In an article elsewhere on this site you’ll find a guide to the various methods you can use to deposit money into an online casino;  in this article we’re going to take a closer look at one of those methods and go into a little more detail regarding the advantages and disadvantages of using credit and debit cards.

Credit Cards

It’s probably fair to say that without the credit card industry, the online casino industry wouldn’t exist;  or at least it would have taken much, much longer to get established.  On one hand the casino industry needs a fast and reliable network infrastructure and on the other it needs a speedy and trustworthy way for customer to pay for services.

All casinos accept credit cards and it’s very easy to deposit money; once you’ve opened an account you just follow the ‘deposit’ links, tap in the numbers on your card and you can instantly be playing slots, poker, blackjack or whatever you fancy.  There will be no admin charge for using this method.

As long as the casino is a trustworthy one such as the ones we recommend, the transaction is a safe one and even if something does go wrong, the credit card provider will often help you reclaim your money although this can depend on the provider and the region in which you live.

Of course it’s important to recognise the drawbacks of a particular method and the obvious one is that you will be depositing money that you are borrowing from the credit card company.  This is fine for most people because we all know how credit works but if you feel you may let your gambling get out of control then it can be a problem.

Secondly not all casinos allow you to withdraw money to all credit cards so you may want to check beforehand.  If this is the case it’s easy enough to withdraw via another method such as bank transfer.

Debit Cards

Debit cards are great for those who don’t like borrowing money;  they look and appear just like a credit card but are linked directly to your bank account.  The money you deposit will be debited directly from your account meaning that you can’t spend more than you have.  Like a credit card there will be no admin charge for depositing in this fashion.  Debit card transactions are often insured by the providing bank so if there is some problem, it’s easy to reclaim you funds.

The only downside of a debit card is that it is possible to take your bank account overdrawn if that’s the arrangement you have with the bank.  Check you terms and conditions of you think this could be a problem.