July 2016 U.S. Offshore Online Poker Payment Processing Report
The summer doldrums have hit online poker traffic. At the same time, payouts have slowed to players. Some sites have dropped withdrawal options. Cashout speeds have slowed at others. At this time, Bitcoin is the only consistent withdrawal option in terms of reliability.
Last month’s grades are in parenthesis. The June report may be found here.
Intertops A+ (A+)
Intertops leads the list again this month. It is the flagship of the Horizon Poker Network, which was once known as Revolution Gaming and Cake.
There was some bad news in the past month at Intertops. The Cardpay option that places money in a player’s bank account is not available at this time. Intertops says this is only temporary and the method will return.
Bitcoin is available in amounts up to $2,500. There is no fee for Bitcoin withdrawal at Intertops. These are processed in one or two days.
Checks are paid up to $3,000 per transaction. These are delivered in about one week. Bank wires arrive in two weeks and are available in amounts up to $2,500. The fee for check and wire is $50. Bank wires may have additional fees charged by the intermediary and receiving banks.
BetOnline A (A)
BetOnline is the flagship of the Chico Poker Network. Its sister site is Sportsbetting.ag. The pair uses the same payment processing systems.
Checks are available in amounts up to $2,500. The fee is $25-$50, depending on the speed of delivery. Checks arrive in one to three weeks.
Bank wires are available up to $25,000. The fee depends on the amount but is typically under $100. These arrive in 7-10 days.
Bitcoin is available up to $5,000. BetOnline charges a 2% fee for Bitcoin withdrawals.
BetOnline now offers a debit card. This is used like an ATM card. There is an $80 fee to receive the card. It arrives in three to five days. There is a $25 fee every time a withdrawal is transferred to the card. There is also a small fee for every transaction.
BetOnline offers players one free withdrawal each month. The maximum discount is $50. The request must be made on a Friday.
Bovada A- (A)
Bovada slipped a bit this month. This is because some of its methods have slowed. It is also due to the loss of Visa Fast Funds. The option was dropped after problems with the method in May appeared.
The fastest way to get a withdrawal from Bovada is by Bitcoin. The max is $9,500. There are no fees involved with Bitcoin withdrawals at Bovada. These are processed in one to three days.
Checks and bank wires are processed in about three weeks. Checks are processed in amounts up to $3,000. The cap on wires is $9,500. The fee is $50. Players may receive one per month for free.
Cash transfers are available up to $300. The fee is $50. These arrive in two or three days.
Winning Poker Network B+ (B+)
The Winning Poker Network cashier processes payments for Americas Cardroom, Black Chip Poker and True Poker. The Winning Poker Network experienced some issues with checks and Bitcoin in the past month. Bitcoin withdrawals were temporarily suspended but have since been reinstated.
Bitcoin withdrawals are processed in amounts up to $25,000. The fee is 2%. Bitcoin delivery times run one to three days.
Checks are delivered in two to four weeks in amounts up to $2,995. The fee is $65. Players may receive one free check per month.
The debit card is still a quick and reliable way to cashout from Winning Poker. It works just like an ATM card. It costs $40 to receive the debit card. There is a $4.95 charge for each withdrawal. Every transaction has a $3 fee. There is also a $5.95 fee to maintain the account each month. Debit card withdrawals are processed in about two or three days.
SealsWithClubs B+ (B+)
SealsWithClubs is a Bitcoin-only site. It is the only way to deposit and withdrawal at SealsWithClubs. Withdrawals are processed in less than one day. Many cashouts are received in just a few hours.
Juicy Stakes B (A+)
Juicy Stakes is a member of Horizon Poker. It now offers just one way to withdraw. That is a check in amounts up to $3,000. The fee is $50, although players that rake $100 per month may receive a free withdrawal. These arrive in about one week.
Merge Gaming C (B-)
Merge Gaming processes payments for Carbon Poker, PlayersOnly, Sportsbook.ag and Superbook. The network stopped accepting new U.S. players about six weeks ago. Its traffic has declined since. The same can be said about the quality of its cashout speeds.
Bitcoin is the fastest way for U.S. players to get paid from Merge Gaming. While this only takes a day or two at other poker sites, the speeds at Merge Gaming run 10 to 14 days for Bitcoin. The fee is 5% of the transaction. That is the highest fee among all sites for Bitcoin withdrawals. The maximum Bitcoin withdrawal at Merge Gaming is $5,000.
Checks are available in amounts up to $2,500. These arrive in about six weeks. Bank wires are available to some players in amounts up to $5,000. The fee is 3% of the transaction. Players may receive one free withdrawal per year.
Full Flush Poker D- (D-)
Things have improved marginally at Full Flush Poker but not enough to improve its grade. Some players have reported receiving cash transfers in the past month. We noted more reports than usual. This is a good sign but we are still concerned about the number of players waiting as long as a year for a cashout from Full Flush Poker.
No ewallet or check withdrawals have been reported in the past month. For this reason, and the slow trickle of cash transfers in amounts of $360, we recommend avoiding Full Flush Poker.