What are the different payment options for gambling?
The images on this page have no connection to making a payment at an online casino. In my opinion, payments is already a dreadful subject. So instead, I will use the images to tell you some curiosa about Live Casino 🙂
First of all, welcome to my guide to casino & betting payment options! Since you are here, you must be determined to get going with online gambling.
Therefore I have ranked the best online casino deposit methods. All of the options are explained further which I strongly recommend you to read:
- Mobile payments – Fast, easy & safe. However, not too many casinos have this option. Yet the best.
- Bank transfer – The second to the best option as long as you choose an IMPS casino with instant and free deposits.
- e-Wallets – Very popular in Europe, here it’s a bit different. But there is light at the end of the tunnel if you read my guide.
- Credit & debit cards – This is what I call the “hit & miss” payment method.
I strongly advise you to sign up on the casinos listed on G2G. It has taken me several years to conclude this information.
And I kid you not, it’s a dreadful job to keep this list updated.
What can also be good to know that the legality of online casino and online sports betting is in a “grey zone”.
Nobody in India has ever been punished by law for doing online gambling. But maybe you shouldn’t walk around town with a T-shirt saying you do it. Just my 5 cents.
News
Info on how to pay with your mobile phone
Did you know it is possible to chat with the dealers? They have a fixed schedule so you know when to go back to your favourite dealer.
This is a payment method which I use the most and is both fast, easy and secure.
Everyone in India is aware of Paytm and Google Pay. Paying for Zomato, owe your friend some money or paying the delivery guy when he shows up at your door.
In the same way, as you pay for your Biriyani, you can also pay for your gaming needs. All you need to do is just sign up at any of the casinos & bookmakers listed below.
So how do you go about?
Well, if you want to play online casino and pay by mobile phone you have to first make sure to activate your UPI account with your bank. Which I assume the average reader at G2G already have, since 50% of the transactions in India in 2019 was over UPI.
And as of writing (April 2020) more than 145 banks are connected to UPI. If you don’t know how to activate UPI with your bank, check this Youtube link.
The next step is to sign up to any of the online casinos below. Once you got that covered you should read any of my guides:
What can be good to know is that online casinos using mobile credits are fully adapted to the Indian audience. The focus segment is India.
Just look at the design at Pure Casino and Showlion. Both highly desi and with all the local Indian casino games such as Teen Patti and Andar Bahar.
Gambling sites that accept mobile payments
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- Many casino games incl. Teen Patti & Andar Bahar
- Bet on real cricket games
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Info on making bank transfer deposits
Live casino games are streamed in 1080p Full HD and lossless sound quality. The quality is automatically adapted to your internet speed to give you the best experience.
Betting and playing casino with bank wire transfer is something which has recently gained ground in India.
Up until today, you could do bank transactions to gambling sites, but that usually took 1-5 days and was a pain in the ass.
The last year or so many Indian and international casinos have enabled IMPS bank transfers, which means you can start gamble right away, as well as withdraw your winnings instantly.
Using IMPS means that you must know the account no and the ISFC code to the betting site. This is something you must ask the customer support since the casinos usually use different bank accounts.
Once your transfer is done you are good to go.
Some of the advantages of using this deposit option are that you do not need to do any currency conversion. Sometimes you can lose up to 15%. They are also fast and free of fees.
Best online casino & betting site for bank transfer
Info on e-Wallets and online gambling
Evolution Gaming is the biggest and best live casino game provider. Most of their dealers are streamed from their offices in Latvia and Malta. Both countries renown for their beautiful women…
E-wallets or Digital Wallets is a very convenient and discreet payment method. You simply create an account at any of the providers and tops it up with your credit/debit card.
Nobody needs to know that you have created an e-Wallet. This is also considered the most popular payment method for online casinos and betting sites in Europe.
However, the situation is a little bit different in India. Let me explain.
When I started gambling, e-Wallets was my first choice of deposit & withdrawal method. I had accounts at Skrill, NetEller and Paysafe. They are fast to set up, easy to top up, good support and you even get a free MasterCard/VISA which you can withdraw your money with.
Two-three years back though the ease of gambling with e-Wallets in India was reduced. The e-Wallet companies are all from abroad and the RBI did not like what was going on. The transactions were difficult to monitor and the money ended up outside of the Indian borders.
Hence, the RBI forced the digital wallets to limit transactions to gambling websites. I remember last time I tried to deposit with my Skrill account to an online casino I got the notification “Gambling transactions are not allowed.”
Luckily though, there are mobile payments like Google Pay & Paytm nowadays as I mentioned above. Check out the guides here:
The ONLY e-Wallet I recommend
BUT, there is always a BUT.
And this but is spelt “MuchBetter e-Wallet”.
MuchBetter is an award-winning e-Wallet based in the UK which specializes in gambling transactions. They have received recognizations in categories such as startup, payment and online gambling awards.
MuchBetter is licensed and regulated by Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and a part of Electronic Money Association. This means they can be fully trusted and follows all legalities.
You easily top up your account with your local debit/credit card and then transfers the money to your preferred gambling site.
If you want more details on this I have written a detailed guide on MuchBetter casinos. If you want to start playing today at a top-rated e-Wallet casino with MuchBetter, I highly recommend the ones below.
Top e-Wallet online casinos (MuchBetter)
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Using credit & debit cards for online betting & casino
Live casino games are generally very good for beginners. They are much slower and you can ask the dealer to help you with the rules.
Most online casinos accept credit cards such as VISA, Mastercard and Maestro – including sites targetting Indian players.
However, the fun stops here.
Making a deposit as an Indian to a gaming site, whether the purpose is for skill games such as Rummy or Poker (which has a separate legal status in India) does not matter.
All the payments are labelled as ‘gambling for real money’ and will be treated in the same way.
Let me explain how this works.
Over the past five years, I have created over 200 casino accounts (I know, it is kind of crazy but at least you can trust me that I speak from experience).
I have used the following two cards for making deposits:
- Canara Bank VISA credit card
- ING Vysya Mastercard credit card (before ING turned Kotak)
I think maybe 15-20 different casinos have accepted my CC deposit attempts.
Online casinos and sportsbooks as 10CRIC and LeoVegas will support Indian credit or debit card payments.
But…
Your local bank does not support payments labelled as “Gambling”. The casinos do not communicate directly to the banks but with a third party acting as a “Payment Gateway”, which then, in turn, communicates with the credit cards providers (VISA/Mastercard), which then communicates with your bank.
Sounds complicated? Check the picture below.
If the payment gateway provider NOT labels your payment to the website as “Gambling” then your credit card casino deposit will work.
Happy days!
But IF the gateway provider does their job right you will not be able to deposit or withdraw any potential money winnings. Since they are labelled as gambling.
The positive side of using credit or debit cards for online casino transactions is the speed, security and ease of transactions. It’s just like paying at Flipkart or any webshop.
Tips if you are going to gamble with cards
Don’t misunderstand me Credit & debit cards are a good solution to gamble with but just not from India. MuchBetter. Read my guide on it here.
It’s just a ‘hit & miss’ process as I can’t be bothered with and that’s why I only bet at online casinos with mobile payments like Paytm & Google Play.
But if you want to get going with credit cards, you should think of the following:
- Clear your card for international transactions – Speak to your bank and make sure to “clear the card” for international purchases. Some debit and credit cards are blocked by default.
- You might not be able to withdraw with the card – Many casinos do not accept withdrawals for Indians with VISA/Maestro/MasterCard. Read the T&C’s carefully.
- Care your bank statements – If you are sharing your economy with your dog, cat or wife you might want to think of what it will say on the statements. It’s usually just a number, but it’s good to keep it in mind when your… Dog…. asks “Where did this money go/come from!?”
- Never gamble on credit – You got a good credit score? Never use credits for gambling, never! If you have done this, or even thinking about it, go immediately to our G2G’s Responsible Gambling page here.
- Choose the right card – American Express, Diner, Maestro and Cirrus are very seldom accepted. Mastercard and Visa is your best bet.
Withdrawing your winnings
The popularity of live casino has exploded the past year. This means there is a very big selection of games apart from roulette, blackjack and teen patti. In fact, the selection is MUCH bigger than offline casinos in Las Vegas, UK & Macau.
Withdrawing is the most important step of the whole payment process when gambling online. Because you want your hard-earned winnings, right?
Make sure to verify your account
You need to commit with your full personal details when you are signing up for an account. Don’t use your neighbour, colleague or dog. This will cause you troubles in the long run. Whenever you want to withdraw your money you will have to provide these details and proof of identity.
Especially if you win big.
Online gambling websites do not “want” to pay out money, it’s kind of against any company’s business model to give out their profit. Therefore the casinos will make sure YOU have followed the Terms & Conditions to 100%. Providing a false identification will void your winnings faster than you can blink.
This is what you need to verify your account:
- Proof of identity.
- A utility bill with your address visible (no older than 90 days).
If you win larger amounts, over 50,000 INR, you will have to provide a bank statement from which includes your name and address.
Tips: Since the gambling sites are operated in overseas it’s important that you verify your account with “universal” identity documents, such as a passport or your Aadhaar card. Do not try to verify your account with ration/vote card, marriage certificate or Electoral Photo Identity Card (EPIC). I have tried this and was asked to send in a new.
Withdrawing your money safely
I remember the first time I won a considerable amount of money from an online casino. First I was excited and happy then it changed I was happy and a bit dubious.
“How will the transaction statement look like on my account?”
Will the transaction say “Gambling win: 75 000 INR”? Should I report this to the Income Tax Department? When will I get my money?
Gambling websites are very discreet when it comes to paying out winnings. Usually, it is not even the same company handling financial transactions as operating the brand.
The sender can be for example called “Action Group Ltd.” and the message on your bank statement is a reference number.
If you have verified your account in advance and depending on the method you chose to deposit with you will have your money in your account within 24 hours.
And as I mentioned in the beginning; online gambling is in a grey zone. Gambling winnings over 10,000 rupees has a fixed tax rate at 30% in India. Hence, I suggest you to not report your smaller winnings to the tax department.
How about paying with cryptocurrencies?
When people say cryptocurrencies and casino in the same sentence I often wonder what they mean.
Because there are two meanings of cryptocurrency casinos:
- Online casinos & betting sites where you can pay with cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum. This works just like any other payment option.
- So-called “crypto casinos” which are gambling sites fully built on blockchain technology.
Since the two differ so much from each other, I have decided to dedicate a separate article for this topic.
TL;DR
If you for some reason don’t like the dealer at your table you can always switch. There are many dealers waiting for you out there.
Alright, for your lazy ones I have tried to compile all my recommendations on deposits & withdrawal options at one place:
- Mobile payments are your absolutely best bet. Read my Paytm & Google Pay guides to get going.
- Only sign up on the gambling websites listed at G2G; I have categorized them correctly and made sure they are 100% secure.
- Make sure to verify your casino account BEFORE you try to withdraw.
Good luck and if you have any questions you are very welcome to contact me!