PayPal was one of the first payment methods to facilitate online payments, having been founded in 1998. In 2002, it was acquired by eBay, and it has since focused on providing users with fast and safe money transaction options.
PayPal is one of the leading names in electronic digital currency deposit services worldwide and highly popular when gambling at online casinos. PayPal is completely free to use to make payments. PayPal is fast, reliable, and secure, making it one of the best ways to complete any online transaction, including deposits into casino sites. A typical transaction takes just moments to complete, and there is little risk of identity fraud or similar concerns when using the service.
With the acquisition, PayPal became the perfect tool not only for online purchases on eBay and other retailers but also for casino transactions. It can store funds, transfer them quickly, safely and anonymously and, as such, it is highly praised among the gambling community.
PayPal is widely popular among European casino players due to the provider’s reliability, quickness and easy-to-use features. There are also plenty of US-friendly PayPal casinos that offer its users to deposit and withdraw money through this payment service.
The main perks of using PayPal for online casino payments are:
- Lightning-fast processing times
- State-of-the-art security measures
- Anonymity
- High transaction limits
- Low to no fees
Sounds unreal, does it?
It did to us in the beginning as well, but as we began to unravel all the benefits of using this platform, we came to realize that PayPal is the real deal. And we’re utterly confident that you’ll share our enthusiasm once you read this guide and learn everything you need about using PayPal in casino sites.
Everything you need to know
Stick around as we explore all the pros and cons of using one of the leading payment services in the world for online casino transactions and beyond!
Most Trusted Online Casinos that Accept PayPal
PayPal is accepted by a host of US-friendly casinos. Our expert casino team took on the challenge of tracking down the most trustworthy options.
All the casinos below boast splendid bonuses and promotions, as well as a plethora of gaming options. Most importantly, they’re perfectly legitimate and accept PayPal deposits and withdrawals.
| Casino | Offer | Devices | Play Now / Review |
|---|---|---|---|
$5,000 Welcome Bonus | |||
First 3 Deposits, Get Up To $6000 | |||
350% Match up to $3500 | |||
First 3 Deposits, Get Up To $3000 | |||
$5500 Welcome Bonus | |||
$5000 Welcome Bonus | |||
255% Bonus up to $2555 | |||
First 3 Deposits, Get Up To $6000 | |||
$3,000 | |||
300% up to $500 |
Can US Players Use PayPal for Online Gambling?
Absolutely and unequivocally yes! PayPal is accepted by numerous online casino sites operating legally in the US. There are a bunch of licensed online casinos in the US, as well as offshore sites which offer this payment method.
Although PayPal’s official website says that the company needs to pre-approve all activities related to gambling. In other words, a US-facing online casino cannot use PayPal until and unless it receives a pre-approval from PayPal.
According to a CNBC report of September 2015, some US-facing online casinos started offering PayPal as a payment option after nearly 10 years of staying away from the US market. The online payment processor started pre-approving US online casinos very quietly and hardly released any information about any changes to its policies.
Although PayPal had no issues processing transactions related to online gambling when it was an independent company, it stopped supporting US online gambling activities in 2003 after it merged with eBay. Now that PayPal is once again an independent company, it is quietly allowing some US gambling websites to offer PayPal as their banking method.
If you can’t find a PayPal online casino that accepts players from the US, there are some noteworthy alternatives, such as crypto casinos. You can read all about them in our in-depth crypto casino guide — we have an entire page dedicated to how to use cryptocurrencies on online gambling sites.
How to Use PayPal on an Online Casino: Step-by-Step Guide
Using PayPal as a preferred casino banking method is easy, safe, secure, fast, anonymous, and convenient. PayPal is a complete banking method as it can be used not only to load casino gaming accounts, but also to withdraw winnings.
Here is a simple guide to using PayPal as a banking method at online casinos.
Set up a PayPal Account
Signing up to a PayPal account is quite self-explanatory and, more importantly, free of charge. First, you must visit the PayPal official site, and click on the “Sign Up” button.Then choose the type of account you want to open and fill out the required fields. You will need to provide personal info, such as a username, password, and email address.
Next up is linking your PayPal account to your credit/debit account. Since PayPal is in charge of linking your bank account to your PayPal account, you won’t need to share any banking details with the casino site you’re playing in.
After you have provided the banking info and connected your bank account to your PayPal account, a small deposit will be made into your account that will effectively complete the process and allow you to proceed with making deposits and withdrawals in a real money online casinos.
Don’t worry — the deposited money will be refunded to your bank account in a few days.
For a more detailed explanation, refer to the video below:
Fund Your PayPal Account
Before you can start using PayPal for casino payments, you must make sure your account is topped up. You can fund your PayPal account either via PayPal Cash Service or through your bank account.If you opt for the bank transfer, you will be asked to provide the bank account as the source of the funds, input the amount you want to transfer, and finally click on “Add”.
If you go through the PayPal cash service, you must find a local PayPal-friendly vendor. When you do, generate the barcode through the PayPal app and show it to the retailer along with giving your cash, and your account will be topped up in 15 minutes. You will be charged a small fee.
Join One Of Our Recommended PayPal casinos
Create an account at any of our recommended PayPal casinos. It is absolutely free to do so. You can also play the games for free till you feel comfortable about making a deposit at the site.Login to your chosen Paypal Casino's account
Once you have topped up your PayPal account and registered at a preferred gambling site, it’s time to make your very first deposit.Here’s the whole drill:
- Log in using your username and password
- Go to the “Cashier” section (it’s usually marked with shopping cart symbol) and select “Deposit”
- Select PayPal from the list of all available payment methods
- Enter the amount you wish to deposit
- Verify the transaction
- Enjoy!
After you’ve confirmed the transaction, the funds should be transferred to your casino account almost instantaneously.
Linked Payment Methods Used For Insufficient Funds
If your PayPal balance is insufficient, the funds will be drawn from the bank account or credit/debit card linked to your PayPal account.Withdrawal
The withdrawal process is a piece of cake — just follow these few simple steps:
- Log in
- Go to the “Cashier” section and click on “Withdraw”
- Type in the amount of money you want to cash out
- Verify the transaction
- After 2–5 days, the funds should reach your PayPal account
- Transfer the funds from the PayPal account to your bank account or credit card
Some online casinos that accept PayPal deposits also work the other way around and will allow you to withdraw using the same method. If you’re playing in gambling sites that don’t facilitate PayPal withdrawals, you must choose an alternative payment method, like Visa or mastercard .
When you’re requesting your very first withdrawal using PayPal, the online casino might ask for some additional info to confirm your identity. This is required because most online casinos are subject to KYC (Know Your Customer) policy. On that note, you may need to provide:
- Personal ID
- A copy of your passport
- Utility bill
- Bank Statement.
Players who do not want to use the above two methods to withdraw their cash can request PayPal to send them a check. To withdraw through check, players have to login to their PayPal accounts, click on the Withdraw option, and then click on the Request a Check option. While PayPal checks reach US customers within two weeks, they may take as many as six weeks to reach non US customers. PayPal also charges a fee of US$1.50 for making withdrawals through checks.
Online casinos do not charge you for using PayPal as a banking method.
How to Hand-Pick a Top-Tier PayPal Casino
The legal aspect of using PayPal depends on your country’s stance towards online gambling. Almost all countries have adopted a unique approach to this matter. For example, Turkey can’t send funds to foreign accounts.
Some countries, like Egypt and India, can accept a virtual PayPal visa from the US, but not from the EU or the UK.
The bottom line — you should inform yourself on the online gambling laws in your country of residence that pertain to the usage of PayPal for online casino transactions.
Another thing to have in mind when choosing a PayPal-friendly casino are limits to PayPal deposits. When making casino deposits, you won’t be charged any fees by the casino in most cases. However, PayPal reserves the right to charge fees.
Furthermore, withdrawal fees will vary significantly depending on your geolocation. You should also be aware of the fact that you can only withdraw funds from the casino account via a Visa or US bank account.
You should know all these things before making your final decision on where to gamble online while in the US.
Most Popular PayPal Casinos To Play Casino Games
No matter if you’re a fan of slots or tables, you should check out the offerings at Slots.lv and BoVegas casino.
As the name suggests, this is a true paradise for real money slot lovers.Apart from a massive array of slots, this casino offers all kinds of incentives for US players, including a dazzling welcome bonus of up to $5,000, as well as a hefty $22 no deposit bonus.
If you’re looking for Vegas-style casino action and all the excitement that comes with it, look no further than BoVegas — an all-in-one US-friendly gambling hub.When you join their ranks, you will get a warm welcome — a welcome worth up to $5,500 in bonuses! And if that’s not enough, there is a great great casino game collection for all who enjoy playing casino classics.
PayPal History: Timeline and Facts
With over 280 million active users and over 10 billion payments per year, PayPal is a genuine e-commerce juggernaut, on par with Visa and MasterCard in terms of popularity and quality of service.
Let’s see how PayPal’s path to prominence from the company’s early days went down:
- 1998 — PayPal was founded by technology entrepreneurs called Max Levchin and Peter Thiel. The company’s initial name was Confinity.
- 2000 — The company merged with Elon Musk’s online banking company called X.com. Musk saw the potential of Confinity, but the then CEO of X.com, Bill Harris, didn’t share his enthusiasm and Harris left the company. Later on that year, Musk decided to seize X.com’s internet banking operations and turned the focus to PayPal. That same year, Peter Thiel replaced Musk as the CEO of X.com.
- 2001 — The company was renamed to PayPal.
- 2002 — PayPal went public and was acquired by eBay for $1.5 billion.
- 2006 — PayPal launched a mobile platform, allowing customers to facilitate PayPal transactions via smartphone devices.
- 2013 — PayPal acquired an online competitor, a company called Braintree Systems.
- 2014 — Carl Icahn, one of PayPal’s main shareholders, demanded that his company split ways with eBay. The two tech giants split, and PayPal once again became a publicly-traded company.
- 2015 — PayPal purchased a digital transfer firm called Xoom, allowing the company to accelerate the handling of international payments.
- 2016 — PayPal’s subsidiary, Venmo, surpassed $1 billion in payments for a single month, which is the greatest amount ever.
- 2017 — PayPal launched its pioneer P2P payment system, thus paving the way for the company to branch into the emerging P2P marketplace.
- Present day — PayPal is one of the leading financial providers, massively used in the iGaming industry.
Why Use PayPal for Casino Deposits?
Countless transactions that take place via PayPal every day are a testimony to the provider’s ubiquitous use and safety.
As an online gambler, security, ease of use, and speed are the most sought-after features from a banking method, and PayPal hasn’t failed to deliver. Several cutting-edge security measures that are put in place to protect all transactions vouch for PayPal’s undisputed dedication to provide its users with a 100% safe and reliable payment gateway.
One of the most amazing features of PayPal is its One Touch feature, which ensures that all your login information is safely and securely stored on your desktop, mobile or tablet. Once you activate One Touch, you don’t have to repeatedly input your email address and password for the next six months. This makes it possible for you to shop really fast. You can always disable One Touch by visiting your PayPal profile page.
PayPal
What’s more, certain casinos offer bonuses for those who deposit via PayPal. These bonuses might come in the form of free spins, free cash, or match deposit offers.
One of the most significant benefits of using PayPal in online casinos is there are no limits as to how much you can deposit.
PayPal is extremely easy-to-use and convenient. With a single click, you can keep tabs on every deposit, withdrawal, pending transactions, and so on. You can use PayPal via every popular device, making it ever so convenient to add and remove funds from your casino account.
Pro and Cons of Using PayPal
Although PayPal is one of the most convenient payment methods to make casino payments, there are some downsides to its convenience. Here are the good and bad points to consider.
- Reputation and security — There are over 100 million PayPal users in the US alone, which only goes to show how reliable and safe this payment method is. Also, PayPal takes security very seriously and employs the same high-tech security measures as most banks in the US.
- Anonymity — Since PayPal is a third-party service, your financial data (credit card and bank account number) will never get into the casino’s site servers. This means that the money you deposit on gambling sites is always kept hidden from prying eyes.
- Ease of use — Setting up a PayPal account is straightforward and payments are easy to execute. Also, it takes only a few clicks to deposit and withdraw on casino sites via PayPal.
- No maintenance fees — PayPal is 100% free to use. This is a major benefit if we take into consideration that merchants impose fees that may be as much as $100 per month.
- Speed — Being an eWallet, PayPal is able to facilitate lightning-fast transactions. This is particularly noticeable when it comes to casino withdrawals because PayPal cashouts take only 2–3 days to process, which is much faster than via other methods.
- Frozen accounts — In some instances, your PayPal account can be frozen. This may occur if the service detects a substantial amount of money being withdrawn or any potentially suspicious activity. PayPal uses these somewhat strict protection measures to prevent fraudulent activities. However, most people get frustrated when their funds get frozen, which is a completely understandable reaction.
- Not all countries can receive payments from PayPal — Since it’s located in California, US, it doesn’t allow payments to many offshore casinos.
Final Thoughts
Depositing and withdrawing on casino sites via PayPal is an incredibly hassle-free option, provided you are a resident of a country that is accepted by casino sites for PayPal transactions.
In my opinion, PayPal is a payment provider of the highest echelon. When choosing a good PayPal casino, you need to use good judgment, as in every business decision. Hopefully, this guide will assist you in making that decision.
If there is anything I can help you with, please let me know in the comment section below.