Come on — nothing is better than to win big, but then come up hard when attempting to cash out? Not so good. If you’ve tried playing at offshore sites, you’ll be familiar with this all too well.
From failing payments to charges that appear out of nowhere, payment problems have the potential to turn what was otherwise an excellent gaming session bad.
🌎 Overseas sites are an entirely different game. They play by other rules. Banks can get uptight over international transfers, and currency exchanges will take a big slice of your payout in fees.
But the good news is that if you know what issues you're likely to encounter, you can avoid them before they arise. Let's run through the most common payment issues and, most importantly, how to resolve them.
Table of contents
- Why international gaming payments fail for UK players
- Payment methods that work reliably across borders
- E-wallet solutions for online casino payments
- Prepaid and cryptocurrency options
- Solving payment verification delays
- KYC requirements for payment verification
- Making the verification process smoother
- Payment method comparison table
- Verification document checklist
- Pre-transaction safety steps
Why international gaming payments fail for UK players
The UK Gambling Commission keeps its ship ship-shape, all things considered. The issue is that sites licensed out of, for example, Malta or Curaçao are playing by their own set of rules.
💳 Your bank receives the payment instruction going to an offshore casino and it's most often like “Better safe than sorry” and puts the payment on block.
Many UK banks decline payments to gaming sites operating outside the UK. Strict policies against non-UK licensed gambling websites create difficulties for players.
Banks aim to comply with local laws, and this often leads to minor aggravations.
Finnish gaming sites take a different approach, offering payment solutions tailored to cross-border customers.
And the anti-fraud processes — they’re there to protect you from shady business, but they’re occasionally a bit too keen.
- Make a big payment to a foreign online casino? Flagged.
- Make multiple fast payments one right after the other? Flagged.
Payment methods that work reliably across borders
E-wallet solutions for online casino payments
With traditional card payments often being unpredictable, players seek alternatives for stable cross-border transactions.
E-wallets have become a popular solution for international payment issues.
They act between the bank account you pay from and the casino site itself, so the bank never actually sees you making an outright gambling payment.
What the bank sees is the payment to PayPal/Skrill—and much less likely to trigger those accursed blocking procedures. And that’s what makes these methods effective.
⚠️ Not all sites accept all e-wallets, however. But the good thing about e-wallets is that the transactions are quick, most often.
Prepaid and cryptocurrency options
Prepaid cards such as Paysafecard are a great solution if you want to keep online gaming payments separate and away from your bank.
No card details exposed, no panicked banks freezing payments.
The other method that's growing in popularity by the day is cryptocurrency. Bitcoin, Ethereum, etc have nothing to do with traditional banking, so no barriers or middlemen, and most crypto casinos pay out fast.
Lots of offshore casinos are almost exclusively operating with cryptocurrency nowadays. They do facilitate the purchase of crypto by way of traditional fiat methods, but in terms of deposits and withdrawals, crypto is the primary method
Bank transfer methods such as Trustly, Sofort, and even Klarna provide something in between—you're still making use of your bank account, but the payment is done through secure means approved by the gaming sites.
Finnish gaming sites, among others, have great cross-border payment solutions, making the entire process much simpler than it is for players based in the UK.
Solving payment verification delays
KYC requirements for payment verification
Know Your Customer (KYC) processes checks is where things slow down. UK sites are slow but consistent, but international sites will require you to submit paperwork you have never had to submit before.
The majority of the delays are caused by the documents you submit not quite living up to the requirements of the site. They'll usually want:
- ID
- Proof of where you live
- Proof of ownership of the method of payment you're using
Making the verification process smoother
Your records should be up-to-date, easy to read, and with clear corners. You should submit colour scans rather than black and white printouts.
The proof of residence should be in your full name, your current residence, and the date within the last three months.
Preparing all necessary files in advance of registration can expedite verification on all but the majority of platforms.
A minority of sites allow electronic verification or video calls in lieu, which in turn may minimise processing time. They vary with what each operator accommodates.
Common verification mistakes include submitting outdated documents, providing incomplete information, or sending files in the wrong formats.
Ensure details match across all forms and follow each site's specific requirements to avoid delays when withdrawing winnings.
For Finnish gaming sites or any other overseas sites used by players, verifications in advance of registration save time.
📄 Sites offer extensive guides detailing precisely which documents you require and how to upload them for the quickest clearance.
Payment method comparison table
E-wallets have a reputation for having high success rates in Europe and Asia, with the option of instant deposits and 1-2 days to withdraw.
Credit cards also have low success rates, depending on the issuing nation, with the option of an instant deposit and several days for the withdrawal.
Verification document checklist
To accommodate verification at offshore gambling platforms, collect the following mandatory documents:
- Recent government photo identification
- Recent bank statement or utility bill within the last 3 months
- Scanned front and back pictures of bank cards with the middle digit obscured
- Proof of where funds originated in the case of higher deposits
Pre-transaction safety steps
To safely place overseas gaming deposits:
- Let your bank know of upcoming overseas transactions
- Precheck your limit and transaction days before making extensive deposits
- Ensure the gaming site allows players within your country and offers your chosen mode of payment
- Review all fees and exchange rates before you confirm
