BOKU Casinos
BOKU is an interesting and unorthodox payment method in the online casino scene. Giving you the opportunity to make transactions directly with your phone, BOKU has garnered some interest from players. Currently, the service sees moderate levels of support from the industry, and there are plenty of online casinos that accept BOKU transactions.
BOKU is such a well-chosen payment solution because adding funds to your gaming account through it is fuss-free and takes almost no time. What makes this payment method all the more appealing to players is that they do not need to expose any of their banking details in order to use it. Thus, if maintaining their anonymity during their betting session is a top priority for players, BOKU might measure up to their requirements.
Below, we will go over everything that has to deal with BOKU and see how it works when gambling online.
BOKU Summary | |
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Country availability | Available in more than 60 countries and 250 networks |
Website | https://www.boku.com/ |
Deposit from bank account | N/A |
Withdrawal to bank account | N/A |
Deposit to online casino | Yes |
Withdrawal from online casino | No |
Pay to other online merchants | Yes |
Online chat | N/A |
Email support | fraud@boku.com |
Phone support | N/A |
How to Use BOKU at Online Casinos
As far as online payment methods are concerned, few are as accessible and easy to use as BOKU is. This service dates back to 2009 and is one of the most popular mobile payment solutions out there. Unlike most other services that require you to maintain a separate bankroll, BOKU allows you to make purchases online and puts them on your phone bill. It works with hundreds of carriers all over Europe and is available to UK users, as well. Today, BOKU is accessible in more than 60 countries and 250 networks around the globe. Still, in order to take advantage of the payment solution, players should have a mobile phone with premium and carrier billing services enabled.
Making a payment with BOKU is as simple as it can be. You enter the sum you wish to deposit to your casino balance and your phone number. After a few seconds, you will receive a text message on your phone asking you to confirm the payment. You send a message with the confirmation and the money is then transferred to your casino bankroll. That’s all there is to it.
Players should read carefully the instructions in the SMS they will receive after they initiate a payment through BOKU, as depending on the country they live in and their network provider, they might be asked to reply with “Y” or provide a unique code.
At the end of your billing cycle, any BOKU payments you made will appear on your phone bill. How you go about paying that is up to you. The main reason why BOKU is a top choice for gambling-related transactions is that players will not be prompted to expose their card information or banking details in order to complete the transaction. In fact, BOKU is a payment method, which is cut out for security-conscious players because they do not need to have a credit or debit card in order to start using it.
The ceiling on the amount players can deposit through BOKU is one of the most important things players should consider while they are trying to decide if the mobile payment service will fulfill their requirements. The maximum amount gambling enthusiasts will be allowed to add to their gaming accounts through BOKU is $/£30 per day, while the least amount they can deposit per transaction is $/£10.
For the most part, BOKU is effortless to use, and you do not have to do anything special. Granted, your carrier needs to be part of the BOKU network for you to have access to the service. However, BOKU is widely available, and odds are that you will have it as an option. Simple as this service is, there is more to it than meets the eye. Read on, to find out other key information about BOKU.
Taxes and Fees when Using BOKU at Online Casinos
As far as the cost of the service is concerned, you will be happy to learn that BOKU will not bring you any fees. The payment service is completely free to use, and at no point will you be asked to pay more than what says on the phone bill.
Granted, there is more to this. While the service itself is free, online casinos often impose some form of fee on BOKU transfers. We can only speculate why they do this, but it is common for certain gambling websites to charge between 2% and 10% on BOKU deposits. There is no way to get around this specific fee unless you want to switch to a different payment service.
Alternatively, if you do not wish to pay the commission fees for using BOKU, you could look specifically for an online casino that does not charge them. However, considering the deposit limits of BOKU, 2% of £30 is £0.60, which is nothing too steep.
Players should know that while handling their gambling-related transactions through BOKU, the amounts payable will be reflected in the messages that will be transmitted to their phones. In addition to this, gambling enthusiasts will automatically agree to the charges by responding to the text messages, which is required in order to continue with the transaction. Thus, entering the unique code players will be sent via SMS will be considered further evidence of their authorization of the transaction.
If any extra fees are charged on the side of BOKU, gambling enthusiasts should know that they will be separate and apart from the charges their wireless carrier might introduce while sending and receiving messages to and from the payment processor.
Taxes and Fees When Using BOKU at Online Casinos | |
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Deposit fee | Fee-free |
Withdrawal fee | N/A |
Deposit from card fees | N/A |
Withdrawal to card fees | N/A |
Deposit from bank account fees | N/A |
Withdrawal to bank account fees | N/A |
Deposit and Withdrawal Timeframes When Using BOKU at Online Casinos
Making deposits with BOKU is both quick and convenient. The service is exceptionally straightforward, and as soon as you become familiar with it, you will have no issues in making payments in the future. If you choose to use BOKU to make a deposit at your online casino of choice, then you will get the benefit of instant deposits. The money will appear in your balance as soon as you confirm the transfer. There is no wait time as with other more traditional banking methods and you can start placing your bets right away.
The whole process only takes a few minutes to complete, and once players have entered the amount they prefer to transfer to their account and input their mobile phone number, they should wait for a moment until they receive the text message. Once gambling enthusiasts reply to the SMS in order to confirm that they want to go ahead with the transactions, the chosen amount of up to $/£30 will appear in the balance of their gaming account after a minute or two. In order to make sure that the payment is successful, gambling enthusiasts should wait until they receive the confirmation message.
As far as withdrawals are concerned, this is not something that BOKU offers. This payment method was designed to be used to make small purchases on the Internet. For instance, if you wanted to get a paid app from the App Store, then BOKU was there to make the process simple and quick. With this in mind, the service does not handle withdrawals in any capacity. Players should not expect to see BOKU on the list of available cashout methods they can decide between, which is only natural considering the way this payment method functions.
If you made your deposit via BOKU and the time comes to cash out your balance, the casino will usually send you your money via bank transfer. While not completely convenient and not that time-efficient, bank transfers are more than good enough to accomplish this. However, if you want a banking solution that is capable of both deposits and withdrawals, BOKU is not the right one for you.
Deposit and Withdrawal Timeframes When Using BOKU at Online Casinos | |
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Deposit time | Instant |
Withdrawal time | N/A |
Deposit from card time | N/A |
Withdrawal to card time | N/A |
Deposit from bank account time | N/A |
Withdrawal to bank account time | N/A |
Advantages of BOKU for Gambling Transactions
The main advantage of BOKU lies in how convenient the payment service is. You simply enter the amount you wish to deposit, confirm the payment, and you are set to go. It is a two-step process from start to end, and few other services can boast the same ease of use.
One of the main reasons why BOKU is a cut above many other payment processors players can use is that it is available in more than 60 countries and over 250 networks. The great availability of the payment method makes it a far better alternative than country-specific payment methods, for example.
BOKU is also exceptionally time-efficient, which is yet another reason why many gambling aficionados prefer to stick to it. Once players send the message, which is required in order to approve the deposit, the amount will be instantly transferred to the balance of their gaming account, and they will be good to go with the bonus redemption or place real-money bets on their favorite games.
What is more, BOKU does not require any type of registration or account maintenance. If your carrier supports BOKU it is available from the get-go. Only credit cards come close to this level of convenience and even then, you put yourself at risk every time you enter your card details. BOKU manages to avoid all of that.
As we explained earlier, players do not need to have a credit or debit card or even a bank account in order to start using BOKU, which is often the case with other payment solutions that are available for gambling-related transactions. The only requirement players should meet in order to start using BOKU is to have a mobile phone with active premium and carrier billing services.
Something that we find quite compelling is that BOKU is more secure than many other payment methods. Since you are never asked to enter any sensitive information, you do not run the risk of having that information exposed. Additionally, you cannot make accidental payments with BOKU. Every transaction has to be manually approved by you with a text message, which makes the service even safer.
Depending on their playing style, the low transaction limits might be a strong point for some gambling enthusiasts, especially if they are looking for a payment solution, which guarantees that they will not overspend.
- BOKU is exceptionally easy-to-use
- Deposits take almost no time to complete
- Payments are secure, and players can retain their anonymity
- Players do not need to create and maintain separate accounts in order to use BOKU
- Handling your payments through BOKU is charge-free
Disadvantages of BOKU for Gambling Transactions
What we have to remember is that no matter how good a service may seem, there are downsides that we also have to deal with. BOKU is no exception in this case and the drawbacks are quite significant.
For starters, the ridiculously low spending limits on the service will not appeal to mid and high-rollers. With BOKU, you can only transact up to £30 every 24 hours. Considering how some people wager that amount in a single spin, the service becomes less than ideal for most players.
Moreover, the lack of a withdrawal function only adds to the issues. Of course, you can withdraw your money via other means, but some players might not like the idea of looking for another payment process as there are many payment methods that work well for payments in both directions. Bank transfers can take several business days to process, in some scenarios. By comparison, e-wallets can process withdrawals within the hour.
Another thing to consider is that BOKU may not be accepted at all online casinos. As we mentioned before, this payment method was not designed with casino gaming in mind. As a result, not all gambling websites support it. While there are plenty out there that do, there are just as much if not more that do not. This is something to bear in mind if you choose to go with BOKU.
Another shortcoming of the payment method is that not all networks facilitate payments through it. Thus, the payment method might be available in the country players live in, but if their mobile network provider does not work with it, they will be prevented from using its services.
Lastly, players who intend to use BOKU and take part in a special deal, should make sure that top-ins executed through this payment processor are not excluded from bonus redemption.
- BOKU is not available for cashouts
- Not suitable for high-stakes players because of its tight daily deposit limits
- In spite of its wide availability, there are still some location restrictions
- No live chat support is offered
- Even though most casinos do not add extra fees on deposits carried out through BOKU, there are still platforms where fees are applied to top-ins carried out through the payment gateway
Mobile Casino Banking with BOKU
If you are playing primarily from a mobile device, then BOKU will be right up your alley. Given that this payment method is designed solely for mobile transactions, we believe that it caters nicely to the mobile gambling demographic. You will never have to put down your smartphone when using BOKU. The worst is that you will have to change the app to send the confirmation text message, which will hardly be an issue.
There are only a few mobile-only payment methods available out there and BOKU is one of them. It is designed specifically for mobile users, and it offers uninterrupted sessions if you choose to play on the go. What is more, you can get it directly from your plan with no extra steps, as long as your carrier is eligible for the service. With this in mind, we can safely say that BOKU is great for mobile gamblers and an option to consider when looking at the various banking solutions.
No matter if they prefer to access their interactive casino of choice on their tablet or smartphone and load their accounts with cash using BOKU, players will be required to follow the same steps. They need to decide what amount they want to add to their balance, pick BOKU as their preferred payment processor, and enter their mobile number.
Before they authorize the transaction, players should make sure that the amount, which is displayed in the text message, is exactly what they want to upload to their balance. Please keep in mind that you will not receive a text message if you do not have enough funds on your prepaid card or if you have canceled another mobile service.
Mobile Casino Banking with BOKU | |
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Apple Pay | N/A |
Google Pay | N/A |
Huawei Pay | N/A |
Is It Secure to Use BOKU at Online Casinos
If you are concerned about security when using BOKU, allow us to dissuade those fears. This payment method is as secure as they get. BOKU does not require you to enter any sensitive information at any point during the payments. The only information BOKU will collect from their users is their phone numbers. The company promises that all information it collects from its users will always be treated with utmost privacy and discretion. When entering their phone number, it will be encrypted, which adds to the safety levels.
If you did not put in any important data, then, you also do not run the risk of it getting leaked. In this sense, BOKU is more secure than credit cards, e-wallets, or online banking. Everything is handled by the carriers and you can enjoy the benefits of this payment system.
Additionally, the confirmation feature of BOKU, which requires you to approve every transaction, further enhances the security of the payments. Since the payment can only go through after you text back, there is no chance that someone else will make the transaction instead of you.
In short, BOKU is secure in both its infrastructure and the practical sense. Unless you give your phone to someone else, there is no way that you can be cheated using BOKU.
BOKU Security | |
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PIN | Yes |
Touch ID | N/A |
Face ID | N/A |
Two factor authentication | N/A |
FAQ about BOKU
How common is BOKU accepted at online casinos?
BOKU is frequently supported by online casinos in the United Kingdom. While it is not as widespread as eWallets and credit cards, there are plenty of options at your disposal if you wish to use BOKU. Finding the right casino is a process and it may involve looking at a bunch of them before you decide on the perfect one.
Can BOKU payments be reversed?
Like most prepaid services out there, BOKU payments are complete as soon as they go through. There is no option to get your money back if you made the wrong payment. Therefore, it is important you check everything before you make a purchase.
Does BOKU have customer support?
On the BOKU website, you will find a detailed FAQ section which covers most topics related to the service. Alternatively, you can also turn to your carrier for help. They will have no issue in explaining something to you or lending a hand when needed.
Do I have to opt-in for BOKU?
BOKU will be available to you as soon as you sign on with your carrier. You can use the service as-is and nothing special is required of you. There is no lengthy registration process that you have to go through or any additional steps to take.
Can I exceed the £30 transaction limit?
The transaction limits are not up for discussion. The limits as they are and there is nothing you can do to change them. Granted, they are quite strict and if they do not appeal to you, then we recommend that you take a look at the other payment solutions supported by the iGaming scene.