Neteller, Skrill & Paypal Casinos Canada – Why No Longer Exist
There was a time when Paypal was the most preferred payment method among online casino gamers in Canada; in most of the world, for that matter. When it comes to web wallets, there’s no name that evokes trust more so than Paypal. Without their precious Paypal, Canadians immediately began turning to Neteller and Skrill to fulfill their iGaming payments. Unfortunately, both of these are long gone, too.
If you’re wondering why Neteller, Skrill and Paypal no longer serve Canadian clientele, you’ve come to the right place. Also, if you’re wondering what the most secure alternative payment method (APM) might be – one that mimics the convenience and quality of these favorite eWallets – we’ll give you some options there, too.
Goodbye Neteller, Skrill & Paypal Casinos Canada
It wasn’t all that long ago that these top-tier payment methods were available to Canada’s iGamers. Then slowly, one by one, they disappeared. Paypal was the first to go. It wasn’t a surprise, to be honest. The loss of Neteller, and Skrill soon after, was a a lot more shocking.
Paypal First To Go
It was no surprise when Paypal left, simply because Paypal is the most uptight of the three; from an industrial standpoint, that is. Paypal was never on board with accommodating any online gambling activity that wasn’t perfectly legal.
Let me state very clearly that it is not illegal to gamble online in Canada. It’s never been illegal. We’ve always been able to access international online gambling sites. In more recent years, most of us have gained access to provincially-regulated iGaming sites, like Quebec’s EspaceJeux and Ontario’s PlayOLG. while the international variety may not be locally regulated or authorized, they are by no means illegal.
So, it’s not a lack of legality that led Paypal to leave the Canadian market. Instead, it was a lack of express legalization. Paypal feels Canada falls into the “grey area” of the law”. And, considering Paypal makes billions of dollars without grey-market iGaming payments, why take the risk?
Owner Pulls Neteller, Leaves Skrill
In 2015, Optimal Payments (now Paysafe Group), owner of Neteller, acquired one its biggest rivals, Skrill (formerly Moneybookers), for €1.1bn. It made all the headlines – the two biggest global iGaming-centric payment processors, now under the same parental wing! What we didn’t know, is that the parent company had a bigger plan in mind.
The US market was just opening back up to online gambling. Neteller wanted to be a big player in that market. The only way to do so was to disengage from any market that wasn’t purely and expressly legal. You guessed it – no more Canada. However, when Optimal Payments pulled Neteller out of Canada, they firmly replaced it with Skrill. Canadian customers were assured this would be their go-to payment option henceforth.
Nix That Plan – Skrill Leaves Too
The US market was just too tempting. Neteller’s parent company wanted it all, and they wanted it with both Neteller and Skrill. By 2019, both eWallets had been pulled from Canada. What they did leave us was Paysafecard, which the company acquired in 2017, just before rebranding the entire company as Paysafe Group.
Choosing an Alternative Payments Method (APM)
Even without Paypal, Neteller and Skrill, there are a lot of other payment options out there for Canada’s online casino enthusiasts. the question is, which one suits your needs best? And the answer to that question depends on what you appreciate most in payment solutions like Papyal, Neteller and Skrill.
Another Web Wallet?
Each of these are web wallets, aka eWallets. They are similar to an online-only bank account. You can fund it with a bank or card, send and receive payments to/from merchants, and transfer money back to a bank account. You’ll never have to share your sensitive financial info with any merchants or online casinos. When choosing an eWallet payment, you simply enter the amount to deposit, then login to your eWallet account to confirm the purchase.
If such features appeal to you, check out these alternate, Canadian-accessible web wallets. Click any one to read a comprehensive review by our experts.
APM From the Same Trusted Company
As I mentioned above, Neteller and Skrill are both owned by the recently rebranded Paysafe Group, LTD. That name change came about when the group acquired Paysafecard in 2017. If you’re not familiar with it, Paysafecard is a payment solution that provides physical and virtual prepaid vouchers. Using a prepaid voucher is very similar to using a gift card. Simply choose this as your deposit method, input the PIN code from the voucher, and you’re good to go.
You can learn more about Paysafe Group’s voucher payments here:
Alternatively, if you like the idea of a virtual voucher, but would rather steer clear of the Neteller/Skrill parent company, try this one:
Or, just go buy yourself a Visa or MasterCard Gift Card. Just make sure it’s available for international use before you buy it! You should be able to find this information on the card’s packaging.
Forget Third Parties – Can I Use My Bank?
Among the fastest and easiest ways to move funds in and out of an online casino is through online banking. These options include everything from EFT bank transfers, to Interac, eChecks, iDebit, and IsntaDebit. Some of these require far less financial info sharing than others.
Interac, for example will have you choose your bank name from the casino’s website, then redirects you to the bank’s website to log in and confirm the deposit. The casino gets no real info about your account, aside from knowing which bank you use. iDebit and InstaDebit work pretty much the same way.
On the opposite end of that spectrum are EFT and eCheck payments. With these, you’ll need to provide your bank account number, as well as the bank’s ABA routing number. These are perfectly safe and secure payment options, so long as you trust the casino you’re depositing at.
See the following review sections to learn more:
- eCheque / eCheck / Instant Check
- Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT)
- Interac eTransfer
- Interac Online
- iDebit
- InstaDebit
- Instant Banking by Citadel
- International Bank Transfer
How About Something Completely Different?
There are a few more exotic payment options you could consider. They’re not all that far-fetched, but less common than the ones we talk about above. One of them is Pay By Phone. It offers the ability to tack your deposit onto your mobile phone bill. You can have a pay-as-you-go phone, or a recurring phone bill with auto-pay set up to use it. See the below review for more information.
Another unique way to pa for betting online is to use crypto currency. The number of Canadian crypto casinos is on the rise. Some of them deal exclusively in crypto. Others offer dual fiat/crypto payment options. You can learn more about gambling with crypto here: