Still another restriction

[Poker Clif]

To the best of my knowledge, no new laws or regulations have passed in the last 3 months. Even so, it continues to get harder for US players.

I tried unsuccessfully to make a deposit to PokerStars. I wrote to suupor@pokerstars.com, and got a response saying that my problem using a Visa Gift to Go card would be refered to someone else.

The response that I finally got back was that the Visa people recently changed their policy, and that the card could no longer be used for gaming sites.

I just wanted to make a small deposit, and E-passporte seemed to be the only method left that doesn't require at least $100.

I tried to use my Gift to Go card to open an E-passorte acount, and that didn't work either. So I had to send money directly from my bank to E-Passporte.

Finally (or so I thought) I sent $25 to my bank from E-Passporte. Except that I couldn't, at least not immediately.

I had to open the account and give them my bank account number. A couple days later, 30 cents appeared in my bank account.

Then, I had to contact E-passporte again to verify the two amounts that came to 30 cents, and it took another two days for my bank to have that information, when it was no longer a pending transaction.

Then I contacted E-passporte, gave them the information that the two deposits were 12 and 18 cents, and I thought I was all set.

This was yesterday, August 25, 2007. Then a message popped up that I could use my new account starting on September 5!

Oh, and for all of this convenience, E-Passporte is charging me a $5 fee to send $25. Until recently, with Visa Gift to Go I could have sent as little as $10, and that money would have instantly been in my PokerStarts account.

From now on, I will be VERY careful about taking too much money out of my account at one time. I never want to have to make another deposit again, assuming I am even able or allowed to.

[DeliciousBass]

[ QUOTE ]
Then, I had to contact E-passporte again to verify the two amounts that came to 30 cents, and it took another two days for my bank to have that information, when it was no longer a pending transaction.

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Neteller worked the same way and when online gambling is authorized in this country expect that funding those accounts will work in a similar fashion.

I have zero problems with this "inconvenience"...it's the cashier that takes the ole credit card and rings up that $2344 purchase without some much as a second glance.

[kslghost]

All of this is standard and nothing new. Sept 5th is actually pretty fast for a new EPP account using bank transfer.

[Poker Clif]

[ QUOTE ]
All of this is standard and nothing new. Sept 5th is actually pretty fast for a new EPP account using bank transfer.

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Well, yes, it works, and I'm glad that it does, but it gives me just one more hoop to jump through. With Visa Gift to go I could deposit instantly, for any amount (including the $10 minimum) and with no fee except to buy the card.

And if I bought, say a $60 card, I would only have to pay the $5 activation fee once, make a small deposit, and use the rest of the money on the card for later deposits, at the gas station or whatever.

E-Passporte works fine, but there is a transaction minimum, a fee with every transaction, and it is most definitely not instant.

There is another thing here too. I can't use a credit card to deposit to E-Passporte, but don't sites other than those for gambling use e-passporte? So now, the zeal to squash poker has bled over into inveniencing Americans in other areas.

There's no way that this is OK.

[DeliciousBass]

[ QUOTE ]
There is another thing here too. I can't use a credit card to deposit to E-Passporte, but don't sites other than those for gambling use e-passporte? So now, the zeal to squash poker has bled over into inveniencing Americans in other areas.

[/ QUOTE ]

"A" for effort but this is a real reach here.

Chances are extremely high that ePassport is used to fund gambling (poker only?) accounts alone. Credit cards, Paypal, etc. can be used to pay for anything else that you are trying to buy.

I can't speak for everyone but Neteller and Neteller alone was the only way I funded my poker accounts. And as has been stated, this is nothing out of the ordinary.

It really looks like your main complaints are:

You have to pay a fee with ePassporte.
You have to deposit more than $10.

I can only suggest that you take a break from poker until you reach a point that a more substantial deposit isn't going to cause you all of this pain and suffering.

[Steven_1974]

Visa has blocked any kind of card associated with them even if the company that issues the cards is not US based. Earlier this month I was able to load on Epassport with my Visa check card from the bank. I had to verify the transaction through the fraud department at the bank, but it went through. I tried again today and this time I was told even though the bank was fine with it, Visa was not and told the bank they'd no longer allow any transactions to Epassporte. So the only method that would work now is to do a deposit from the bank itself which takes a good while. I guess I better not cash out too much in the future in case I decide to fund something else in the short term.

[Legislurker]

[ QUOTE ]
Visa has blocked any kind of card associated with them even if the company that issues the cards is not US based. Earlier this month I was able to load on Epassport with my Visa check card from the bank. I had to verify the transaction through the fraud department at the bank, but it went through. I tried again today and this time I was told even though the bank was fine with it, Visa was not and told the bank they'd no longer allow any transactions to Epassporte. So the only method that would work now is to do a deposit from the bank itself which takes a good while. I guess I better not cash out too much in the future in case I decide to fund something else in the short term.

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Im taking that route as well, though Stars EFT worked, I did it the first day I was allowed, and the money still isnt withdrawable, but its left my bank and appeared at Stars. So Im gathering two things from this. There are and will continue to be processors for EFTs available until a massive crackdown happens. I think a blacklist is unfeasible legally, and the DoJ, and Fed know it. Two, epasse will maintain the internal transactions as long as they can, so even if epass is virtually unfundable, it will still be transactable. They will attempt to weather the storm, fight, and hold onto whatever customer base they can. What Neteller could and should have done.

[JPFisher55]

I had no problems funding my Epassporte account from my bank account. It take about 7-10 days. Same for withdrawals to bank account. Costs $2 per transaction. I am hoping that some online poker ewallets start up, but maybe the US online poker market can only support 1 ewallet.
Now if only the DOJ would threaten Epassporte. Then we would have our test case with standing. So it will never happen.

[demon102]

y not use the new e-checks?

[ayurice]

[ QUOTE ]
All of this is standard and nothing new. Sept 5th is actually pretty fast for a new EPP account using bank transfer.

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I did it all in 10 minutes. I signed up via Bank of America. By using my online account, i could tell immediately what the small deposit was, and then confirmed my account at EPP and was good to go and playing at Stars right away.