October 2016 US Offshore Online Poker Payment Processing Report
US online poker withdrawal speeds improved over the past month at most sites. The exception is Full Flush Poker. That site disappeared from the internet on September 30. Full Flush Poker’s .eu domain now forwards to an affiliate link for a casino site. The Fullflushpoker.com domain displays a message claiming that it will be back online soon. We don’t have much hope that will ever happen. It seems highly likely that Full Flush Poker player funds are lost forever. The site was already experiencing difficulties paying players.
The other news this month is Bovada ceased its poker operations. All players were forced to move to Ignition Casino by September 30. Players in Delaware, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey and New York no longer have access to the network as Ignition Casino bans these states. Bovada players in these states were not grandfathered.
Last month’s grades are in parenthesis. The September US Online Poker Payment Processing Report may be found here.
Intertops A+ (A+)
Intertops is the flagship of the Horizon Poker Network. It remains at the top of our list once again. That is because it offers up to $2,500 per week in Bitcoin withdrawals without a fee. These are processed in one or two days.
Players may receive a check in about one week from Intertops. The maximum amount is $3,000. The fee is $50. Bank wires also cost $50. However, there are also fees charged by the intermediary and receiving banks. The cap on bank wires is $2,500. These are processed in about two weeks.
Ignition Casino (formerly Bovada) A+ (A)
Ignition Casino is the new poker brand for Bovada. It is the largest US-facing poker site.
The best way to withdraw from Ignition is by Bitcoin. These are processed in about two days. There is no fee. The maximum Ignition Casino Bitcoin withdrawal amount is $9,500.
Checks are delivered in 7-10 days. The fee is $50. Players may receive one each month for free. Bank wires also have a $50 fee that does not include what the intermediary and receiving banks charge. The free Bitcoin withdrawals have left bank wires obsolete. There are no recent reports of withdrawal speeds through this method.
BetOnline A (A)
BetOnline continues its impressive withdrawal speeds. It is the flagship of the Chico Poker Network.
Bitcoin withdrawals are processed in less than 16 hours. The fee is 2%. Checks are delivered in one to two weeks. The fee is $25. Players can cut the check delivery speed in half by paying an extra $25. The maximum check amount is $25.
Bank wires are also processed in one to two weeks. The fee is as high as $100 and depends on the amount. The banks handling the transaction will also charge a fee. The maximum bank wire withdrawal is $25,000.
BetOnline offers players a $50 fee discount once per month. The withdrawal request must be made on a Friday.
Winning Poker Network B+ (B+)
The Winning Poker Network cashier processes withdrawals for Americas Cardroom, Black Chip Poker and True Poker. Withdrawal speeds have slipped at Winning Poker in recent months but remained consistent over the last 30 days.
Bitcoin withdrawals are processed in three to seven days. The fee is 2%. The maximum Bitcoin withdrawal amount is $25,000.
Checks are delivered in one to three weeks. The fee is $65. The maximum withdrawal amount by check is $2,995. Players may receive one free check per month.
The Winning Poker Network offers a debit card. Its fees and process for receiving it have rendered it obsolete now that Bitcoin is available with such high limits.
Juicy Stakes B- (B)
Juicy Stakes is the sister site to Intertops on the Horizon Poker Network. There is little reason to play at Juicy Stakes. The only exception may be low limit players looking for an additional bonus. The reason for this is that Juicy Stakes only offers one withdrawal option for US players. That is a check. While it is delivered in about one week, the maximum amount is only $1,000. The fee is $50. Players that rake $40 in a month may have one free check cashout per month. Ewallet withdrawals for players outside the US have the same $1,000 cap.
There is no way to request a withdrawal under $250 at Juicy Stakes. This is the case for players in all countries.
SWCPoker B- (B)
SWCPoker is a Bitcoin-only site. Cashouts are processed in about 12 hours. There is never a fee. We give SWCPoker a low rating due to its lack of other withdrawal options and concerns about its traffic, which has dropped appreciably in the past year.
Merge Gaming C+ (C)
The Merge Gaming cashier services players at Carbon Poker, PlayersOnly, Sportsbook.ag and SuperBook. There was some improvement on the network in its Bitcoin withdrawal speeds. These are now processed in one to three days. The problem is that there is a 5% fee for Bitcoin withdrawals. That is the highest in the online poker industry. The maximum withdrawal amount is $5,000.
Bank wires are processed in three to seven weeks. The fee is 3% in addition to what the banks charge that handle the transaction. Checks are still taking three to four months to deliver. The fee is also 3%. The maximum amount is $2,500. Players may receive one free check per year.
Full Flush Poker F (D-)
Some players have been waiting more than a year for a Full Flush Poker withdrawal. The site is now offline. While we hope players get paid, there appears to be little hope. The site closed on September 30 and there has been little in the way of communication ever since.
The writer is dead wrong about withdrawals at Ignition. He or she states that “Players may receive one each month for free.” The cashier at Ignition has posted the following: As of October 1st, Ignition Casino will send one FREE withdrawal every four months, making it a total of 3 free withdrawals every calendar year.