Western Union Wire Transfer Payment Option

Introduction

We’ve all heard of Western Union: it started as a telegraph company in the 1800s, graduated to telegrams in the 1900s, and today is one of the world’s largest financial wire transfer services. It is inevitable that online gamers would consider using Western Union as an online casino payment method.

How it Works

Most of us are familiar with the basic concept of a wire transfer service. You take cash to the wire office (it can be the actual wire service provider’s facility, or it can be the bank, the post office, the grocery store… many businesses offer money transfer services), and, for a fee, that money is transferred to a distant location. What actually happens is this: the wire company deposits your cash at the point of origin, and makes the same amount available to the recipient at the other end of the wire. It’s nice and neat, with no muss and fuss, and wire transfer is as good as cash because it is cash.

Some gaming sites accept Western Union wire transfers as an online casino payment method. From the casino’s point of view, there is a lot to recommend this policy: no chance of charge backs, no chance of bounced e-checks, and no chance of an insufficient funds notice from a web-wallet. All of this just highlights the biggest advantage of a wire transfer, for both the sender and recipient: because the cash is presented up front, before the wire is ever sent, there is no doubt that the transfer is good.

To use a wire transfer to make an online casino deposit, the player should first confirm that his casino of choice will accept this method. Wire transfers are usually not available for players in the US market, and the Congress is currently considering several bills on the subject of online gaming, some of which will ease the process and some of which will ban it altogether. It is recommended that all players, but especially those in the US, contact their casinos to get the most up-to-date information about available online casino payment methods. This is particularly important before trying out a new deposit method.

Once it is confirmed that the casino will accept Western Union money transfers, simply go to the casino banking section and select “wire transfer” as the payment option. The n will walk you through the process.

Available Currencies

In the matter of currencies, Western Union is much more flexible than n for online n. Because the service starts by presenting cash to the wire transfer service, the sender can choose to send any currency he likes. This is a particular advantage for players whose casino accounts are set to a different currency than they would normally use (a Canadian gamer playing in US dollars, for example). Setting a wire transfer as the online casino deposit method-of-choice guarantees that currency exchange issues are kept to a minimum.

The biggest drawback to using wire transfer as an online casino payment method comes when a player wants to make a withdrawal. Obviously, there is no bank or web-wallet account involved for the casino to make a direct deposit, so the player will have to choose a withdrawal method that is different from the deposit method.

Conclusion

If it is available in your area, or with your preferred online casinos, a Western Union money transfer for online casino deposits is an excellent option. The fees are modest, there is no interest involved, and because it is a cash up front system, there is no chance of anything bouncing.

Article Submitted by:
Tera Lee, Gaming and Casino Journalist.

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