Why Can’t Players Claim Online Casino Bonuses with Skrill & Neteller?

Casino enthusiasts and e-wallets are a match made in heaven. The convenience and efficacy of these payment methods are a perfect fit for modern casino players who want no fuss. You log in, make a deposit in seconds, receive the funds, play and withdraw nearly just as fast. No banking details revealed, everything handled online. So, why can’t players use electronic wallets such as Skrill or Neteller if they want to redeem welcome bonuses?

Surely it has happened to you; you find a recommended casino, you get swept off your feet by the welcome offer, you sign up and just when you were about to make a deposit you see the phrase: “Deposits made with Skrill and Neteller do not qualify for the bonus”.  What a tragedy! Why is this a common practice among online casinos, excluding Skrill and Neteller deposits from welcome bonuses? We address this hot topic below.

What are Skrill and Neteller, Anyway?

Skrill and Neteller are two of the most popular digital wallets, along with PayPal. They are commonly accepted at casinos online, safe and provide a high level of anonymity for their users. Once you set up your wallet, you can fund it using a credit card or link it with your bank account. However, when you wish to send money from your wallet to, let’s say, a casino account, you will not have to provide any of your delicate banking details.

When at a casino, depositing with an e-wallet such as Neteller or Skrill requires you to switch over to their respective sites, log in with your credentials and approve the payment. No one will know your username and password, you will not share it with the casino. Cool, but why is this system a problem for casino operators to the point when they start prohibiting Skrill and Neteller deposits from redeeming bonus offers?

Neteller and Skrill casino deposits were not always excluded from welcome bonuses. Players would freely use them in their attempts to tackle bonus requirements and claim their prizes. The problem emerged when too many players started abusing the opportunity to make deposits with options such as Neteller or Skrill.

Main Reasons Why Neteller and Skrill Deposits Are Excluded from Bonuses

Once the casinos started picking up that players would use e-wallets not for their convenience or ease of use but because this would allow them to con casino sites, the bans appeared as one of the most important clauses in the bonus terms and conditions.

Bonus Abuse

Abusing bonuses has almost become synonymous with the use of Skrill and Neteller. Sadly, these banking methods have become popular for dark purposes. What happened? Well, players realized that they could continuously exploit loopholes in bonus terms and conditions with the help of speedy, simple-to-use methods such as e-wallets.

Players would create multiple accounts and claim the same welcome bonus multiple times. A person could create a Skrill account and use it without verification. Therefore, multiple fake accounts are possible. This would never happen with Visa, for example, because it is directly linked to a bank account and the identity of the user has already been verified.

Now, this unpopular behavior would significantly boost the player’s chances of earning a profit – at the casino’s expense. Moreover, both Neteller and Skrill enable players to make quick withdrawals. There have been situations where gamblers would abuse the bonus policy and cash out before the casinos become aware of what had happened.

Harder to Verify User IDs

Tackling bonus abuse becomes all the more difficult if the casino cannot verify the user’s ID and check their source of funds. Checks are still being done with Skrill and Neteller accounts (ID, AML, fraud and source of funds checks), but they take longer than with Visa or MasterCard. Since these wallets do not have to be directly linked to a bank account of the user, operators go through extra due diligence checks to verify their data.

Certain casinos would admit that their decision to exclude Skrill and Neteller depositors from welcome bonuses partly stems from their desire to simply avoid all the administrative work behind it. Players might get away with abuse, and once they are discovered, the casino has to block them, so it is overall an unpleasant ordeal.

In certain jurisdictions, licensing authorities are adamant about making sure that their operators aren’t used as fraud and money laundering targets. UKGC, particularly, has not been pleased with payment methods that increase the chances of fraud or money laundering. Since Neteller and Skrill make it harder for operators to identify suspected abusers, they rather just not accept either deposit option. Better to be safe than sorry, right?

What Are My Alternatives?

You can still redeem the welcome bonus using an array of other methods of payment. If Skrill and Neteller do not count for the bonus offer, your trusty Visa or MasterCard surely will. Some gamblers seem to really enjoy spending their cryptocurrency in online gambling rooms. If you have BTC laying around, send them over to your casino account. Depending on the casino brand you are going with, there are plenty of other options to choose from. You can use a mobile app such as MuchBetter, online banking methods, or any of the prepaid vouchers like Paysafecard, Flexepin or AstroPay.

Final Thoughts

Skrill and Neteller not being eligible for bonuses is not the end of the world. They are still terrific banking methods for online casino deposits and withdrawals. It’s just that if you are a fan of welcome bonuses and free spins, you should perhaps pick another option. Any other situation and Skrill and Neteller are the premium choice. The critical thing is to always look at bonus terms and conditions beforehand. Figure out what your options are. Is the bonus worth it? If you aren’t really going to sink your first deposit into the bonus offer, go right ahead and complete your payment using your Neteller or Skrill wallet. No harm done, funds arrive immediately, and you can start playing for real money.