Visa Casino Banking

If you're interested in opening up an online casino account, there really isn't a faster way to do it than by using a credit card. The transaction is literally immediate, and it is very convenient. The credit card transaction is the most natural one there is outside of handing cash over, and that is something you obviously aren't going to do in dealing with an offshore gaming operation.

One of the major credit cards that is used to open up casino accounts is Visa, which is had sort of the strange relationship with online gaming, but continues to be very popular as an option for casino banking nonetheless.

The Visa card spun out of the BankAmericard that originally came from, of course, Bank of America in 1958. This card was also distributed in Canada under the name "Chargex," and eventually it came under the control of the issuing banks. So Visa is actually just the brand that is used for the card, while the financial institutions are the entities that are in control. When a customer is turned down on a gambling transaction, it is from the bank itself.

Of course, when we say "financial institutions," that is sort of a magic word in the United States, because it triggers that which is not legal with regard to the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), which is the law of the land in terms of online gambling. Of course, this does not necessarily have an effect on Canada, but in terms of Visa's policies (as a brand, mind you), it's still kind of a gray area. Any source you want to reference is going to tell you that Visa is a very popular method of deposit for Canadian customers, and a widely-used one, and there is really no way that there should be an impediment toward using it, but just to be sure, you may want to check with the individual casino to see how it can be used.

We don't think were revealing anything top-secret when we say that online casinos, even in those jurisdictions where Visa may not be enthusiastic about being involved in online gambling transactions, will process those transactions using the card by disguising their merchant code so as to represent it as a deposit or withdrawal that is related to something other than online gambling. Oh yes, we mention "withdrawals." Visa has an advantage over its major competitor, MasterCard, in that it can be used for withdrawals at some online casinos.