Western Union Poker Sites
In 2024, there are fewer and fewer deposit methods which can be used pretty much across the board when it comes to funding your USA real money online poker account. However Western Union (often called WU) is one of those few that should work most anywhere.
Founded way back in the 1850s, Western Union is a financial services company that allows people to transfer money between a number of different countries of the world. It actually started out as a telegraph communications business, but has grown exponentially over its more than 150 year history and is as popular with US online poker players as it is with individuals in a number of other industries.
WU deposits can be a bit of a hassle because you’ll sometimes need to go in person to your nearest outlet that handles WU transactions (this can depend on where you live). But with WU accepting US poker players across more sites than many other deposit methods, it can be worth your while.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Western Union Online Poker Deposits
- Privacy. Ever since the passage of UIGEA, some banks and credit card providers have been funny about processing online poker or wider online gambling transactions. It’s entirely legal for US online poker players to play the game they love, but banking regulations were muddied somewhat by UIGEA and this has led many financial institutions to become a little more careful. Sometimes this means threatening to shut down the accounts of online poker players who make deposits using their bank account, but this is not an issue you will run into with US Western Union poker site deposits.
- Choice. Depending on what part of the United States you live in, you will often have the choice of funding your online poker account using WU's online or in-person options. In both cases, the WU poker site that accepts US players will provide players with information on where to send the Western Union payment which acts as your online poker deposit, and after that the whole process is usually sorted within the space of an hour.
- However, one disadvantage of the popular person-to-person transfer service accepting US poker players is the extra fees that players from the States will incur when using this deposit method. There will generally be a flat fee applied to all Western Union transactions, but you also need to be wary of extra fees for things like currency conversion or merely using a credit card to fund your WU account.
How do Western Union Deposits Work?
After you initiate a deposit with a Western Union online poker site that accepts US players, they will let you know where the payment should be sent to. You can take this information to your local WU branch (or apply it when using your online wire transfer account), fill in a form, select your chosen payment method (credit card, debit card, or cash if paying in person). Once that is all sorted, the Western Union venue or website will provide you with transaction details that you pass back to the poker site and they credit your account, usually in less than an hour.
Can I withdraw Using Western Union?
A US Western Union poker site will usually also allow you to withdraw using this method, and the support team at the poker site you play on should be able to answer any questions you might have about how to go about using the popular wire service to get your online poker winnings off the site. As with deposits using this payment method, a Western Union poker site that accepts US players will usually see you incur fees when you make a withdrawal.
We Found the Best Sites
With so many USA online poker sites accepting Western Union, America’s online poker players might feel spoilt for choice. With that in mind, our team of experienced online poker players has looked at the options and found the best sites for you.