Online betting has become more and more popular as an activity, but not everyone will feel as though they’re able to enjoy it. There are numerous reasons why someone might not have a bank account or, alternatively, might not want to use their bank account to engage in online betting. Does not having an account or not wanting to use it mean that people are unable to enjoy the spoils of online betting? Not at all.
There are numerous different options open to people that might not have a bank account when it comes to placing bets online. Bookmakers with high street shops will now allow you to deposit funds in cash, for example, whilst eWallets are also an option. Not having a bank account can make things more complicated, however, because bookies are unable to use your bank account to check that you are who you say you are.
The Options
Not having a bank account doesn’t necessarily mean that you don’t have the ability to place bets using online bookmakers or casinos. In fact, there are numerous different options available to people that either don’t have an account or don’t want to use the account that they do have, so it’s worth thinking about which option is the one that makes the most sense for you personally and going from there.
High Street Bookies
The likes of Ladbrokes, Coral and Paddy Power, all of whom have a strong high street presence even in spite of the success of their online operations, give customers the ability to add money to their online account by giving cash over the counter. In order to opt for this method of getting money into your account, the main thing that you’ll have to do is sign up for their loyalty scheme and the associated customer card.
Obviously those of you choosing not to have a bank account for fear of your information being misused or tracked might not be keen on signing up to such an account, but it’s one of the best ways of getting money into your online betting account without having to have a bank account or give over the details of it. It also means that you can more easily keep track of how much money you’re spending on your betting. It even allows you to claim betting shop winnings online.
PaySafeCard
There are a few pre-paid cards that can be bought from retail shops on the British high street that can then be used to add money to your betting account. These are generally anonymous and can involved different sums of money being paid for, so you can be in control of how much money you want to put into your online account and then bet with. Keeping track of how much you’ve put on there is a sensible approach to take.
You can buy PaySafeCards with cash, meaning that you don’t need to have a bank account in order to get hold of them. This allows you to keep things anonymous and safe, should that be the sort of thing that you’re concerned about. Most of the biggest betting companies will allow you to deposit money into your account using a PaySafeCard, so it’s not even as if opting for this method will limit your options.
eWallets
Another of the options open to people that don’t wish to put money into their betting account comes in the form of eWallets. There are numerous different ones on the market, most of which are accepted by the majority of bookmakers. They can be funded in different ways that don’t necessarily involve the use of a bank account, so investigating which of them is the right one for you is key.
The best thing to do is to have a look at the bookmaker or online casino that you’re hoping to use and see which eWallets they accept. From there, you can then investigate which of the eWallets allow you to put money onto them without the use of a bank account. This will then give you a clear path to using an eWallet, which offers a wealth of different positives when it comes to online betting.
What You Need To Think About
Not having a bank account is all well and good, but betting without the use of one brings its own issues and problems. For starters, betting companies can use your bank account information to do soft credit checks to ensure that the details that you’ve provided are accurate. Without the use of a bank account, therefore, there will be more verification procedures that you’ll need to go through in order to open a betting account.
Those that don’t have a bank account will be more likely to face further issues and problems with their betting. It’s not uncommon, for example, for people without bank accounts to face lower withdrawal limits on their account. The fees also tend to be higher when using a format other than your bank account to make deposits and withdrawals, meaning that your money is essentially worth less.
Utilising some payment methods can also exclude customers from some sign up and retention offers. For example, Skrill, Neteller and PaySafeCard (sometimes PayPal too) are often excluded from claiming welcome deals and some loyalty schemes.
Nowadays, betting companies have to go through strict procedures as part of their Know Your Customer routines. As a result, it is tricky for someone to place bets without being able to prove where the source of their money has come from. There are plenty of reasons why you might choose not to have a bank account or use your bank account for betting, but be aware that this will make life more difficult for you in numerous ways.
Providing ID
Bookmakers will allow you to place a bet without having a bank account, but they will need to be provided with some identification before they’ll allow you to do so. It is common for photographic ID to be used when signing up with a bookie and looking to prove who you are, which will need to be scanned and either emailed to them or else uploaded into your account for them to check and verify.
The likes of a national ID card, passport or driving licence can be used, as long as it is sent alongside proof of your address. This is usually in the form of a utility bill, for example, or a financial statement. You might also be required to give some identification when you actually make your deposit too, complicating things as a result. There’s no question, therefore, that using a bank account is the most straightforward option for depositing funds into a betting account.