Debit Cards

Debit cards are an excellent choice of deposit method for your online casino account as the funds are direct from your bank account. This means that there is no middle man involved. The debit cards accepted by online casinos are Visa Electron, Delta, Cirrus, Switch, Solo, and Laser. There are no added costs involved, and the money is transferred instantly to your account.

Benefits

One of the main benefits of the debit card option is that it is extremely convenient for users, with no extra costs involved. The card is issued with a bank account and so no extra registration is required. It can be used to deposit online with real-time funding, and as internet banking is available, users can have 24-hour access to their account information. An additional bonus is that multiple cards can be used. Once the card has been used successfully once, the details are encrypted and stored, making future funding quick and simple. The funds are easy to keep track of as they come direct from the bank.

Debit cards are a widely accepted deposit method amongst online casinos. Card security standards are excellent, and for additional protection cards can be used to deposit both online and over the phone with most online casinos. Both methods are equally safe, as all details are immediately encrypted as soon as they are entered into the system. This means that casino staff can only access a small portion of the information given so that you can confirm for security reasons. Additional security questions can be set up with the casino to increase fraud protection.

Most countries can take advantage of the debit card option, and this makes it an excellent choice. However, there is currently no debit card available for US members, and other restricted countries are clearly listed on each casino site. Visa Electron accepts users worldwide with the exception of Canada, the United States and Australia. Carte Bleue is the French variation of this card and is sometimes accepted. For UK members there are also the Switch, Visa Delta and Solo options. Laser debit cards are for Irish members only. Maestro and Cirrus are run by MasterCard, and service over 100 countries. The global recognition and bank attachment means that debit cards recognize a variety of currencies, and offer the most up to date conversion rates.

User friendliness

The debit card is not a viable option for American members, but is generally user friendly as it is a guaranteed and safe way to deposit into a casino. For security reasons, the card used must be registered in your name. For legal and ethical reasons, no online casino will allow you to deposit using a debit card that is linked to a business or owned by a third party. Security standards are tight and so as a result you may need to verify your debit card before you can use it to deposit into the casino. Although this may be inconvenient, it protects against card fraud and enables smoother depositing in the future.

Another consideration is the issuing company’s ethical responsibilities. Visa and MasterCard both officially accept payments to online gaming companies but do not support these companies ethically. This means that although the funds are present in your bank account, and even if your card has been verified, the issuing company may choose to decline the deposit to an online casino. The likelihood of this is much less problematic than that experienced by credit card users, but it is worth noting as a possibility.

Another issue to make note of is that some cards such as the Solo card can be owned by someone as young as 13 years of age. With the industry taking notice of concerns about underage and problem gambling, debit cards such as the Solo card are expected to gradually phase out.

Conclusion

Debit cards are a safe, secure and simple way to deposit into an online casino. However, there is no available option for the American market and verification processes can be lengthy. Depositing success can not be guaranteed, though the success rate is higher than credit card and there are no hidden fees.