In this guide we will cover everything you need to know to download your first online gambling site, casino or poker room and be able deposit to play for real money. The most popular deposit methods are listed and explained at the bottom of the page.
Downloading software to play poker, bet or gamble online for the first time can seem a bit scary – Don’t worry it doesn’t need to be as long as you use trusted and established gambling sites.
1) Don’t Panic
It’s actually very straight forward and decent casinos & poker rooms will guide you through their download, sign-up and deposit step by step.
But first lets briefly address security – the number one fear new players have about gambling online, especially making that first real money deposit.
Only download and play at trusted and established sites (see our recommendations) – either the big household names or the smaller poker rooms with an established & proven backer.
Following the logic that players would not stay very long at a bad site that doesn’t pay out winnings you shouldn’t have a problem finding a reputable site in the top 30 or so sites – See our poker room reviews for example. Online casino’s and bookmakers make plenty of money running an honest site and indeed it’s in their best interests to keep players coming back.
If your worried about using a credit / debit card online for real money deposits then using an ewallet like neteller.com is both free and secure.
2) Download
Once you have chosen one of the sites you wish to download, check the system requirements – generally all reasonably up to date PC’s will be fine. If your on a Mac most operators now have a mac compatible download.
Using our links to one of our recommended poker sites (it helps Gamblista if you do – Thanks), the site will generally ask you if you want to download the free software or they have a big “download here” button, click OK and away you go. This will take only a couple of minutes for most sites software.
3) Sign-up / Registration
When prompted simply register your screen name or player name, some addition verification details and then for security purposes most sites may email you a verification code which you enter into the sign-up section.
At this stage your ready to play with fake or play money – I recommend you only use play money for checking out if you like a sites layout and game play and then move on to real money.
Using play money allows you to get used to how casino games work but if your playing playing play money poker you must remember it is nothing like the real thing accept for the basic rules of poker (people dont take it seriously).
It is really important that you register honestly with your true details and do NOT make multiple accounts or more than one per household – You want to be able to withdrawal any winnings without a hitch – Honesty is the best policy.
4) Real money deposit
Once your a registered player you will be able to make your first deposit – taking full advantage of any of the first time sign-up offers.
It is worth looking around as some sites offer very big bonuses – some are easier to get than others and generally they all require you to play a certain number of raked hands to qualify for the free cash.
In the case of casino & betting bonuses make sure you read the play through requirements as sometimes it’s better not to take the casino bonuses or pick a smaller more realistic one with lower play through requirements.
Ideally set-up a neteller account, it’s free and secure. You are able to transfer funds from your bank account through neteller into your players account at the poker site and easily transfer winnings back out again.
On the sites main menu you will see a button with something like “account”, “bank”, “cashier” or “deposit” click on it and then you will see a variety of depositing and cashing out options, this will include credit / debit cards / neteller & other ewallets.
If you are with a reputable site – look for security credentials – depositing via credit / debit card is safe if you prefer not to then using an ewallet is a perfect solution.
Follow the deposit instructions carefully and when confirming the deposit amount – if they say only click once – only click once.
The transaction will be confirmed by email
5) Keep Track, Set Limits & Be Honest With Yourself
I recommend you keep track of all of your gambling and poker playing so you know how your doing and don’t kid yourself – remember our 3 never break rules …
#1 NEVER gamble with money you cannot afford to loose.
#2 NEVER borrow money to gamble.
#3 NEVER gamble more to chase your losses.
Responsible gaming is enjoyable – loosing a months wages is not.
Once you have downloaded and deposited at your first poker site you can get down to the important part – playing winning poker. It’s always worth checking out new and different sites especially as the bonuses can be worth playing for alone. Just follow the same rules as for your first sign-up and you will have many hours of secure, enjoyable and hopefully profitable poker.
Deposit Options for Gambling Online
When choosing an online casino, poker room, betting or bingo site it is important to consider a few things before taking the plunge and signing up.
Does the room have the games you want to play? Is the bonus offer worth it and easy to clear? And most importantly, do they have deposit options that suit your needs ?
Quite simply, if the room does not have a deposit method that you can use, what is the point in signing up ?
Thankfully as online gaming has developed there is now a vast choice of deposit options available to players. However we strongly recommend you stick with proven and reliable ewallets and deposit and withdrawal methods to be sure that your money is is safe hands and will be processed from and to your player and bank account quickly and securely.
Here is our list of the most commonly used deposit options around the world as well as the information you need to decide which deposit options may be best for you.
Best Gambling Deposit Options
MasterCard/Visa: A large majority of online rooms allow their players to use their MasterCard or Visa debit or credit card, including US players. This is one of the best options that can be used because depositing literally takes about 3 minutes and only a few minutes after that (most times) for the funds to be available in the player’s account.
The only thing to keep in mind is that not all financial institutions allow their members to transfer funds to online casinos or poker rooms. It is best to check with your bank prior to attempting to make a deposit and it may be a good idea as well to have a back up deposit option.
NETeller: One of if not the most popular deposit methods and is a good back up for players who cannot use their credit or debit card. Players will find this deposit option in most of the larger online casinos and poker rooms and will be happy with how easily their NETeller account can be funded using a bank transfer, credit card or debit card.
Sadly, this option is not available to all players around the world.
Moneybookers: A virtual wallet that is only available to non-US players. It is very easy to use as players can simply load it with their credit card, debit card or via wire transfer. Players can also make withdraws back to their Moneybookers account, make purchases or transfer money to those they know. International players will be happy to know that Moneybookers can be found in all the major online poker rooms including Full Tilt and PokerStars.
PaySafeCard: An excellent deposit method simply because it is a pre-paid card. That alone makes it extremely safe and reliable to use. Aside from using this card to play poker, players can also use it the PaySafeCard at over 100,000 locations including stores, retailers, and other gambling sites worldwide. PaySafeCard has been on the rise simply due to its simplicity and added safety. This option adds extra security as it is a pre-paid card which will prevents players from having to input their personal information online. The PaySafeCard is accepted at sites such as Full Tilt, PokerStars, Titan Poker and 888Poker.
eWalletXpress: Another online virtual wallet that is starting to gain popularity, as its services are available to most players worldwide. You can fund eWalletXpress accounts using their bank accounts or credit cards. The major rooms that accept this option are Aced and Carbon Poker.
UseMyWallet: A smaller e-wallet that eliminates the need of inputting personal information online. Players simply fund their account using their bank account or credit card and then load their player’s account.
ECO Card: Can be funded using a bank account or credit card. Since the Eco Card is a virtual wallet, players can be worry free knowing that they just need to fun their account and transfer the funds with no need to input any of their personal information.
Some of the more popular sites that offer this deposit method include Aced Poker and Titan Poker.
Click2Pay: One of the most popular methods used outside of a debit card, credit card or NETeller. Their services are not offered to those in the US but are offered to over 25 other countries. ClickandBuy is a respected deposit method that can be funded using a player’s debit and credit card. Players will find Click2Pay in several online rooms including Full Tilt, PKR, Titan, PokerStars and Carbon Poker.
Entro Pay: Deposit option that can be used by many countries and can currently be found in online rooms such as Aced, Carbon and Titan Poker. Players can fund their account through a credit card, debit card or electronic check. The Entro Pay card is a great alternative because it is a prepaid card and will allow players to keep more of their information private if they wish.
UKash: Another prepaid card that is available to non-US players. This is accepted in rooms such as Titan, PKR, Absolute Poker and 888Poker. UKash cards are available in several locations through out Europe.
EntroPay: Prepaid card that can be loaded using your credit or debit card and can be used to load your players account at sites or to make purchases wherever you see a Visa symbol.
Wire Transfers: Players can make a wire transfer from their financial institute with the funds being available as soon as the bank releases the funds.
Visa/Maestro/Switch/Solo/Visa Electron: These are other versions of various UK based debit cards that players can use to make an almost instant deposit into their poker account. This is a preferred method next to using a Visa or MasterCard credit card because players should see funds into their account almost instantly.
Summary of Top Gambling & Poker Deposit Methods
What players will find is that even though these are the most popular and commonly used deposit options, they are not readily available at all the major poker sites. That’s why it is very important to do research prior to signing up to a room to ensure that your preferred deposit options are available. Since poker is going nowhere any time soon, we can only hope that this will not be an issue much longer.
