Secure payment options for betting on London’s football action
In recent years we’ve seen a huge rise in the number of sports betting platforms available online, it seems that bettors prefer to use these sites rather than high street bookmakers. In a saturated market, online sportsbook operators compete with one another in offering value to sports bettors. This means competitive odds, wider markets, free bets and popular payment methods.
Many of the top online sportsbooks offer a range of secure and reliable payment options that include debit cards, e-wallets, mobile pay and direct banking. These operators may also offer live streaming with in-game betting. Punters view the action as it unfolds and place bets during the match, even when things take an unexpected turn like the recent comeback from Brentford over Man City (2-2).
Recommended Payment Options
Online sportsbook operators know they need to offer a decent range of deposit and withdrawal options in order to attract London football bettors. At the same time they need to offer secure transactions which are fast and reliable. Some of these payment methods may only be applicable for deposits, for example pre-payment vouchers from Paysafecard. This makes it important to check out what’s available prior to signing up with your preferred betting site. AskGamblers UK provides a breakdown of individual payment options and the recommended sportsbooks that accept them.
Popular Payment Methods
London football bettors can expect to find similar payment methods available in most UK sportsbooks. Popular options typically include debit or credit cards (Visa/Mastercard), e-wallets (PayPal/Skrill), mobile payments (Apple Pay/GPay), prepayment (Paysafecard) and bank transfers. A minority of sports betting sites may also offer cryptocurrency transactions for London bettors, but this method is still not widely available at UK sportsbooks. Let’s take a closer look at some of the most popular methods.
Debit and Credit Cards
The majority of online sportsbooks will offer debit or credit card transactions for deposits and withdrawals. These methods are the most popular, and widely available world-wide. However, in 2020, the UK Gambling Commission issued a blanket ban on all credit card transactions. They did so in a bid to reduce gambling-related harm and encourage responsible gambling.
London football bettors can still use Visa or Mastercard debit cards at most sportsbooks, it is still a convenient way to make payments, as well as being trusted and reliable. Unlike other popular methods, debit cards are an accepted way of claiming bonuses and offer decent minimum/maximum limits.
Renowned providers like Visa have implemented numerous security measures including Two-Factor Authentication (2FA), and Verified by Visa, to ensure that your transactions are safe. The only slight negative, is that debit card withdrawals can take up to 5 days to clear. Compare this to other available methods offering lightning fast cashouts that payout within hours, or sometimes instantly.
E-Wallets
Popular e-wallets like Skrill, Neteller and PayPal offer football bettors lightning fast transactions, including instant payouts at some sportsbooks. E-wallets act as an intermediary between your bank and the online betting site meaning your personal banking details are not shared with the platform.
There are a couple of disadvantages to look out for when using your e-wallet. The first, is that more often than not sports bonuses and promotions cannot be claimed by e-wallet depositors. The second is that some e-wallet providers (Neteller) may charge fees for depositing into your account. If your currency is not supported, you may also need to pay conversion fees.
Prepayment Cards
To stay in better control of their spending, some London football fans prefer to deposit at sports betting sites using a prepayment method, such as Paysafecard – a very smart move! Conveniently, you can purchase Paysafecard online or at a local retailer – like Asda, WHSmith or McColl’s – in varying denominations. Your funds can then be easily deposited at your preferred sportsbook using a 16-digit PIN code.
Advantages to using a prepayment method like Paysafecard are that you maintain your anonymity. Your banking details do not need to be shared, and you have a tighter control on your spending. However, one considerable disadvantage to using prepayment methods is that you cannot withdraw funds. For withdrawals, football bettors would need to select a different payment option which may require you to share personal details.
Mobile Pay
For the modern-day sports bettor, placing a bet on your favourite London football team becomes more convenient when you use your mobile phone. Many of the top sportsbook operators have introduced payment methods like Apple Pay, and Google Pay in a bid to capture a wider audience.
Sports bettors enjoy numerous advantages by using mobile pay – including access to live streaming and betting from anywhere in the world. Some sportsbooks offer exclusive promos to mobile users, including sign up bonuses, and a dedicated app to download. Other advantages include top-notch security measures, like Touch ID and Facial Recognition, which are used to verify transactions. These facilitate lightning fast deposits and withdrawals, no sharing of personal banking details, and fee-free UK deposits.
The only slight disadvantage is that not all sportsbooks offer the use of mobile pay. However, these numbers are increasing on a daily basis as more operators see the convenience of mobile pay for themselves and their customers.