October 2014 U.S. Offshore Online Poker Payment Processing Report

Payouts continue to be processed at efficient speeds at most offshore online poker sites that accept U.S. players. All but one site falls within an acceptable range. Unfortunately for players, high fees continue to be a problem.

Important programming note: This report will now be published at 4Flush. The September report may be found at Poker Affiliate Listings.

Below are the details on each major U.S.-facing poker site’s withdrawal options and speeds.  Last month’s grades are in parenthesis.

Bovada A+ (A)

Bovada continues its impressive run at the top spot in our survey. The site rotates between an A and A+ each month. Its payment processing system runs flawlessly.  Most players report receiving payouts within a week. Players receive one free cashout per month via check, bank wire or Visa. Additional payouts through these methods incur a $50 fee.

Checks are available in amounts up to $3,000. These arrive in 4-7 days. Bank wires are available in amounts up to $5,000 and are processed in 1-2 weeks. Visa cards may receive a payout in amounts up to $2,500. The credits are posted in 1-2 weeks, though it is actually processed by Bovada much faster. The extra time is attributed to the process of the funds reaching the card.

Western Union withdrawals are running about 3-7 days. Some players in restricted states have reported their maximum transfer amount dropping to as low as $600.

Below are the advertised fees for Western Union withdrawals:

Western Union

• $100 – $249 Fee: $50
• $250 – $499 Fee: $75
• $500 – $999 Fee: $100
• $1000 – $1499 Fee: $150
• $1500 – $2000 Fee: $200

Winning Poker Network A (A)

The Winning Poker Network cashier services Americas Cardroom, Black Chip Poker and True Poker. It maintained its A grade in October. Check speeds hover around two weeks. Players may receive one check per month without any fee. Additional ones cost $65  Checks hit with this fee arrive much faster than free ones.

Debit card withdrawals are processed in 1-2 days. There is a $25 fee to initially receive the card. Each load and transaction also incurs a fee.

Western Union payouts take about one week to receive. The fees and amounts are as follows:

• $100 – $299 Fee: $60
• $300 – $499 Fee: $70
• $500 – $749 Fee: $85
• $750 – $999 Fee: $95
• $1,000 – $1,500 Fee: $110

Intertops B+ (A-)

Intertops is a Revolution Gaming skin. The lack of a free withdrawal option keeps Intertops out of the A tier even though its speeds are often faster. With all of the sites with free options out there, it seems unfair to grade it with sites that offer one free withdrawal per month.

Checks are available in amounts up to $3,000 for a $50 fee. These arrive in about one week. Bank wires also carry a $50 fee.  The wire limit is $3,000.  These are processed in about two weeks.

Western Union withdrawals are available in amounts up to $2,000. The fees are as follows:

• $150-$500: $70 fee
• $501-$1,000: $85 fee
• $1,001-$2,000: $180 fee

Merge Gaming B+ (C+)

Merge Gaming is easily the most improved in the past month. Its cashier services Carbon Poker, Sportsbook.ag and PlayersOnly. Check speeds improved to as fast as 10 days in the past month. The longest wait was just short of three months in the past 30 days. Players receive one free check withdrawal per year, not month like other sites. Additional checks cost 3 percent of the total withdrawal amount.

Some players have bank wires available in amounts up to $5,000. The fee there is 9 percent and it arrives in about one week. Some players also have Western Union available in amounts up to $1,000 and $800, respectively. These carry a fee of 10-15 percent per transaction. Cash transfers arrive in 3-4 days.

BetOnline B+ (B+)

BetOnline is the flagship of the Chico Network. Checks, sometimes processed as money orders, arrive in 5-15 days. The maximum check amount is $2,500.

Cash transfers are sent via Western Unionm.  These cash withdrawals are processed in less than one week. Bank wires are processed in about two weeks.  BetOnline does not offer a free withdrawal option to any players, even those outside the U.S.

Below is the BetOnline withdrawal fee schedule:

• International ewallets: $20
• Checks and money orders: $25
• Bank wire: $45-$75
• Western Union: $34-$101

SealswithClubs B (B)

SealswithClubs is a Bitcoin-only site that processes cashouts in less than 12 hours. If you are comfortable using Bitcoin as a banking method then this could be the right poker site for your action. There are no fees for withdrawals beyond the currency fluctuations associated with Bitcoin.

Juicy Stakes B- (B-)

Juicy Stakes is a member of the Revolution Gaming Network. It processes all payments in one week or less. The drawback is that it charges a $100 fee on withdrawals that have a $1,000 cap. Active players receive withdrawals for just $50.

Lock Poker F- (F-)

Lock Poker is an outright scam. The site is currently offering a 100% up to $1,000 reload bonus that may be claimed up to six times. This is a disturbing promotion for a site that has not processed any withdrawals since April 2, according to a report compiled by Two Plus Two user IHasTehNutz. It will happily accept new deposits though.

A new report by IHasTehNutz shows that $941,270 in pending cashouts is owed to 394 players. Players report over $2.2 million in pending balances where no withdrawal request has been made.  This puts Lock Poker’s debt to Two Plus Two members at over $3 million.  Players at Two Plus Two trade Lock Poker chips for three to four cents on the dollar.

Do not play at Lock Poker. If you are waiting on a withdrawal from the troubled site, it seems highly unlikely that you will ever receive it. The oldest reported pending withdrawal turns two years old in November.

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