Current Payment Options For US Players At Online Casinos And Today's Gambling Climate In The USA.

Today online casino players in the USA are taking a huge gamble when they attempt to play online. The odds against online gamblers from the USA are mounting. NETeller shut USA players out, the US Department of Justice (DoJ) has confiscated players' funds, publicly listed online casinos have dropped US players, and the casinos and e-wallets that are left are all in a scramble.

Leading online gaming payment processor Neteller recently suffered a number of blows delivered by the US Government when its founders were arrested and accused of money laundering, and millions of dollars in assets were seized. One poker player, Isaac Haxton, is looking for $800k that he had deposited in his Neteller account after a 2nd place finish in the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure tournament.

What deposit method is working now, and where? What works one day doesn't work the next, and there're reports of the nefarious "lost in cyberspace" deposits where the money is removed from the players payment method but doesn't show up in the casino account. Internet Casinos and online sports books are setting up their own proprietary deposit/withdrawal systems, but even that is iffy as in the case of Intertops whose own PayTru card has pulled out and cannot be used by USA players. Some bank credit/debit cards are working at times, but may be refused the next time the player attempts to pay by them. Prepaid "gift" cards are working in at some online casinos (particularly at RTG ones), but that too is up in the air as they also can be refused at any time. Click2Pay is still working at the casinos who accept it, but only those US players who already had existing accounts in place have that privilege, as Neteller do not accept new registrants from the USA. Players can set up accounts at other online payment processors or e-wallets, like currently most recommended ECOcard, but that means giving out personal and financial information to yet another online entity and it will only work at certain casinos. Most Microgaming online casinos (including Fortune Lounge's, Belle Rock's and others) now accept ECO Card for deposits and withdrawals.

Suppose the player manages to get a deposit into the casino, and let's say she/he is lucky, gets some good spins or hands and wants to withdraw from the casino. If the casinos are having problems accepting players' money getting money back to the player is something of a nightmare. What's working right now? If the player is fortunate enough to have Click2Pay, or other web wallets, she/he can withdraw to that method - if that is what was used to deposit. Players are finding themselves in a tangle when they cannot withdraw from the online casino to the method they used to deposit. Some casinos does not allow you withdrawing even by check - the default method for withdrawals of your winnings above the depositing amount.

Even if you managed to withdraw to a e-wallet, how do you get your money into your hands? Wire transfer from Click2Pay seems to be functioning, but they will only process withdrawals if they are over $1,500 to your bank. Some players who use Click2Pay (and don't have $1500+ in their accounts) and other e-wallets have deposited large amounts to casinos, played a bit, then attempted an ACH or Bank Wire withdrawal which only sets off all sorts of money laundering alarm bells. Most casinos won't tolerate it even though the player is only attempting to get his hands on his own money. ACH is working from certain Internet casinos at times. Some ACH and even paper checks are being declined, whether by the casino's payment processor, or by the player's bank - leaving yet more funds in limbo while the casino and the player scramble to find yet another payout solution. Some Microgaming (MG) casinos have stated recently that they will accept USA deposits, but had no idea how they would pay the player should a withdrawal be requested. Now they strongly recommend ECOcard as the best deposit and withdrawal method for US players. You can fund the ECOcard account for free but have to pay $10 fee (plus your bank's fee) to transfer your money to your bank account.

Most knowledgeable players never had a problem getting their money from reputable online casinos before the crack down and the UIGEA. But now that the US DoJ has stepped in... The DoJ has gotten its paws on millions of dollars of USA players' monies. They have managed to bring about what they have said they set out to prevent. Players are getting hoodwinked right and left. More shady Internet casinos are trolling for US players everyday - these are the places that never liked to pay players even before the UIGEA crack down. The gullible, the innocent, the rookie player, are all fodder for these less reputable places. Trusted casinos are finding it difficult to impossible to pay their players. Good and reputable casinos that once boasted of 24 - 48 hour withdrawal processing are finding themselves scrambling to pay players at all, and it might take weeks to get the money into the players hands even if a payment processor is in place.

Gamblers who continue to play online in this unsettled climate must, absolutely must, stay abreast of what is happening in the online gaming community. Those who frequent the online gaming news portals and bulletin boards are the players who are more likely to play 'safely' and know what is working where and are less likely to deposit carelessly. The single most important piece of advice is that (once research has verified an online casino as reputable) the player email or phone the casino immediately prior to depositing to get some info of what deposit options are working, and, more importantly, to determine if the casino has a processor that can pay USA players and what method will be used to pay out their winnings. The situation is changing every day. As old payment processors like Neteller has been pulled out of the US market, Casinos are trying to develop new effective payment solutions fortheir US customers.

A few fortunate, diligent souls who have the time and fortitude to track down their deposits and withdrawals through persistent emails and follow up telephone calls, are making this new "system" work. I hope you will have the time and patience to handle your casino deposits and withdrawals, and this article will help you to be informed about current climate in online gambling. Check out current information about most popular and convenient casino payment options for players in the USA and Worldwide.


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