Deposit Method – Credit Cards
Sportsbooks That Take Credit Cards (Visa / MC) For Deposits
You have a lot of options when it comes to putting money into your sportsbook accounts. Depending on the gambling site and where you live, those options include eWallet transfers, bank wires, MoneyGram, Bitcoin, back checks and person-to-person transfers. But the most popular way to make deposits at USA sportsbooks is to use a credit card.
You probably have at least a few cards in your possession. That being the case, you don’t have to jump through hurdles to send a MoneyGram or authorize a costly bank wire. Instead, just pull out a card and fund your account.
The process isn’t quite as simple as that, thanks to regulations passed by your trusty politicians. We’ll cover some of the challenges you’ll face below. I’ll also give you several tips you can use to make sure your sports betting accounts get funded in the event you run into problems.
Top US Sportsbooks That Accept Credit Cards
Before we go any further, here’s a list of the top USA sportsbooks that accept credit cards.
Bovada – If you’ve ever placed an online bet on football, basketball, baseball or any other sport, you’ve definitely heard of Bovada. They’re the cream of the crop of U.S. sportsbooks. Ask 10 avid bettors to cite their favorite sports betting sites and you’ll hear the name Bovada mentioned over and over.
You can use any credit card that carries the Visa emblem on it to make a deposit. If you don’t have a Visa credit card, you can use a bank debit card. The main requirement is that it says Visa on it.
What if you hate the idea of using credit and don’t like dealing with banks? No problem. Go to Walmart, Target, a grocery store or gas station, and buy a prepaid Visa gift card. There are a couple of caveats that come with using gift cards, which we’ll cover in detail below.
Bovada charges a 4.9% fee for all card deposits (the minimum deposit is $20). That’s not unusual in this industry. The good news is that Bovada will usually waive the fee for your first deposit.
If you don’t have an account at Bovada, there’s no better time than the present to register.
BetOnline – If Bovada is the Rolls-Royce of the online sports betting industry, BetOnline is a Mercedes S65 AMG. Sleek, sexy and satisfying, the latter site scores big with long-time sports bettors.
BetOnline actually trumps Bovada in one important area: the range of credit card options they extend to their customers.
In addition to using your Visa to make deposits, you can also use a MasterCard, American Express and even Discover. Funding your account with AMEX and Discover is practically unheard of in this industry. Few sites offer the option. But you can do it at BetOnline.
One downside of making credit card deposits at BetOnline is that they impose a hefty 6% fee. In my opinion, it’s worth paying the fee to place bets at one of the industry’s most reputable USA sportsbooks. But that’s strictly a matter of preference.
The minimum card deposit amount is $50. Be sure to use the promo code “FIRST” when you register your account. That code locks in your welcome bonus (25% up to $1,000).
Bookmaker – Bookmaker has occupied their spot on my “Top USA Sportsbooks” list for a long time. They’re reputable, pay out quickly and offer competitive lines on all of the top sporting events. They also make available an array of credit card deposit options.
Like Bovada, you can use any card that carries the Visa logo. But like BetOnline, you can also use MasterCard and American Express (they don’t currently accept Discover).
Here’s the best part: there’s no fee levied on your deposits. If you use your Visa, MasterCard or AMEX to deposit $300 into your account, you’ll be able to use every cent when placing wagers.
The minimum amount for Visa and MasterCard deposits is $50. The minimum for American Express is only $25.
5Dimes – A lot of U.S. sports betting fans consider 5Dimes to be one of the best books online. Flexible sign-up bonuses (or reduced juice), early posting of lines and first-rate customer support make 5Dimes a perennial favorite.
You can fund your account with any card – credit or debit – that carries the Visa emblem. If you don’t have a Visa credit card, use the debit card issued by your bank. These days, most large commercial banks issue Visa debit cards to account holders.
Like Bookmaker, 5Dimes doesn’t charge a fee for credit card or debit card deposits. Every dollar you put into your account can be used to place bets. The minimum deposit amount is $50. 5Dimes puts a $250 ceiling on first-time deposits. The ceiling is raised to $500 after your 3rd successful deposit.
Why Use Credit Cards At USA Sports Betting Sites?
The biggest reason to use credit cards to fund your sportsbook accounts is convenience. Whip out your card, tap a few keys and you’re ready to start placing bets. It doesn’t get any easier than that.
Also, unless you live off the grid (à la the Unibomber), you probably have two or three credit cards in your name. At the very least, you have a debit card issued by your bank. Having said that, if you lack a credit card or debit card, you can always buy a prepaid Visa card to make deposits.
Do U.S. Sportsbooks Accept American Express And Discover?
Some do, but most don’t. For example, BetOnline accepts both American Express and Discover. Bookmaker accepts the former, but not the latter. Bovada and 5Dimes accept neither, focusing instead on Visa card deposits.
Why do so few sportsbooks accept AMEX and Discover? First, both companies tend to shy away from the sports betting industry. Card processors thus have a more difficult time maintaining relationships with them.
Second, the processing fees are higher than those imposed on Visa transactions. Combined with the fact that more people have a Visa in their wallets than AMEX or Discover, there’s less incentive for sports betting sites to accept cards from the latter two companies.
It’s worth noting that books that accept AMEX and Discover tend to have very high acceptance rates.
What To Do If Your Credit Card Is Declined
I mentioned earlier that there were a couple of caveats, or challenges, with using Visa and other cards to make deposits. The biggest one is that your deposit attempts will sometimes be declined.
It’s not the sportsbook’s fault. They want nothing more than to help you fund your account. The problem is, a lot of transactions related to sports betting get flagged at the processor level. Flagged transactions rarely get through.
Why do they get flagged? Because of regulations written into the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA). Again, you can thank your trusty politicians.
If your credit card deposit doesn’t go through, what other options do you have to fund your account? You can try using a Visa debit card or prepaid gift card. You can also send a bank wire or transfer funds via MoneyGra. Another option? Take advantage of person-to-person (P2P) transfers.
Keep in mind, there are varying fees attached to each deposit method.
At one time, you could use an eWallet service like Neteller. But that ship has long since sailed. Nearly every reputable eWallet has pulled up its stakes and closed its doors to USA sports bettors.
USA-Friendly Sportsbooks Will Not Pay Out To Credit Cards
A lot of novice sports bettors assume they can withdraw money to the same credit card they used to fund their accounts.
That’s a bad assumption.
Very few books pay out to credit cards. And importantly, none of the sites on my “Top USA Sportsbooks” list do so. There’s too great a chance that a credit card company will delay the transfer of funds. Sports betting sites are loath to take the chance. They’d rather avoid the risk and pay customers through more predictable means, such as a bank draft or P2P transfer.
Is Your Credit Card Safe At Bovada, BetOnline, Etc.?
Top-rated USA sportsbooks put a high priority on data security. They have to. They’re operating in a legislative gray area. A single major hack can shake customer confidence to the point that bettors become unwilling to fund their accounts.
To avoid such problems, sportsbooks maintain ultra-tight security protocols. That means your data is safe and secure.
Still feel leery about trusting sports gambling sites with your info? Consider this: major retailers like Target and Walmart have lost customers’ credit card data to hackers in the recent past. But sports betting sites like Bovada and BetOnline have, thus far, proven to be bulletproof.
That’s something to think about.
4 Tips For Using Gift Cards At The Top USA Sportsbooks
So far, we’ve focused mainly on credit cards. But let’s say you want to use a prepaid gift card to deposit money into your account. There are a few important details to keep in mind that will dramatically improve your success rate.
Let’s go through them one by one.
#1 – Make Sure It’s A Visa
With rare exception, any sports betting site that takes credit cards will take Visa. But they may not take MasterCard.
If you buy a prepaid gift card to make deposits, make sure it has the Visa emblem on it. There’s no incentive to buy a MasterCard gift card. Doing so limits your opportunities.
#2 – Make Sure It’s International
This tip will save you a lot of frustration. Verify that the gift cards you purchase can be used for international transactions.
Remember, most books are located off-shore. That being the case, your gift cards need to be eligible for off-shore purchases.
You may be able to squeak by with a card that’s only good for domestic purchases. But why take the chance?
#3 – Contact The Sportsbook’s Support Staff
If your gift card deposit goes through without a hitch, you can start placing bets as soon as the funds clear your account. But if your deposit is declined, don’t just give up. Reach out to the site’s support representatives. They might be able to help, even if they can’t take the deposit over the phone or email.
#4 – Try Again Tomorrow
Just because your prepaid gift card is declined today doesn’t mean it won’t work tomorrow. There’s a good chance the card processor used by your favorite sportsbook will wipe their records clean at the end of the day.
Wait 24 hours and give it another shot. You might be surprised at how quickly your deposit goes through.
As long as the UIGEA is still in effect, sports gambling sites will continue to run into problems processing credit card deposits. That comes with the territory. Having said that, the sites covered above – Bovada, BetOnline, Bookmaker and 5Dimes – have exceptionally high acceptance rates. But that doesn’t mean every transaction will go through without a hitch.
The most important thing to remember is that you have options. If your credit card is declined, try a Visa debit card or prepaid Visa gift card. If those don’t work, try the other deposit methods offered by your preferred sportsbook, like bitcoins.
I’ll leave you with one last piece of advice: stick to the books listed above. I’ve carefully vetted each one to make sure their support representatives are responsive and helpful. That should give you peace of mind in the event you run into any problems.
