Playing casino games on your mobile phone is probably one of the most popular ways to play these days, so it’s no wonder that pay-by-mobile casinos or pay-by-phone casinos have started to take off in a big way.
So, what’s the difference between a pay-by-mobile casino and an ordinary online casino that doesn’t accept mobile phone payments? Don’t worry, we’re going to answer that question in just a moment.
This complete guide will explain exactly what a pay-by-mobile casino is, what are the benefits and downsides of playing at a play-by-phone casino, and some tips on how to choose the best one.
The clue is in the name. A pay-by-mobile casino makes it possible for you to gamble real money at the casino without using a debit card or payment processor such as PayPal. You can simply use your phone credits or monthly phone bill to pay instead.
They work by managing your transactions and funds through your mobile phone, billing you directly. This is convenient for players as they no longer need to go to the cashier, deposit funds using a card or online wallet, and wait for the funds to become available. Instead, all you need to do is enter the amount you wish to deposit and select pay-by-phone.
With a pay-by-phone casino, you save time and can play away to your heart’s content, as long as you have phone credit or you’re able to keep paying your mobile phone bill on time.
We believe that the most important thing to consider when we choose which pay-by-phone casinos to include is how safe and secure they are. We will never recommend a betting site or casino that we think is unsafe for players or uses unfair tactics.
That’s why we only list pay-by-mobile casinos in the UK that are fully registered with and licensed by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC). UKGC-licensed pay-by-phone casinos have been verified as safe, secure, and fair, and they abide by the strict UKGC regulations.
Most of the new and big online casinos include a pay-by-mobile option, but not all. We’ve done some research and drawn up a list of some of the best online casinos that allow pay-by-phone deposits.
Please note that this is not a comprehensive list of pay by mobile casinos. There are plenty more out there and most new online casinos in the UK offer a pay-by-phone option.
If you have an annual contract where you pay monthly or a rolling contract with monthly payments through your mobile phone network provider, then you can choose this option. It is offered on most new online casino sites. You simply deposit funds, select the pay by phone bill option, choose the amount, and enter your mobile phone details. Your account will be credited and the cost added to your monthly phone bill.
If you have a top-up or pay-as-you-go mobile phone, then you can use your phone credit to deposit money at some online casinos. You simply choose the pay by phone credit option, type in the amount you wish to deposit, enter your mobile phone details, and the funds will be deducted directly from the total balance of your phone credit.
Instead of using the credit that is already on your phone, you can use a top-up voucher or card to deposit funds into your online casino account at some UK betting sites.
Another alternative is to use the SMS text message payment method offered by some UK online casinos. You simply type the amount you want to deposit, select SMS payment, then you will be given a number to send your text message to and the text you must type in to authorise the payment. Once the SMS is sent, the amount will be deducted from your phone credit or added on to your monthly bill.
Boku is a payment processor that allows you to deposit funds at online casinos using your mobile phone. You need to set up a Boku account and use the website or app to register your mobile phone number and details. Once this is done, you can log in to Boku through the casino cashier and Boku will process any deposits through your mobile phone.
Payforit is another mobile phone payment processor that works in exactly the same way as Boku.
If you’re thinking of playing at a UK pay-by-mobile casino, but you’re not sure if it’s worth it, we’ve compiled a few of the main benefits and advantages of gambling at one.
There is only one real disadvantage of using the pay-by-phone option at a pay-by-mobile casino and that is the fact that if you’re not careful, you could lose track of how much you’re spending. You are also spending on credit as you won’t be billed until your billing date, so you want to make sure that you have enough money to cover the bill when it arrives.
When you pay by card or ewallet, you can simply log in to your online banking or ewallet account and see the transactions on your statement. That way you can see exactly how much you have spent. If you choose the pay-by-phone option at an online casino, you won’t see the amounts until your mobile phone bill comes through on your billing date.
However, most online casinos allow you to see your transactions on the cashier page, so you can use that to keep a track of how much you have spent over a certain time period. If you are playing at more than one pay-by-mobile casino though, you may lose track of it. If this is the case, we recommend that you write down each time you deposit money using pay-by-mobile so you can see exactly how much you have spent without having to login to each casino and check.
Also, many of the pay-by-mobile casinos set stricter deposit limits for pay-by-phone payments to prevent people from accidently overspending.
Another disadvantage that may apply is that some casinos will charge you a small fee to pay by phone, but most do not. If in doubt, check the terms and conditions on the online casino website.
Steven is responsible for all content on BettingGuide UK. He is an experienced iGaming content writer that has been working in the industry since 2018. If you have any questions regarding online gambling in the UK, don't hesitate to contact him.