We have referred on multiple occasions to how much we enjoy and appreciate using PayPal for online gambling, to the point that it ranks firmly among our deposit options of choice. At the same time, we always focus heavily on the speed and privacy aspects of the service. In case you missed it, PayPal can be relied upon to facilitate the fastest possible withdrawals from sportsbook and casino accounts, and the nature of the service means that players need share no more than their email address with the casino in question, with the money transfer taking place behind the scenes. Given that most players will have provided an email address to the casino in the first place, it is small wonder that the service is particularly valued by those who appreciate keeping their information confidential.
UK players in particular are in a great position with regard to using PayPal as a deposit option. Long-time players may well remember when PayPal was all but unheard of in relation to online gambling, simply choosing not to get involved at all. However, any universal online payments system would be ignoring a massive market by eliminating online gambling altogether, and they soon decided to get involved, even creating tailored integration to ensure that instant deposits found their way into the correct player accounts. Nowadays, the service is widely supported throughout the UK at online sportsbooks and casinos, and the official line is that PayPal is made available to gambling operators that focus on regulated markets. In the UK specifically, that means that the brand in question must be overseen by the Gambling Commission. If it is not, then it is not operating legally, and it goes without saying that we would always advise our players to steer completely clear of such operations.
It is this PayPal rule that ensures that the service cannot currently be used for online gambling transactions in the US. German players recently lost the ability to make use of PayPal, as the expiration of Schleswig-Holstein licenses meant that no casino was technically regulated in the country any longer. So, we are pretty privileged over here to still have access to what is quite possibly the best possible deposit option.
While there are some perks to using PayPal as your deposit option of choice, there are some aspects of the service that are often overlooked. Not all of them add value or make a player more of a winner, and some are purely there for convenience and ease of use. However, we take usability, accessibility and many other factors into account when ranking a sportsbook, casino or other betting platform, and if a certain deposit and withdrawal option boasts advantages over the competition, that is sure to be taken into account.
One such advantage, which is widely available to UK players, is the PayPal Access card. It will be slightly contradictory for players that use PayPal specifically for the purpose of avoiding the disclosure of their card details to the casino, but for anyone else it can be very convenient indeed. This is a physical MasterCard that operates like any normal debit card, where players can make payments, withdraw cash or do anything else that a debit card offers, with everything tied directly to the PayPal balance. Here in the UK, PayPal uses the Faster Payments service, and players can generally transfer money instantly. However, for those that do not have a bank account, do have an account but only with a cash card on it or those that simply prefer to keep gambling transactions away from their main account, a PayPal Access card can be perfect for both funding your betting accounts and then getting your hands on the cash from the proceeds soon thereafter.
PayPal is also an outstanding alternative for players that are accustomed to using Skrill or Neteller. In practice, each service operates in a similar manner. Each one relies on a central wallet and making transfers as fast as possible – withdrawals to Skrill and Neteller are every bit as fast as those made to PayPal. However, players that use the service may well have noticed that an increasing number of sportsbooks and casinos have started to prevent players from earning match bonuses when depositing with Skrill or Neteller. We will not go into the details here, but it is becoming virtually an industry-wide decision, especially in the UK. Fortunately, PayPal has not suffered the same fate, and those that appreciate a bonus while still using Skrill or Neteller may well find now to be the perfect time to make the switch.
If you have played at a PayPal casino in the past, but been put off by fees, then it might also be time to return. It was not too long ago that brands such as Betfair would accept PayPal deposit for the sportsbook, exchange and casino, but applied a fee to that deposit. Effectively, players ended up with less to bet with than they deposited. However, while this was previously commonplace, it is now the opposite, and there was a short period where casinos could gain a competitive advantage by absorbing the fees. This led to the biggest names having to follow suit, and players can now enjoy fee-free deposits and withdrawals using the option.
Finally, one option that can come in handy is the support for just about every currency imaginable. Unsurprisingly, casinos that are regulated by the Gambling Commission virtually always support GBP payments and accounts. However, PayPal users can maintain accounts in separate currencies, and fund their betting accounts in this manner too. We would suggest that players look into the specifics if they choose to take advantage of this option, as currency conversion can incur a fee, although it is often negligible.
We feel that these additional extras mark PayPal out as being superior to much of the competition, especially more traditional payment options like credit and debit cards, Skrill and Neteller. While any option is viable, for those looking to perfect their online experience, we consider the service to be the best possible option, especially with it being so easy to find a PayPal Casino or betting site with the odds, games and promotions that will suit any taste.
