all sites advertise the acceptance of Western Union or MoneyGram, nearly all poker sites do accept this deposit method. How it works is simple. You request details from the poker site who to send to. You then head to your local supermarket or Wal-Mart with these details, enter them on a form and submit the form along with cash. You’ll then be given a money transfer number or a money control number which you provide to the poker site. Most sites will credit your account in under one hour and also give you a bonus the size of the transaction free, making this deposit method free of fees.

Our favorite site accepting this method of deposit is Bodog.com.

Deposit with eWallet

An eWallet can best be described as an online bank account. While it is not actually a bank account it acts very much like one. Here you can preload funds via a variety of banking methods, most commonly credit card and eCheck. These funds are then stored in your eWallet account and can be used to deposit at poker sites accepting that eWallet. Also, when it comes time to cash out you can request withdrawal to an eWallet, then use those funds at another US poker site or cash them out, usually via bank transfer or paper check.

The two most popular US friendly eWallets are:

eWalletXpress – This method is available at most US poker sites including Carbon Poker, PokerStars, Cake Poker, Absolute Poker and UB.com, making it a great way to move money between poker sites. eWalletXpress accounts can be topped up via credit card or eCheck. To learn more or to open an account, visit the company’s website at www.ewalletxpress.com.

UseMyWallet – This method allows US poker players to fund their account via 900Pay, eCheck and credit card. They can then deposit their funds to US poker sites accepting UseMyWallet deposits such as Sportsbook.com, Carbon Poker and Cake Poker. In order to get an account, you’ll need to be invited by the poker site you play at. If you don’t have an account and your online poker site is displaying the UseMyWallet logo, contact that site for details.

Deposit via Phone Bill

One other unique method for depositing to a poker site is charging the deposit to your phone. This is available via a company called 900Pay and is supported only by a small number of US poker sites, the largest being UB.com.

Other Deposit Methods

The banking options available at US poker sites are constantly changing. Also, many sites have their own banking methods exclusive to their site such as GoldPay at WSEX and MyPaylinQ at Bodog. These are simply third party processors that these sites use which makes it possible for players to deposit via eCheck or Credit Card. If there is a certain US poker site you’d like to play at but are not sure which method to use for deposit, it would be a good idea to contact that particular poker site for support.

Once you get started playing US poker online, we wish you the best of luck at the tables.