Online Poker Deposit Methods for U.S. Players

U.S. players, be sure to also check out our Poker Room Reviews (found on the right-hand side menu of each web page) for even more detailed information about what specific deposit and withdrawal methods are available at each individual poker room!

NETeller & ePassporte Alternatives

This guide discusses the current U.S. legal situation regarding online poker and the best and most secure ways for U.S. players to fund their online poker accounts (some of these methods can also be used by non-U.S. players). Do not be hesitant or wary of putting money into your online poker account. Even though NETeller and ePassporte no longer accept U.S. customers, there are still alternative payment processors out there that you can use to fund your poker account. There are also many reputable online casinos and poker rooms that have been around for years that welcome U.S. players! Do your homework and research the poker room of your choice before you play and you should have no problems. These businesses handle millions of financial transactions a day and have had millions of real money players.

Is Online Poker Legal?

For U.S. players, there has been some confusion about the legal situation regarding online gambling and which poker sites are friendly to U.S. players. Is online poker legal or not? We are not lawyers, so let us defer to the experts. Professor I. Nelson Rose, who is recognized as one of the world's leading experts on gambling law, has written an analysis of the The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006. What this analysis basically concludes is that the U.S. government has passed legislation that makes it illegal for banks or financial institutions to transfer money to online gambling sites, NOT PLAYERS.

So companies like Firepay.com and Neteller.com, along with several other payment processors, that were used by U.S. players to transfer money to and from gambling sites, stopped serving their U.S. customers. Some publicly traded U.S. online poker sites like PartyPoker.com, also stopped serving their U.S. customers as well. Despite this, several online poker rooms based outside of the U.S. did not change their policy and have continued to accept U.S. real money players.

The Best & Most Secure Deposit Methods For U.S. Online Poker Players

The popularity and demand for online poker in the U.S has only continued to grow. Right now, millions of Americans are playing online poker, as well as people from all around the world. There are still plenty of safe and secure deposit options available for U.S. players, as well as online poker sites that are open to U.S. players. In fact, some of the most prestigious online pokers still accept players from the U.S. and continue to actively seek U.S. players! The guide below will tell you exactly how to deposit money into these U.S. friendly poker sites and get started playing. Click here for reviews of U.S. friendly poker sites.

There are currently three methods available to U.S. players for depositing money into an online poker account:

• Electronic Wallets
• Poker eChecks
• Cash Transfers (good for transferring large amounts of money)
• Other Deposit Methods (only works on select poker sites)

eWallets

Though ePassporte no longer accepts U.S. customers, different alternatives are cropping up. For example, UseMyWallet (aka QuickTender), is being worked into CakePoker.com. eWalletXpress is another eWaller service that accepts U.S. customers and is available on certain poker sites (Bodog Poker, Absolute Poker, Ultimate Bet).

What is an electronic wallet? An electronic wallet, digital wallet, or ewallet, is the electronic equivalent of a “real” wallet. Electronic wallets are used for ecommerce, or online transactions. Your e-wallet holds credit card data for logging into Web sites and making purchases with money, or for transferring money into your ewallet account. ePassporte, Yahoo! Wallet, and Gator's eWallet are examples of digital wallets.

Poker eChecks

Full Tilt and PokerStars now offer instant echecks from PokerEcheck.com (on FullTiltPoker.com poker echecks are in beta testing so not all players have access; however, PokerStars.com has the echecks payment processor available for all players). U.S. players can use PokerEcheck.com to fund their online poker account fast and safely. With echecks, money is transferred from your bank account to your poker account. All you need is to provide your bank account number and routing number to your preferred online poker room. Your funds are immediately available after making the eCheck transaction. And the best part is there are no fees for deposits! As for withdrawing using PokerEchecks, in some instances you can, but most players use a different withdraw option like Fedex checks or bank wires.

Visit Poker eChecks »

Poker Sites that Poker eChecks
Full Tilt Poker	Full Review	U.S. Friendly
POKER STARS	Full Review	U.S. Friendly

Cash and Money Transfers

You can use cash transfers to quickly, easily, and safely deposit money into your online poker account. You may fund your poker account with cash, or a credit or debit card using the services discussed below. You can also go to your bank and do a wire transfer in addition to using the cash transfer services discussed below.

Western Union

Western Union is a well known company that has been around for over 150 years. You can go in person to one of the thousands of Western Union outlets in the U.S. and transfer money into your poker account. Some poker sites may also allow you to make the transfer online through Western Union's website (check with the poker site to see if they do this -- some sites will accept in person cash transfers only). In person cash transfers can be made with a Visa® or MasterCard® debit card or cash. Online transfers can be made with Visa® or MasterCard® credit or debit cards.

A small fee is charged by Western Union for this service and is based on the amount of money you are sending and the location (it is roughly about $9.95 for every $1000 you send). Be aware that you may also be charged an additional cash advance fee by your card issuer if you use a credit card. The poker sites will not charge you a fee and might even pay your transfer fees if you make a high enough deposit and request it.

Each poker site handles cash transfers differently, so you will need to verify with the appropriate site what exactly you need to do. For example, Full Tilt requests that you email them for cash transfer instructions. The email they send you contains all the information that you need to make the transfer (including the name of the recipient - who you need to send the money to).

Typically within a few hours of completing the transfer, your money arrives in your online poker account. This method of transferring money to poker rooms is usually used for higher dollar amounts. Different poker sites will have varying minimum and maximum amounts that will be accepted. For example, Full Tilt requires a minimum $250 deposit, with a maximum deposit of $1800 allowed per transfer.

Other Cash Transfer Locations Using Western Union

Many 7-Eleven convenience stores have ATM-like cash machines in the store where you can send and receive money through Western Union. The fees run anywhere from about 5-8%. Before you attempt a cash transfer here, you should verify with the poker site how they handle cash transfers and what information you need from them to complete the transfer (the poker sites should have this information readily available for you).

During the cash transfer process at the ATM, you will receive a confirmation number. There will be a field on the poker site where you will need to enter this code. Once the code has been entered, your poker account should be funded within minutes.

Western Union Highlights
	Available to all U.S. players. With thousands of nationwide Western Union locations for easy access.
	Quick and Easy. You don’t need a bank account or credit card, no account verification require, and you only fill out one simple form
	ATM-like Service at Some Locations. Many local 7-Eleven stores have ATM-like cash transfer machines for both sending and receiving cash via Western Union.
	Convenient. Deposit money using your debit or credit card online on Western Union’s website, or go in person to a local Western Union branch with cash or your debit card to make a deposit.
	Fees Possibly Paid. Some poker sites will gladly pay for your cash transfer if you make a big enough deposit and you ask.

Visit WesternUnion.com »

Poker Sites that Accept Western Union
CAKE POKER	Full Review	U.S. Friendly
POKER STARS	Full Review	U.S. Friendly

Moneygram

MoneyGram also offers money transfer services and is basically identical to their competitor Western Union. You can go to a MoneyGram outlet and do an in person cash transfer, or do a cash transfer online through their website. Check with the poker site to see if they do this. Some poker sites will accept in person cash transfers only. For example, FullTilt accepts in person cash transfers from a MoneyGram outlet, but at this time they do not accept cash transfers from MoneyGram's website.

The biggest difference between MoneyGram and Western Union is that MoneyGram charges a $9.95 flat fee no matter the amount of money you are transferring, while Western Union charges fees based on how much money is transferred and the location. Technically, Western Union is about the same price as MoneyGram for transfers $1000 and under as Western Union too charges $9.95 per $1000 transferred (though it can be more or less depending on location). Western Union fees increase if you go above $1000, while MoneyGram is a flat fee of $9.95. So in short, at transfer amounts under $1000 MoneyGram and Western Union are similar in price.

Transfers are fairly quick, typically taking about 30 minutes to go through. Once you have complete the process at the poker room (entering your codes or confirmation numbers successfully), funds are available immediately in your online poker account. Like Western Union, Moneygram, has thousands of outlets across the U.S. and offers cash transfers online on their website.

Again, you will want to contact the poker site for complete instructions on how to make the cash transfer.

MoneyGram Highlights
	Available to all U.S. players. With thousands of nationwide Western Union and MoneyGram locations for easy access..
	Quick and Easy. You don’t need a bank account or credit card, no account verification require, and you only fill out one simple form
	A Flat Fee. A $9.95 flat fee for cash transfers.
	Convenient. Deposit money using your debit or credit card online on MoneyGram’s website, or go in person to a local MoneyGram branch with cash or your debit card to make a deposit.
	Fees Possibly Paid. Some poker sites will gladly pay for your cash transfer if you make a big enough deposit and you ask.

Visit MoneyGram.com »

Poker Sites that Accept MoneyGram
POKER STARS	Full Review	U.S. Friendly

Other Deposit Methods

Some U.S. players have had success with using prepaid Visa cards on poker sites. However, lately people seem to be having problems with them so we cannot recommend them at this time. On some poker sites U.S. players can still use their Visa or MasterCard debit/credit card. For example, SportsBook.com accepts Visa or MasterCard debit/credit cards from U.S. players and it will work 100% of the time (they are the only poker site to do this). At CakePoker.com you can use your debit or credit card, but it only works 70% of the time (debit and check cards have a higher success rate). It just depends on each individaul poker site.

Click2Pay is also an option for U.S. poker players, but only if you already have an account with them as they are not currently accepting any new U.S. customers. If you do have an existing account, you can use your account to make deposits and withdrawals from poker sites.

For U.S. players, fast funding of your poker account for smaller dollar amounts, the best way to go is to use an echeck, an eWallet service, or your debit or credit card. For larger deposit amounts, cash transfers using your bank, Western Union, or Moneygram are the best options (unless the site accepts debit/credit card).

See our Poker Room Reviews for detailed information about what deposit and withdrawal methods are available to U.S. players!

 

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