Making a Payment With a Debit Card – A Step by Step Guide
When you’re looking to use your debit card at an online casino Canada, it’s a very simple process that we can outline in just a few steps.
- Step 1 –
Sign uwp at your chosen casino site with the sign-up or register now button. This will involve providing your personal information. At this stage, you may be invited to make a first deposit, although you can always skip this stage and deposit later.
- Step 2
– When making your first deposit using your debit card at your online casino Canada, you will be required to select your payment method from the available options, including your desired debit card online casino Canada option.
- Step 3
– Select currency required (if applicable) and then add the deposit amount, your debit card number, expiry date and 3-digit CVC or CVV number to complete the deposit.
- Step 4
– Deposits via debit card are usually instant, so your funds should be ready in your betting account immediately.
- Step 5
– When depositing, there are some betting sites and casino sites that require account verification – see the details of verification processes in the section below.
Average Time Taken for Debit Card Deposits and Pay-outs
Assuming you have an account with a
bank allowing online gambling, then in terms of depositing and withdrawing, using your debit card at online casinos in Canada is one of the quickest ways of moving money to and from your betting site account. If not, now is the time to look at other options such as an
online casino Skrill
account or a peer-to-peer app like MuchBetter.
Obviously, the actual times taken for deposits and withdrawals at your online casino using debit card Canada will vary depending on the actual casino’s policies. However, almost every online casino now utilises instant deposits when using debit cards. When it comes to withdrawals, the generally accepted time is 2-3 business days, although many of the better casinos now aim for 1 business day or less for withdrawals to debit cards.
Debit Card Verification Requirements
When it comes to verification of your transactions using a debit card at online casino in Canada, you’ll find this can happen at either end, or both ends, of the transaction. The most common verification comes through the betting site, often through the KYC (Know Your Customer/Client) process to verify the identity and sometimes your residency information. This most often comes in the form of requiring the customer at the betting site uploading scans/copies of government-issued photo ID and sometimes proof of residency or address.
Your bank may also require you to verify any transaction using your debit card at an online casino Canada. This is something seen more and more with new technology, sometimes as a secondary authentication using a unique PIN sent to a mobile phone or email address or by the likes of ‘Verified by Visa’ or ‘MasterCard secure code’.
The History of the Debit Card
The first version of something that became the debit card appeared as early as 1966 from the Bank of Delaware and swiftly caught on, with other banks using similar systems of bank cards or check cards to be used instead of cash for purchases. Initially, they were used by business customers that the bank knew were low-risk, but through the 80s and 90s, the debit card gradually replaced the older ATM/ABM cards and became the primary card issued by banks for customer use.
In many ways, debit cards both combined and superseded both ATM/ABM cards and checks, allowing customers to get hold of cash and make purchases using just one card. But initially, just as with checks, the money wasn’t debited from the customer’s account straight away. From 1984, Landmark introduced the first instant debit system for use with debit cards, giving both customers and banks the peace of mind that the system was strengthened against abuse, with the customer unable to debit more funds than were in their account.
Canada’s debit card and credit card network runs on the Interac Direct Payment (IDP), first introduced in 1994, which has driven debit cards to be the most popular payment method for Canadians.
A newer development in debit cards is the pre-paid debit card. These cards act as though they were debit cards yet don’t require an associated bank account to use and this ease of use makes them popular as a payment method at online casinos. Examples of popular pre-paid debit cards include paysafecard and Entropay.
Debit Cards Compared to Other Payment Methods
The biggest advantage to using debit card at an online casino in Canada is the convenience and ease of use. It’s something that most of us already have through our bank account and is very easy to set-up to use in online casinos. Added to that, the debit card transactions are some of the quickest of all payment methods, with instant deposit and often less than a day for withdrawal processing.
Debit card payments also go straight from your account to your betting account, taking away the extra steps you’ll find with e-wallets and using pre-paid methods such as
paysafecard for online casino Canada
transactions. And finally, using your debit card at online casino Canada is a perfect way to limit your spending as, unlike credit cards, you can only spend what you have in your bank account. Not all Canadian banks allow payments to gambling sites, but you can get around that by using a peer-to-peer app to make
online casino MuchBetter
transfers, for example or set up an ewallet option for
online casino Neteller
payments, or the Skrill alternative.
When it comes to comparing the debit card for online casino Canada transactions to other
casino payment
methods, the real disadvantage is that some debit cards will have fees attached. Of course, these vary from provider to provider but can be between 2-5%. And, as with credit cards, there are some providers who either don’t allow or will sometimes decline gambling transactions. This is something we’re going to cover in a section of its own later on in this article.
There’s also the issue of protection – although debit cards are secure, they don’t have that extra layer of security in terms of financial fraud that you find with major credit cards. For more on that, check out our guides to
Visa online casino Canada,
MasterCard online casino Canada, and
AmEx online casino Canada.
Most Popular Payment Methods
It’s no surprise that using a debit card at online casino Canada is one of the most popular methods of funding casino betting. It’s fast, secure, and easy to use, which makes it our favourite method.
However, there are certain issues with debit cards and credit cards from major providers that can cause payments to be declined, something that we are seeing more and more of recently with major financial institutions across the world becoming more cautious when it comes to gambling. So, it’s well worth looking at some alternative methods as well. We’d suggest that you check out the guides on popular e-wallets, such as Skrill and Neteller, look at the pre-paid debit card options of paysafecard.
Debit Card Payments FAQ
We’ve shown you the advantages and some disadvantages of debit card use in online casino Canada, but here we’re going to address the top 5 questions we’re asked regarding debit card use for online casino Canada gaming.
Is it legal to use debit cards for betting in Canada and at offshore betting sites?
Yes, it’s perfectly legal to use your debit card for depositing and withdrawing money to your Canadian bank account. It doesn’t matter whether you’re betting at a Canadian online betting site or one in other parts of the world, an offshore site.
Do all online betting sites and casinos accept debit cards?
Although debit cards, particularly Visa and MasterCard debit cards, used to be one of the most popular payment methods at betting sites, not all betting sites accept them. Some casinos are favouring alternative methods, such as e-wallets, and there are a new generation of casino sites that are favouring cryptocurrency as their main payment method.
Are there any fees for using my debit card?
This depends on the debit card provider, as does the percentage fee charged if there are any. However, the fees involved are less than the fees imposed by credit card providers treating gambling transactions as cash advances.
What are the minimum and maximum deposits and withdrawals I can make with debit cards?
The minimum and maximums involved for both deposits and withdrawals depend on the individual casino sites you chose to use. However, usual deposit and withdrawal minimums are $5-10 for deposits with withdrawals often trending higher at between $10-20. Maximum deposits and withdrawals are much more variable however and we recommend checking the t&cs for further details on that one.
Why has my debit card online casino Canada transaction been declined?
There are several reasons why this could happen, from the simple possibility that you entered some information incorrectly to more complex issues regarding your banks position on authorising payments to an online casino with debit card Canada. For more on that possible issue, see the next section dealing with the specifics of the Canadian banking system and online casinos.
Particular Debit Card Problems For Canadian Bettors
As we mention in the FAQ above, there are certain issues with Canadian and American banks and using a debit card at online casino Canada. Although betting with Canadian and offshore sites is
legal in Canada, there is a growing tendency for financial institutions to question and even decline payments at offshore betting sites.
For example, both Visa and MasterCard have been reported as declining payments made at offshore gambling sites. In addition, it you have a bank account with the Bank of Nova Scotia (Scotiabank) you will not be allowed to use your account to make a deposit or withdrawal to/from an offshore betting site, despite it being perfectly legal in Canadian law to do so.
The situation is made worse if you have an account with any US-based financial institution, even if you bank with their Canadian arm. This is due to on-going federal crackdowns on US financial institutions transacting with offshore gambling sites after the 2006 passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA). Effectively, this means that any US-based bank automatically declines any transaction involving offshore betting – so if you have an account with a US-based bank, you won’t be able to use that debit card for any offshore betting.
Elsewhere, other countries are also changing laws and regulations surrounding payment methods for online betting sites, including the recent legislation in the UK banning the use of credit cards at online casinos regulated from the UK. Although this is limited to the UK and only applies to credit cards, this is a development that we can see spreading further afield in the future as financial institutions increasingly avoid online betting sites.
Conclusion
When you’re looking at the best payment methods for online betting, it’s obvious that using your debit card at an online casino Canada is a very safe, secure and incredibly convenient way of making deposits and withdrawals at both Canadian and offshore casino betting sites. It’s also a payment method that you more than likely already have in your wallet, and it will also ensure that you’ll be eligible for any
casino sign up bonus.
These advantages of using your debit card at an online casino Canada far outweigh the minor disadvantages at the present time. However, there are more and more casinos moving away from debit and credit cards as payment methods and some issues with financial institutions limiting the use of their debit card for online casino Canada transactions. But despite this, we can definitely recommend debit cards as a valuable way to make your casino betting experience go smoothly.
