An issue with most debit cards in the US is the need for a checking account to get one. However, you can opt for the prepaid debit card option if you don’t have a checking account.
Netspend Gambling Sites
Netspend is one of the few reloadable prepaid cards in the US that you can use for online gambling, and its service has been around since 1999, making it a trustworthy player in the financial industry. As the list of online gambling payment methods grows, Netspend seems to be an old reliable name that has stood the test of time.
For online gambling lovers in the US, there are several online casinos and sportsbooks that accept Netspend. The following guide reviews the best Netspend casino and sportsbook. You’ll also find out how to use a Netspend prepaid card, its benefits, drawbacks, and additional critical information.
Even though they’ve been around since 1999, the company has maintained pace with other financial technology companies. It offers the convenience of online transactions while upholding the security established with traditional payment methods. That’s in addition to Netspend’s fast, no-bank-account-necessary deposits for online casinos and sports betting sites.
Sports Betting Sites Accepting Netspend Payments
To determine which gambling sites come out on top of our Netspend rankings, we closely examine the efforts made toward customer satisfaction and security. This should include a license from the Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) and the local state commission. Below, you can take a look at the top-ranked Netspend betting sites in the US.
Editor’s Pick: Best Netspend Casino
FanDuel is our editor’s pick for the top Netspend casino, and there are several reasons for this recommendation. First, the FanDuel casino welcome bonus offers an excellent boost for new players to try new games before committing to a bigger deposit.
Once you become a member, FanDuel offers other exciting promotions, a referral bonus, reload bonuses, and more.
In terms of its services, FanDuel is one of the best in the US, having gained massive popularity for its Daily Fantasy Sport service. It offers a sports betting platform and its casino platform features games from top software developers like NetEnt, Big Time Gaming, Yggdrasil, Microgaming, IGT, and more. This means you can also use FanDuel as a Netspend betting site.
FanDuel has all your favorite games, including slots, roulette, blackjack, table games, and exciting progressive jackpot titles.
As our editor’s pick, the FanDuel services are available in five of the six states where online casino gaming is legal in the US. You can register for an account today and start playing from Connecticut, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.
How We Rate Netspend Gambling Sites
Accepts Netspend Deposits
Our first requirement for any casino to make this list is support for Netspend deposits. Once we ascertain this feature, we assess other payment options available on the gambling site. This is crucial since we want our readers to always have an alternative method if there are issues with Netspend payments at any point in time.
Security
The three main areas we look at when trying to get a clear picture of the safety of a Netspend online casino or sportsbook include random number generators, data encryption, and licenses. For example, the top gambling sites use random number generators to assure players of the randomness and fairness of their games.
With the data encryption technology (128-bit or 256-bit) feature, these sites can protect your personal and financial details from unauthorized access. Sites that use SSL certificates (identified by the HTTPS in the address bar) are secure platforms.
Finally, an operating license from a regulatory body shows that the site is legit. Depending on your location in the US, there are specific regulatory agencies like the New Jersey Division of Gaming, Michigan Gaming Control Board, and more.
Promotions
With the comfort of security and convenience, we then look at the rewards, both the welcome and recurring bonuses. The sportsbook sets the terms and conditions of these offers, and sometimes they can be unforgiving. To help our readers, we highlight these aspects throughout our pages so that you can have confidence when betting online.
Markets
Betting markets are also taken into consideration to determine our final score. A Netspend sportsbook will need to have a variety of sports and betting options on offer to score a high ranking in this section. We also compare the odds of these markets to competitors to ensure that you aren’t losing some money to the sportsbook service.
Game Selection
There is no point in registering on an online casino if you cannot play the games you love. Our Netspend casinos give you the option to pick high paying slots, Blackjack, Baccarat, Roulette, or live casino games, depending on what you’re in the mood to play. The game variety makes it difficult to get bored playing on these sites.
App
Finally, we scour through the mobile app of the sportsbook. We look at how easy it is to complete deposits with your Netspend prepaid card and if the app itself is intuitive and easy to navigate. Next up, the speed and overall design are evaluated to ensure that your betting experience is smooth. Sportsbooks also gain a positive ranking if they cover Android and iOS devices.
Netspend Overview & History
Netspend was founded in 1999 by the Sosa brothers to offer an alternative to traditional banking options. Since then, the company has grown tremendously, reaching 1.5 million active card accounts in only nine years. TSYS then acquired it in 2013 for $1.4 billion. Netspend boasts numerous partnerships with ACE Cash Express, PayPal, Western Union, and 7Eleven.
The key component of their service is the prepaid card. The card functions as a traditional credit or debit card, and you must maintain the funds on your account to use it. The difference to conventional bank cards is the features made available via their service. You can snap a photo of checks to deposit into your account. You can also add funds at over 100,000 locations throughout the US.
Pros and Cons of Using Netspend for Online Gambling
As with any online service, you will have pros and cons compared to what’s available. Each online payment method will have key features that they emphasize to attract customers, and with Netspend, it’s the prepaid card security and convenience.
Let’s start with the one big negative: Netspend fees.
The first fee you should note is the reload fee. Netspend doesn’t offer free cash reloads; you’ll have to pay $3.95 (or lower) to reload your card.
For individuals who want to use the card for day-to-day activities, Netspend will charge you $2.95 as an ATM withdrawal fee and another $0.50 as an ATM Balance Inquiry fee. If these fees force you to stop using the card, there is an inactivity fee of $5.95 that becomes a monthly fee after 90 days without a transaction.
In general, Netspend charges you for using, not using, and canceling its services. There is no way to get around these fees, so you must be sure this is the right option before getting a card. If you’re currently unable to get a checking account, then Netspend is your best alternative.
While the subscription fees are certainly a drawback, the prepaid card proves its worth. With the card, you’ll be able to transact as you would with a conventional credit card or debit card. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation will also cover you should anything go wrong. Most customers enjoy the alert feature of the Netspend prepaid Visa card. The service will quickly alert you of any transactions made, allowing you to stop a card if it is compromised.
The prepaid Visa option is the main benefit of using the service. Your transaction speeds will compete with credit card transactions while having the backing of one of the largest financial corporations in the world. Netspend sportsbooks also maintain your anonymity while betting online, since you don’t need to share your credit card details to gamble online.
Additionally, Netspend provides a Mobile Check Load feature that lets you take photos on your mobile app to load checks into your card account. Netspend also has over 130,000 reload locations that you can visit to fund your card.
Another considerable benefit of Netspend cards is that you don’t need to pay an application or activation fee to start. You can request a card for free through the online application process. A credit check or minimum balance is also not necessary to get your Netspend card.
How to Deposit using Netspend
You won’t be short of options when it comes to gaming services that support Netspend as a payment method. Let’s take a look at the general steps to deposit using a Netspend card:
- If you still need to do it, sign up for a Netspend account. You will need to provide personal information such as your name, address, and social security number.
- Activate your Netspend card. Once you have signed up for an account and received your card, you need to activate it by calling the customer service line or logging into your Netspend account online.
- Go to your sportsbook website. Select the ‘Deposit’ option and choose the debit/credit card option as your payment method.
- Enter the amount you want to deposit and confirm the information you have provided.
- Enter your Netspend card details. You will need to enter the 16-digit card number, the expiration date, and the CVC security code.
- Confirm the deposit. You will receive a confirmation message that the transaction has been successful.
- Start betting! Your deposit should now be available in your sportsbook account balance.
Remember that each time you make a deposit to the sportsbook of your choice, you’ll have to pay the transaction fee associated with your Netspend plan. We recommend initially starting off with the pay-as-you-go option and if your average monthly transaction fees exceed the $9.95, you can contact the service and change to the monthly plan.
How to Withdraw from Netspend Gambling Sites
If you’ve deposited funds and been lucky enough to make some winnings, you’ll need to know how to withdraw as well!
- Visit the cashier or banking section of the sportsbook. Select the bank transfer option from the list of withdrawal methods.
- Enter the amount you wish to withdraw from your sportsbook account. Confirm this amount and click “Continue.”
- Enter your Netspend account information, including the account number, bank code, and routing number. Take care when you’re completing this step!
- Confirm all the details of the withdrawal request and click “Submit.”
- Wait for the withdrawal to be processed. It may take a few business days to complete.
- You will receive an email notification when the withdrawal is successfully processed. Your funds will then be transferred to your Netspend account.
- Log in to your Netspend account to verify the funds have been successfully deposited.
If you get stuck at any point in this process, reach out to your sportsbook customer service team. They should be able to provide you with a detailed update regarding the status of your withdrawal and an ETA of when those funds should arrive.
Processing Times and Fees
Since your Netspend card will be a Visa or Mastercard, the processing time for your transactions will match what these operators offer. For deposits, transactions will be instant.
On the other hand, withdrawals to your Netspend account can take 2-5 business days. Remember, Netspend supports “direct deposit” payments, so your withdrawal will be completed via the ACH deposits.
The payment plan you choose matters when it comes to deposit processing fees. If you opt for the monthly plan, you’ll pay an upfront fee of $9.95, whereas Pay-As-You-Go customers need to pay $1.95 per transaction.
To minimize your deposit expenses, follow these tips:
- Initially, go for the Pay-As-You-Go plan to determine your monthly fees.
- If it exceeds $9.95, opt for the monthly plan.
- Minimize your monthly fees by having a dedicated online gambling Netspend card.
- Create a monthly budget and limit making deposits to once or twice a month.
Most Netspend gambling sites process withdrawals for free.
Netspend Sportsbook Bonuses
With Netspend, you won’t have to be too concerned about being excluded from sportsbook bonuses. Thanks to their partnership with Visa and Mastercard, the two financial service providers are arguably the most trusted worldwide, and most online sportsbooks will support them as a payment method. Let’s look at offers from the top online betting sites you can claim with your Netspend sportsbook account.
Unique Netspend Features
Several features of the Netspend card make this gambling payment method worthwhile:
- No Interests: Since the Netspend cards are prepaid debit cards, you only have the option to spend your money. As a result, this eliminates the interest that come with outstanding credit card balances.
- High-Yield Savings: With Netspend, you can create a savings account with an APY of 5% on your first $1,000 deposit.
- No Need for a Checking Account: Unlike traditional bank cards that need to be associated with a checking account, a Netspend card is available to individuals without access to checking accounts.
- Payback Rewards: Netspend allows users to enjoy cash back for using its card with certain merchants.
- Custom Card: Although this may appeal to only some users, Netspend allows personalized images on your card for a unique appearance.
- Use of the Visa Zero Liability Protection or Mastercard Zero Liability Protection and FDIC Insurance.
- No minimum balance.