How to make Casino Deposits with American Express
American Express, or Amex, makes a great back-up card when it comes to making deposits at the offshore online casinos that still welcome US players. While it is not illegal for individuals to enjoy real money casino games at these sites, Federal restrictions continue to make deposing at them a challenge. Fortunately, the casino site operators are able to get around those restrictions, by using international purchase codes for credit card deposits. This guide shows you how to use your Amex card to successfully deposit at online casino sites from the US.
First of all below I have outlined the current situation with casinos and making deposits for US players, with a focus on Amex. Next you will find a stage-by-stage process for making a deposit once you have found an online casino you are happy to play on. After that some important information on the key factors to look for when comparing bonus deals, which can differ a lot more than most players think.
Overview of American Express Casino Deposits
This is not the main card accepted by the offshore casinos, with both Visa and MasterCard more commonly accepted. What you will find is that Amex makes a great backup, and is sometimes accepted by casinos that do not make this known on their list of deposit options. You will also find some casinos who accept this as their main credit card deposit option too.
The current setup for US players is that the real money casinos accepting your custom are based offshore – usually out in the Caribbean. There are several jurisdictions which license and regulate online casinos there, including Antigua, Netherlands Antilles and Panama. These casinos claim that international freedom of trade laws allow them to accept international players. There has even been a dispute raised at the World Trade Organization to defend this right.
Federal laws prevent US banks from transacting with gambling sites, which is what makes the process of depositing at online casinos tricky. Fortunately, by using international purchase codes for credit card transactions, casinos are able to accept deposits from US players using American Express and other cards.
While these transactions often go through first time of asking, they do get declined on occasion. When this happens you have some other options to get your money on board. Pre-paid Visa cards is one alternative, these can be bought from gas stations around the country. You can also use money transfer services, the best known of these are MoneyGram and Western Union.
The key factor is to speak to your casino’s support team, and do not give up if your Amex deposit does not go straight through. These casinos are experts when it comes to payment transactions - their entire business depends on it.
How to Make Your American Express Casino Deposit
This is a generic process for how to get your American Express casino deposit on board. Most casinos will follow exactly this method, though you’ll find some that have minor variations. This assumes that you have already chosen the casino you wish to make a deposit at, and that you have checked their bonus terms to make sure you are getting a fair deal.
- The first step is to register for a player account, you cannot deposit without this, as this is where your funds will be going. You can do this via the main download or in-browser at most casinos. You’ll usually need to verify your e-mail address as part of this process.
- Next you need to find your way to the cashier section of your casino. No casino will make that difficult, often having multiple links to get you there. Choose ‘Deposits’ and then click on the American Express icon or link. If you do not see this, contact your site’s customer support team.
- Now you fill in your card information, this should include the long number across the front, expiration date, name as it appears on the card and the security number to the side of the main number on the front. You then enter the amount to deposit, and hit the ‘Submit’ button.
While it can feel like a long time, you’ll know in less than a minute whether your transaction has gone through. If not then remember there are plenty of other options available to get your money on board.
Compare Bonuses Before You Make Your Amex Deposit
On the surface, casino bonuses all look very much the same. All of them scream ‘100% to $200’ (or another amount). The similarity ends as soon as you look into the detail of the terms and conditions. Here you should find out about the wager-through requirement for your casino. This is the amount of times you need to turn over the deposit amount before the bonus can be cashed.
The range is huge, with some casinos as low as 20x and others at 50x of more. Most casinos also weight different games according to the contribution they make to your play-through. Finally, some games are completely excluded from the bonus offer – make sure you check your favorite games before you make that deposit.