Poker Deposit & Cash Out Guide

Not being able to get your money out of an online poker account has to be up there amongst one of the most frustrating things that could happen to any gambler. Thankfully though, at the best poker sites for South African’s getting your money in and out is simple.

Read on to get the lowdown on what is and isn’t allowed when you transfer money to and from an online poker site from South Africa.

Will I Be Restricted By The Law?

Seeing as online poker exists in a kind of legal limbo in SA at the moment, depositing and withdrawing through the usual methods might not work.

We can make no guarantees about which transactions will be flagged and blocked but the general rule of thumb is that South African credit cards will be blocked and wire transfers could be flagged by your South African bank.

Of course there are stories of people managing to complete wire transfers but honestly, it is simpler and quicker to use a different deposit or cash out method.

What Works And What Doesn’t?

Before we get to the good bit about which transactions you can actually use in SA, lets look at why you can’t use the usual suspects in a bit more detail:

Debit Cards

Debit cards are a popular transaction method outside of SA because they’re easy to use and the money gets moved almost instantly.

Unfortunately some poker websites, including many of the top global ones, are impossible to use South African debit cards at because the banks obstruct them.

PayPal

This is a payment method you’ve probably used lots of times before for buying most things from the Internet. The bad news is that PayPal as a company has taken a pretty cowardly position towards real money gambling for a while. They comply with the extremely vague and unclear anti-online poker laws launched by various governments around the world from the USA to South Africa.

There are still a couple of international online poker rooms that you can deposit and withdraw with PayPal at but they are expected to comply with the ‘no to gambling’ camp soon.

Internet Banking

This is another method that’s not going to work out for you if you’re in SA and you’ve got a South African bank account. That’s because although Internet banking operates completely online, it is still linked to your actual South African bank account so your bank will not allow the transaction.

What Can I use Then?

Don’t panic, you’ve got loads of great transaction methods to choose from and they all come in the shape of an eWallet.

eWallets are secure online services that give you somewhere to store the money you want to use for online poker and they let you withdraw cash both to and from your eWallet account. Here are the top eWallet options for South Africans:

Skrill

Skrill/Moneybookers is the best, most well-known eWallet and is certainly the most popular one with online poker players.

They charge a transaction fee of 1.9% if you’re moving money to or from a credit card but thankfully, Skrill is available to use at almost every top South African poker site.

NETELLER

NETELLER is an eWallet that’s been helping out real money online poker players for a long time. These days they are the most trusted name in the business and are open to players all over South Africa.