Safe Deposit Betting Sites

With the current immense popularity of online betting sites, a number of internet services have been founded to help make the process of gambling online safer and more reliable. This includes a number of different funding services. Many players are initially wary of making transactions online due to very publicized incidents of identity fraud. Yet, as you become more accustomed to making deposit transactions online you will find that it can be just as safe as any other kind of transaction, especially when using certain services and methods. Some customers may be a little intimidated by the immense number of options available and this article outlines the safest depositing methods currently available, and what sportsbooks offer them. Click here to read our article on the safest sportsbooks on the net.

Best Sportsbooks for Safe Deposits

Bovada.lv. Running at 65% deposit success rate for American credit cards. (15 different VISA processors). (runs by the old name of “Bodog” in many non-US countries)

BetOnline.com – Running at 45% deposit success rate among customers. Amex & Visa, bankwire, WU and Moneygram accepted as deposits.  We give them an A for security.

WagerWeb.com – Running at 60% deposit success rate on credit cards. I’m ranking this site because it’s the only sportsbook to accept Mastercard deposits.

SportsBetting.ag – The same type of processors for BetOnline.com mentioned above.  Same owners now.

Bet365.com (Non-USA bettors only) A++ for security.  Accepts every type of deposit.

*  Note to Mastercard bettors, as of right now in late 2012 there is only 1 betting site that accept Mastercard.  I went through all the top 10 major online bookies.   If you want to use Mastercard you can only do so at www.Wagerweb.com.  I’m not sure on how great their success rate is but it’s worth a shot.

American Players

With the recent passing of the UIGEA by the US Congress, gambling online for American players has become increasingly difficult. Yet, there are still a number of high quality services that are available for players to use.

One such method that still caters to American players is an ewallet, called eWalletXpress. Essentially, you deposit money onto the eWalletXpress, then transfer your money to the sportsbook of your choice. This is a very common way of getting around the UIGEA. There are also still a number of sites that offer Visa or MasterCard as an option for making online deposits/withdrawals on US betting sites. American players may also want to check out services such as  Money Transfers, or other ewallets like eWalletXpress and Neteller.

Recommended Deposit Options

1. E-Wallets - Ewallets are one of our favorite deposit options for several reasons. The best reason to use them is they provide a layer of anonymity for the depositor. They act as a third party where you can deposit funds onto your ewallet account and from there send funds to any betting site that accepts your preferred ewallet. This is beneficial because if you make a deposit from your bank or credit card to one of the popular ewallets such as eWalletXpress, the transaction will show a deposit onto your eWalletXpress account, not the betting site you ultimately send money to.

Another great thing about ewallets is there are a variety of funding options you can use to deposit money onto your ewallet. The most popular ways to fund ewallet accounts are credit cards, wire transfers and echecks. By using an ewallet, you instantly increase your deposit options available to you. The most popular ewallets are eWalletXpress, Click2Pay and Moneybookers, all of which are available to US players. For international players, Neteller is the most popular ewallet.

2. Credit Cards – Like most other things, credit cards can be a mixed bag when it comes to safety. So, we are going to make a few recommendations regarding direct credit card deposits at betting sites.

• First, make sure you make deposits on a secure website. Secure sites are noted by a key lock usually on the lower right hand corner of the browser page, this should appear on any webpage that deals with deposits. In this case it will more than likely just be on the ‘cashier’ page of the gambling site.

• Second, be extremely careful of who you speak with or give credit card information to. This is of-course obvious, but if someone calls you and claims to be customer service asking for credit card information, tell them you will need to call them back, then return the call to the betting site using the customer service line that is given by the site. This is to prevent ‘phishing’ scams. Popular credit cards are VISA, MasterCard, American Express and Diners Club.

3. Wire Transfers- Wire services take a bit of discretion similar to credit cards, however, direct wire transfers are typically a safe way to make deposits but some players don’t like the flat fees that can be associated with these transactions. Western Union depositing is another popular option to transfer money since they don’t charge an activation or account fee. Another nice feature is their 24 hour service in any language.

4. Paper Checks – This is not the most popular method because of how slow they can be. However, you can always drop a check in the mail and wait for it to be delivered to a betting site. This process can take about a week to complete, so most players choose the more expedient options such as credit cards and ewallets.

Don’t Use Public Computers

Whenever dealing with any kind of sensitive information, such as bank account or credit card information, be sure not to use a public computer. These are the primary areas where identity thieves get a lot of their business since the information is commonly not encrypted. The safest place to make online transactions is from the privacy of your own home computer with a secure network. Most private internet providers give you the option to encrypt all of the information that is received or sent by your computer.  Here are a couple ways to make sure you’re depositing safely.

Making online transactions does not have to be risky. Taking a few precautionary steps can go a long way in ensuring that all of your information is kept secure and confidential. Be sure to do a bit of research on the sportsbook that you’re dealing with and any other services you are considering using. If there is any reason for concern then it’s probably best to opt for another option. This isn’t the kind of information you want to take chances with.