It wasn't long ago since MasterCard announced that they are going to block Americans from making transactions to online casino sites (See MasterCard Cuts Off Online Casino Payments In US). Now, MasterCards biggest opponent VISA follows and block their Canadian customers as well. That both the credit card giants VISA and MasterCard have decided to block Canadians from making transactions to online casino is a clear sign that UIGEA (Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act) will soon come into effect in June 1, 2010.
Canada seemed to be untouched by the block, but it has recently come to our attention that similar hindrances are taking place here. When you are going to enter your VISA account number into online casino, the error message indicated that the financial institution by which the card was issued would not allow the transaction to take place. We are uncertain whether the block was caused by VISA or the bank, but one thing was clear: we were unable to fund our online casino account. Considering the fact that Canadian Visa is usually governed by US regulations so it is very probable that most of us are blocked with that payment option as well.
Most people have pointed to the fact that both companies are probably getting prepared for the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) to come into effect. If this legislation and that getting fully enforced, activity at online casino will be considered illegal within the United States and Canada and these credit card companies want to distance themselves from any illegal activity.
If you encounter this situation, it may be frustrating but there are very simple solutions to this problem. It may seems as though the next available option would be an e-wallet, however these systems take quite some time to authenticate. So, the quickest option is to register for an online credit/debit card.
Companies like VISA Electron allow players to make payments online through a web-based card. Because the card has no attachment to a financial institution, banks are not able to intercept payments to online casino. Transfers are instant and secure, as players are never required to give out their own personal bank account or credit card information.
The registration process is quick and easy. The VISA Electron took less than 10 minutes. Within 15 minutes, your online casino account was funded and we were ready to play!
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