PayPal is a very popular method of payment. Canadians use it to send and receive money, pay bills, shop on the internet, and for other purposes. However, when it comes to online gambling, Canadians have trouble with funding a casino account or cashing out money via PayPal e-wallet. Why so? The thing is that offshore casino sites that operate in Canada do not accept PayPal transactions from the residents. But there is one hack how you can actually use PayPal for casino deposits and withdrawals.
PayPal Casino Sites
As we said, online casinos in Canada do not accept PayPal. However, these websites have PayPal in their banking options at least for deposits. It means that these online casinos actually accept PayPal payments but from players in other countries.
Some local gambling platforms in Canada can legally accept PayPal payments. If you live in Ontario, you can also try online casinos that acquired a license from the Alcohol and Gambling Commission of Ontario (AGCO). These international websites such as 888 Casino begin operating in April 2022.
If you want to gamble at a PayPal casino in Canada, then you can try a hack we will explain later.
Why Canadian Casinos Don’t Accept PayPal
PayPal company is based in the US, which is why it is used by the US residents at most. The payment service stopped processing
In 2006, the US legislation approved the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) that prohibits gambling businesses from knowingly accepting payments in connection with the participation of another person in a bet or wager that involves the use of the Internet and that is unlawful under any federal or state law.
Soon after the act went into effect, the legislation began restricting the use of PayPal for the jurisdictions in the so-called “gray area”. These countries have online gambling laws that could be considered ambiguous.
The government of Canada does not specify whether it is legal or illegal for residents to play on the offshore sites. Therefore, Canada is the gray area. And here’s the answer why online casinos do not accept PayPal payments from Canadians.
PayPal company is very cautious, and so are international online casinos. If they get creative, then they let Canadian players use the popular service for deposits and withdrawals.
Tricks to Use PayPal at Online Casinos
A few years ago, players in Canada were able to load up their casino accounts with PayPal products other than the e-wallet. These include PayPal Cash and PayPal Business Debit MasterCard. But in 2018, PayPal announced that these workaround ways are not available for Canadian players anymore. And now only US residents can use them.
PayPal also has digital gift cards that could be used for casino deposits and withdrawals. But they are available only for US players, again.
In fact, we don’t recommend relying on PayPal products if you gamble at overseas online casinos. But most provincial casino sites may accept PayPal deposits and cash-outs.
You can also try and ask your casino manager about the special ways you can fund your account via PayPal. But it is way easier to use another method instead of looking for loopholes to use PayPal.
Cryptocurrency + PayPal
There is a hack to make PayPal casino transactions. It implies using cryptocurrency, so make sure to hold some coins.
Please keep in mind that this option may change over time. But as long as you can use this hack, do it.
And make sure to use Coinbase exchange because as far as we are aware, only this platform allows making this trick. So here’s what you need to do:
- Use your debit card to buy BTC or other crypto coins on Coinbase.
- Pick a crypto online casino in Canada to deposit your digital funds into the account.
- Play games and win money, so you can cash it out.
- Withdraw to your Coinbase account.
- Link your PayPal and Coinbase accounts.
- Transfer the coins to your PayPal e-wallet.
This is how you can load up your PayPal account with casino winnings. This option includes transaction fees, but it’s safe and fast. On average, it takes one business day for money to arrive on your account.
Cryptocurrency Deposits and Withdrawals
To use this hack successfully, you need to sign up at a crypto online casino. Fortunately, there are many Canadian casino sites that accept cryptocurrency, compared to the number of PayPal casino sites. These are the best of them:
When choosing a crypto casino, check all the available cryptocurrencies. Most online casinos accept only Bitcoin, while some of them can also receive payments in Litecoin, Dogecoin, Ethereum, and Tether. Make sure you have one of these on your crypto e-wallet before you deposit them into an online casino.
To deposit Bitcoin, head to the cashier and select your preferred cryptocurrency as a payment option. Fill in the form with the correct digital number of your wallet and confirm the transaction.
To cash out winnings, go to the cashier section and enter the required information about your wallet. The money will arrive within one or two days. And then you can transfer the winnings to your PayPal account and use them for future payments.
One of the big advantages of crypto cash-outs is the ability to request payouts without verifying your account.
Why Players Choose PayPal
There are so many different methods of payment, but many players in Canada and worldwide prefer PayPal as an option to deposit and withdraw money on online casinos.
Well, there are a few reasons why PayPal is preferred over other e-wallets and banking services:
- Small fees. PayPal really has small fees for service and transactions. It costs about a dollar to process payments. However, some online casinos also impose withdrawal fees that could be a bit higher.
- Security. The company bills itself as an operator that processes secure payments. It has been trusted all over the world for more than two decades now.
- Instantaneous deposits. PayPal is not only one of the safest services, it’s also one of the fastest. Casino PayPal deposits are instant, while withdrawals take just a few hours to arrive.
- Automatic currency conversion. If you gamble in CAD, and the main currency of your online casino is EUR, you don’t have to worry about conversion. PayPal will do it for you.
- Mobile compatibility. PayPal is compatible with mobile devices and online casinos that have mobile versions. You can easily download a PayPal app on your device and use it for payments.
Although PayPal is so good and nice, it has one huge disadvantage. It is not available at offshore Canadian online casinos. This is why you’d better have an alternative method that is as fast and safe as PayPal.
Alternative Payment Methods to PayPal
Of course, Canadian websites have a lot of payment methods that could suit you. They may not be as good as PayPal, but some of them really deserve your attention and trust. Below, you’ll find top alternatives to PayPal that you can easily use on your favorite casino platform. They work on both offshore and regional casino sites.
- iDebit – an instant online banking service that processes deposits and withdrawals between your bank and casino;
- InstaDebit – a direct bank transfer that transfers money between your bank and casino, similarly to iDebit;
- Interac – one of the most popular methods for fast deposits and withdrawals in Canada;
- MuchBetter – a fast and secure e-wallet for Canadian gamblers;
- Neteller – a fast and safe e-wallet. But some casinos don’t give you welcome bonuses if you use Neteller;
- EcoPayz – an e-wallet for gamblers in Canada;
- Trustly – an online banking service for fast transactions;
- VISA and Mastercard – debit cards can be used for funding a casino account or other payment methods such as e-wallets and direct bank transfers;
- Citadel – offers Instant deposits at a few Canadian casinos;
- Skrill – just like Neteller, a safe and fast method but you can’t use it to claim bonuses at some casinos;
- Paysafecard – vouchers are available at most retailers. Only for deposits;
- Neosurf – prepaid vouchers that can be used for deposits only;
- Vanilla Prepaid – a product of Mastercard. It can be used for deposits at most online casinos.
Any of these methods can be used as an alternative to PayPal. Learn more about each of them to pick your perfect option. Make sure to find information about transaction fees and timeframes. Mind that online casinos may have different terms and conditions for using each of these methods.
In Conclusion
In most cases that you want to use PayPal for online gambling purposes in Canada, your attempts will not be successful. For already known reasons, PayPal doesn’t work at Canadian online casinos. But you can try different hacks and loopholes to use it. However, sometimes, it is easier and safer (both for you and your casino operator) to transfer money via alternative payment methods.
If it is crucially important for you to have money on your PayPal account, then you can try to convert your casino winnings in Bitcoin into Canadian dollars and back using your crypto wallet.
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