Gambling in India is subjected to a lot of restrictions. There are only three states where you can get access to a land-based casino. However, much to the joy of the punters, there are no provisions against betting at online casinos operating from outside the country (except two or three states). If you are not well-informed regarding the payment methods accepted by the online casinos and gambling sites, going through this article will surely help you out.
How to Play at an Online Gambling Site?
Based on the games and the bonuses offered, you need to decide on a casino or sports betting sitefrom a handful of options.
Next is the registration process, where you need to fill your basic details like name, address, mobile number, and email.
After you’re done signing up, you must deposit an amount to the casino. This gives you an access to all the games offered by the site.
Just like depositing, you need to rely on a payment method for withdrawal as well. The most popular and efficient payment pathways are described below.
Google Pay (GPay)
Google Pay is a globally recognized digital wallet launched by Google in 2011. It is also the most popular e-wallet among the Indians.
The advantages of Google Pay include secure and trustworthy transactions, that too within seconds. If you value your time and safety, Google Pay is in a league of its own. Furthermore, they don’t charge any transaction fee, which ensures no extra loss of money during these activities.
However, Google Pay is not accepted by several casinos operating from outside the country. This drawback is expected to mitigate soon.
PayTM
PayTM is another popular digital wallet which operates via net banking, just like Google Pay. PayTM is fast and secure, and it ensures instantaneous deposits and withdrawals without charging any transaction fee. PayTM also rewards you with PayTM points, which is just like receiving bonuses from casinos.
Neteller
Neteller is a digital wallet owned by British company Paysafe Group and is one of the most accepted e-wallets globally. Neteller is largely accepted by the online casinos, so you don’t really have to worry regarding its availability as a mode of transaction.
It is safe and secure, and the transactions are done and dusted within minutes. The 25 currencies accepted by Neteller includes Indian Rupee which makes it popular with gambling sites such as Parimatch, LeoVegas, Bet365 and the latest betting exchange to enter the market Mountbet.com, much to the delight of the Indian gamblers. Neteller, however, charges a transaction fee of 1.45% for withdrawals.
Skrill
Skrill is owned by the same company as that of Neteller. It is another digital wallet providing a similar service with efficiency and security. The 40 different currencies accepted by Skrill also includes Indian Rupee. Skrill charges a withdrawal fee of 2.5%, which is slightly higher than that of Neteller.
VISA
VISA is one of the most popular payment companies around the world. VISA offers credit and debit card services; all you need to do is to link the card with your bank account. It is accepted widely by the casinos, making it a safe and reliable method to process the transactions.
Despite the safety and security, one drawback of using VISA is with processing the withdrawal amount. It requires some time, which can take upto a week.
MasterCard
MasterCard is another payment company that rivals with VISA in their field. It offers similar card services. The perks and the drawbacks are also same – transactions are highly secure but the withdrawal requires some time.
Net Banking/UPI
You can use Unified Payments Interface (UPI) if you want to avoid the complications of using a third-party app for transactions. UPI is run by National Payments Corporation of India and is accepted by all the RBI-associated commercial banks. So, UPI provides highly safe and secure deposits and withdrawals, and you can avoid the hassle of inputting large card numbers just by using a simple pin. The only drawback of UPI happens to be the payment processing time.
Direct Bank Transfer
This is another payment mode accepted by most online casinos and can be used to avoid third-party apps. Anyone who has a bank account can rely on this method. Although it excels in safety and security, withdrawal may take more time as compared to the popular e-wallets.
Others
There are few other options for Indian gamblers to conduct transactions with online casinos. E-wallets like PhonePe and ecoPayz, pre-paid card like Astropay Card and Easypay services offered to ICICI bank account holders can also be utilized for deposits and withdrawals.
Considering Your Priority
It won’t be tough to decide on a payment method among all the above-mentioned options if you focus on your priority. You can use an e-wallet, credit/debit cards or you can ditch third party apps to rely on UPI or bank transfers. Some of them charge a transaction fee, some lag in their availability, some are faster than the others while some of them are more safe and secure. Make sure that your necessities are fulfilled by the payment provider and enjoy the casino games. Pay safe, play safe!