Pay by Mobile Phone Casinos in Canada
Simplify and secure your online gambling experience with mobile phone bill casino deposit options for Canadians.
Prior to the internet, the world was a much smaller place. We traveled to casinos to gamble, wrote cheques to pay bills, and used phone booths to communicate on the go. No one knew what the weather was like in Brazil. We didn’t have random friends in Australia. Consumers never bought goods directly from China, unless they were in China. Boy, have times changed!
Nowadays, the majority of our activities take place over the internet. We call, text and snap people over WiFi and 5G mobile networks. We pay bills through online banking services and apps. Thousands of internet casinos exist in the digital realm of cyberspace, fulfilling our entertainment needs with ultimate convenience.
Having the option to gamble on a desktop or mobile device is great, but it’s not just the way we access the games that’s so favorable. There are nearly as many ways to pay for your wagers as there are types of games to wager on.
Practicality Over Popularity
If you’re familiar with the industry, you know that the most popular ways to fund an online casino account are credit cards, debit cards, eChecks, bank transfers, and eWallets. You may also recognize that all of these services have something in common. To use them, you must share some form of personal financial information over the web. You may be sharing this info with the online casino you’re depositing with. Or, you may share it with the online payment service that facilitates your transfers. Either way, you’re divulging sensitive data.
On the surface, this shouldn’t raise any red flags. These payments are very secure. Each party uses state-of-the-art technologies to encrypt data transfers and protect their users’ information. But as we all know, fraud and identity theft happen. Security breaches can occur. Computers and mobile devices can be infected by all sorts of viruses, malware, keyloggers, etc. So, for anyone who insists on the most secure ways to deposit at online casinos – without divulging any personal financial details whatsoever – I recommend Pay by Mobile Casinos.
Pay by Mobile Phone Bill Casino Deposits
Mobile phone billing – it’s something we should all be familiar with. We pay our cellular bill regularly, just as we do utilities, cable, streaming services, rent/mortgage, and other common usage fees. Some of us take the time to pay the mobile bill each month. Others set up auto-payments, instantly debiting the charge from our bank account; a method especially popular with contractual monthly phone plans. The point is, no matter how or when you pay that bill, you could be paying off your internet gambling expenses at the same time.
Online casinos that accept mobile phone bill deposits let you do just that. When you make a deposit this way, the cost is simply tacked onto your monthly phone bill. It’s that simple. The only information a player shares with the casino operator during deposit is their mobile phone number and network carrier.
Added Security via SMS Confirmation
For security purposes, you’ll receive an SMS text message with the details of the payment, and instructions to confirm or deny the purchase. This typically involves replying ‘Y’ for yes or ‘N’ for no, or with a numeric verification code to approve or decline.
The entire process can take about 30 seconds to complete. Once confirmed, the amount of the deposit is immediately reflected in your casino account balance. No information is shared, no risk taken; just a fast, simple, ultimately secure way to deposit.
Mobile Phone Bill Casino Payment Services
There is currently only one mobile phone payment system that caters to the Canadian online gambling community. It’s called Boku, and it’s been around for a lot more years than you might think.
The company was founded in the UK in 2003 as Vidicom Ltd. They spent the first few years seeking funding for a revolutionary service it called MobillCash. It didn’t take off until 2009, when investors from the Silicon Valley took interest. The company moved to San Francisco, California, rebranded as Boku, and has been expanding its coverage ever since.
Other mobile billing services that are not (yet) available in Canada include PayForIt and Zimpler.
Boku Casino Deposits
Boku is the largest and most widely available mobile phone bill payment option, especially popular among online gaming communities. More importantly, it’s the only one that caters to Canadians, and requires no input of personal or financial (card or bank) details.
Boku was originally available to European customers for about 5 years before entering the Canadian market in 2014 as a ‘direct carrier billing‘ service for PS4 gamers. It’s now available for players of all major video gaming consoles, and is promoted by 125+ global online gambling websites; about 75 of which accept Canadian players and deposits.
Unlike traditional payment methods, you won’t need to register an account with Boku to use its direct carrier billing service. It’s also 100% free. There’s no direct or monthly fee to use the service. The amount you deposit is the amount you pay, period.
How to Pay with Boku at Online Casinos
To make a mobile phone bill payment with Boku, log in to an online casino that accepts this method. Navigate to the Banking > Deposit section and choose the mobile phone billing option (Pay by Mobile, Mobile Billing, Boku, etc.). Enter the amount you want to deposit, along with your mobile phone number and mobile carrier (if required). You’ll immediately receive an SMS text message with the details of the payment. Reply affirmatively (e.g. Y for Yes) to that message and the payment is complete.
Can I Request a Boku Casino Withdrawal?
Unfortunately, withdrawals are not an option via mobile phone casinos. While casino deposits can appear on your mobile phone bill, payments cannot be credited back to it. In order to facilitate a withdrawal that is equally secure (no financial details), you’ll want to request a paper cheque by mail. All other withdrawal methods require divulging personal and financial information.
Monthly Billing & Pay As You Go Plans
Mobile phone casino deposit options are compatible with any cellular plan. Whether you have a regularly scheduled monthly payment, or utilize a pay-as-you-go service, it still works. For monthly payment plans, the deposit shows up on your next month’s bill. For pay-as-you-go plans, the deposit will be withdrawn instantly from your available credit balance.
Limitations and Prepaid Liabilities
The most common complaint with mobile billing is that the limits are just too low. Unless you’re a casual gambler, a $30 cap on deposits may be a huge turn-off. If that’s the case, there are plenty of other payment methods worth looking into. However, when you consider the simplicity and overall security of this option, are the limitations really so stifling?
Mobile carriers enforce these limits to protect themselves, as well as their customers. Most users are on monthly wireless plans, which means they’re paying for the service after the fact. For some people, it’s all too easy to spend money when the bill doesn’t come until later. It is, effectively, the same as gambling on credit, which is never really recommended, no matter how responsible you are. Thus, low spending limits prevent users from harmful practices, like chasing losses.
Mobile Phone Bill Casino FAQs
| In Short: | Yes, Canadian banks can block gambling transactions, but not all of them do. |
| In Detail: | Federal law gives Canada’s banks the right to block any transaction they deem inappropriate, illegal, or suspicious in nature. Some banks consider gambling transactions to fall into one or more of those categories. While all of Canada’s Big Five support transactions to/from locally owned/operated and regulated gambling sites (e.g. PayNow, Espacejeux, Ontario’s iGaming market), international operations are another matter. Banks that do not support international iGaming transactions (Scotiabank, RBC, TD Bank) may block a direct bank transfer. If your bank denies your bank transfer or credit/debit card payment, there are alternative methods to deposit and withdraw casino funds through your bank. |
| In Short: | Yes, Bank of Montreal (BMO) supports gambling transactions to both local and international online casinos. |
| In Detail: | BMO is one of just two of Canada’s Big Five that support online gambling transactions with both locally and internationally regulated gambling sites; the other being CIBC. This includes debit card and direct banking transfers, for deposits and withdrawals alike. You can learn more about online gambling with BMO here. |
| In Short: | Yes, the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) supports online gambling transactions with local and international operators. |
| In Detail: | CIBC is one of two Big Five banks (BMO being the other) to allow online gambling transactions, not just with Canada’s provincially regulated websites, but with international ones as well. Its policies grant account holders the ability to deposit and withdraw using their bank account, debit card, and a variety of direct banking methods. You can learn more about online gambling with CIBC here. |
| In Short: | Yes, Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) has strict policies against unauthorized online gambling payments. |
| In Detail: | RBC has measures in place to automatically block any online gambling transaction it identifies as being sent to or received from an unauthorized gambling website. Unauthorized websites are those that do not have an operating license from a Canadian province. As a result, you can use your RBC account to transact with Canadian sites, like BC’s PlayNow, or any of Ontario’s licensed iGaming operators. However, attempting to deposit with a BMO debit card at an international online casino is sure to be met with rejection. That being said, RBC is not able to identify the purpose of all bank transactions; at least, not the way it does bank wire transfers and debit card payments. Direct online banking methods, such as Interac, iDebit, and Instadebit, have security measures in place that block certain details, including whether a payment is for gambling purposes. You can learn more about how to pay for online gambling with an RBC bank account here. |
| In Short: | No, not directly. Scotiabank has policies in place to prevent most online gambling payments. |
| In Detail: | Scotiabank’s terms state that unauthorized gambling transactions are prohibited. An unauthorized transaction is one that involves an online casino that is not licensed and regulated by a Canadian provincial government. That means your Scotiabank debit card will only work at sites like PlayAlberta, Espacejeux (Quebec), PlayNow (BC and Manitoba), or any licensed member of Ontario’s iGaming market. It is very unlikely that you will succeed in using your Scotiabank card to deposit or withdrawal at any internationally licensed online gambling sites. The vast majority of these payments get flagged as gambling transactions, resulting in immediate rejection. That being said, Scotiabank is only able to identify the purpose of certain payment methods, including debit cards and bank wire transfers. There are alternative ways to gamble online with a Scotiabank account. |
| In Short: | No, not directly. TD Bank restricts any payment it identifies as being for unauthorized gambling purposes. |
| In Detail: | Td Bank only allows Canadians to make gambling payments to online casinos locally licensed by a provincial government. Transactions with internationally regulated gambling sites are not permitted. If a payment is flagged as unauthorized gambling, it will be declined. On the other side of that coin, not all bank-related transactions get flagged. It depends largely on what method of payment is used. Debit cards and bank wires are sure to be scrutinized and rejected. Direct online banking methods, like Interac and iDebit, are protected from prying eyes. You can learn more ways to pay for iGaming with a TD bank account here. |
| In Short: | EcoPayz, Flexepin, iDebit, Instadebit, Interac, Jeton Wallet, MiFinity, MuchBetter, SticPay |
| In Detail: | If you can’t use your debit card due to your bank declining gambling transactions, there are a lot of alternative payment methods (APMs) to consider. Direct banking methods, like iDebit, Instadebit, and Interac, allow you to use your bank account, without the payment getting red-flagged for rejection. These inner-banking solutions are exclusive to Canada, and were designed by our own banks to offer ultimate security and privacy. Therefore, even your bank won’t see where the money is going or coming from. Web wallets (a.k.a. eWallets) are another great option. You can link your account to a web wallet, then use it to deposit securely at your favorite online casino. Then, transfer your winnings to the eWallet, and from the eWallet back to your bank. It’s more involved, and there are small fees to consider, but these and other alternative payment methods will get the job done. |
| In Short: | There are multiple reasons a deposit may be rejected – incorrect payment info; insufficient funds; your bank doesn’t support gambling transactions. See below for more details. |
| In Detail: | The most common reason for a deposit to be declined is due to typographical error. If the information you provide does not perfectly match your payment information, or the name/address tied to that payment information, the deposit cannot be completed. Double-check all of your information and try again. Another common problem is simply a lack of funds. If you have $198 in the bank and try to deposit $200, you’ll be declined for insufficient funds (NSF). Deposit more money in your account first, or try making a smaller deposit. If these reasons are invalid, you may be a member of a bank that does not support online gambling transactions with unauthorized websites. three of Canada’s Big Five banks – RBC, Scotiabank, and TD Bank – are known for declining such gambling transactions, especially via debit card or bank wire. If that’s the case, we suggest Interac or another alternative payment method. |
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