September 2017 US Offshore Online Poker Payment Processing Report
It is the busiest time of the year for offshore poker sites. Football season generates significant demand on the payment processing systems. It does not seem that there have been any slowdowns in payments due to this. Most sites hung around last month’s levels or slightly improved.
August grades are in parenthesis. The full August 2017 payment processing report may be found here.
BetOnline A+ (A)
BetOnline is the flagship of the Chico Poker Network. Sportsbetting.ag is its sister site. These are the only US-friendly skins on Chico Poker.
Bitcoin is the fastest way for US players to get paid by BetOnline and Sportsbetting.ag. These transactions are processed in less than one day. The maximum Bitcoin withdrawal amount is $10,000. There are no fees. Litecoin has the same maximum and no fees.
The reason BetOnline moved up to an A+ is because its check withdrawal speeds have dropped considerably. Checks now arrive in about one week. The fee is $50. Alternatively, players may request a money order for $80 with a maximum of $8,000. These also arrive in about one week.
Bank wires are available in amounts up to $24,900. The fee is $50 in addition to costs charged by the processing banks. These arrive in one to two weeks.
BetOnline still offers cash transfers. The maximum is $400. The fee is $101. These are processed in a day or two.
BetOnline will waive up to $50 in fees one time each month. This request must be made on a Friday.
Bovada/Ignition A+ (A)
Bovada and Ignition are the two US-friendly skins of the PaiWangLuo Network. This platform was once known as Bodog. This network is in first place again in terms of cash game traffic since our last report, according to PokerScout.
Bovada Bitcoin withdrawals speeds are now less than one day in most cases. The cap is $9,500. There are no fees. Check withdrawals are processes in one to two weeks. The maximum check amount is $2,500. The fee is $50. Players may receive one free check withdrawal every four months.
Intertops A+ (A+)
Intertops is the flagship of the Horizon Poker Network. It is a small site that shares players with Juicy Stakes. Intertops is superior to Juicy Stakes due to its additional withdrawal options and higher limits.
Intertops processes Bitcoin withdrawals in amounts up to $2,500. That is the cap per week. These withdrawals are processed in about one day.
Checks are paid in amounts up to $3,000. These arrive in about one week. The fee is $50. Intertops also offers bank wires. The cap per transaction is $2,500. The fee is $50 in addition to the fees charged by the banks handling the wire.
Winning Poker A- (A-)
The Winning Poker Network cashier processes payments for Americas Cardroom, Black Chip Poker and True Poker. It is the second-largest poker network that accepts US players.
Bitcoin withdrawals are processed in one or two days. The cap is $10,000. There is no fee.
Checks are processed in amounts up to $2,995. These arrive in one to two weeks. The fee is $65. Winning Poker will waive this fee once per month.
SWC Poker B (B+)
SWC Poker is a Bitcoin-only poker site. It processes payouts in less than 12 hours. Its traffic and software issues make us give it a lower grade than it would if it did not experience these issues.
Juicy Stakes B (B-)
Juicy Stakes is sister site to Intertops on the Horizon Poker Network. We recommend Intertops over Juicy Stakes due to the higher limits and free Bitcoin withdrawals.
Players at Juicy Stakes may request a check in amounts up to $1,000. The fee is $50. These arrive in about one week. Bank wires are available in amounts up to $2,560. The fee is $60 in addition to what is charged by the banks handling the transaction.
Juicy Stakes will waive the withdrawal fee once per month to qualifying players. It takes $40 in monthly rake to get a free check. A player that rakes $60 in a month may get a free bank wire.
Merge Gaming C- (C+)
Merge Gaming is the only site in our list that is not processing payments in a reasonable timeframe. Even worse, it has astronomical fees on withdrawals. It’s clear that Merge Gaming does not like winning poker players. This cashier services Carbon Poker, PlayersOnly and Sportsbook.ag.
Bitcoin withdrawals are processed in three to five days. The fee is five percent of the withdrawal. Merge Gaming’s competitors process these transactions for free in about one day. The maximum Merge Gaming Bitcoin withdrawal is $5,000.
Checks are available in amounts up to $2,500. The fee is three percent. These arrive in three or four weeks.
Merge Gaming will waive a fee one time per year. This applies to both checks and Bitcoin withdrawals.