SNBET Canadian betting site payment methods: what’s available & what’s not? (Interac? PayPal?)

Learn all you need to know about Canadian online sports betting payment methods.  We explain why credit cards are a convenient but expensive option compared to debit solutions. We cover the top bank debit options including Interac e-transfers, explain whether or not PayPal is available and explore if Apple Pay is available.  We also touch upon e-wallets as well as cryptocurrencies for use at sportsbooks from Canada - it's all below.  All our listed brands for the "rest of Canada" are licensed in Ontario, but available banking methods can differ, since Ontario is now a locally regulated, legal market. Outside Ontario, you will play at the main 'dot-com' sites based in international gaming jurisdictions. Below, we show you most, but not all of the available new customer offers. Sorry, the rules about displaying bonuses just got weird. We discuss this on our Canadian sportsbook bonuses page. Crucial for many though, all of our recommended brands for those in "rest of Canada" can be considered Interac betting sites.

Why credit cards are expensive vs. debit solutions for sportsbook payments

Credit cards are widely available to make deposits at all sports betting sites.  However, while convenient, credit card payments from Canada to betting sites are treated as though they are ‘cash advances’, as opposed to 'purchases'.   This means that interest begins to accrue from the moment of the transaction (even if you always fully pay your monthly balance), plus your bank will charge a cash advance fee, perhaps around $5.  At an interest rate of 20% or likely even higher on your card, this can be an expensive method of transaction that you may wish to avoid on an on-going basis.

Thankfully, there are plenty of reputable bank debit methods that work instantly and directly with your Canadian Dollar bank account & come with very low fees, likely a few dollars per transaction at most.  These include, Visa & Mastercard debit cards, Instadebit & iDebit.  The latter two methods let you securely login to authorize a bank debit without sharing your banking credentials with the sportsbook.  Interac has also become a very popular money transfer method for people in Canada and it is accepted for both deposits & withdrawals at all of our recommended Canadian betting sites. 

About Interac Online, Interac Payment Requests & Interac e-Transfers as Canadian sportsbook payment methods

You will note that both Interac Online, Interac Payment Requests & Interac e-Transfers are listed as accepted by our recommended online sportsbooks.  These have become the 'go to' payment methods for betting sites that focus on serving Canadian players.  Note that payment by Interac e-Transfers will be available to you no matter which bank you are with.  Payment requests are also essentially available no matter your bank. However, Interac Online is currently only available for use with a limited number of banks.  At last check, only TD Bank & Royal Bank supported Interac Online.  So if you are with another bank or credit union, Interac e-Transfers will be your lone Interac payment option.

What's the difference between Interac Online, Interac Payment Requests & Interac e-Transfers as betting site payment methods? 

If you deposit via Interac Online, the payment is done as part of your web session within the betting site - sort of like when you buy something online using your PayPal account.  In this case, Interac Online and the betting site are communicating with each other directly to move your funds securely and seamlessly to your betting account. 

With Interac Payment Requests, the betting site will send an email "Payment Request" to the email address registered on your sportsbook account. They will only accept payment associated to this email. From that email request, login to your online banking as associated to this email address of yours and confirm the Interac transfer.

With Interac e-Transfer deposits, you actually send an e-Transfer to the email address as provided by the sportsbook. In the notes of the e-Transfer, ensure to include the reference number that they provide to you for the associated deposit. Including this reference number in the notes ensures that your payment will be correctly attributed to your betting account as part of their automated receipt of the e-Transfer. 

How long do Interac e-Transfers take to land in your betting account?

Even though you might manually create the payment, receiving Interac e-Transfers at the online sportsbook is an automated process.  Your funds should land in your betting account within seconds, or perhaps a minute or so of being sent. On rare occasions, it could take several minutes to land in your account.

Which betting sites accept Interac e-transfers or Interac Online?

All of our listed CAD betting sites support Interac for both deposits and withdrawals.  That's right, Betsafe, bet365, Betway, BetVictor, Casumo, SIA, Unibet and ComeOn! are all Interac betting sites for players across Canada.  If you are looking for a broader list of Canadian Interac casino sites, we have that for you as well, so you can find the best live casino, table games, slots and more, coupled with the most-preferred online casino payment method in Canada. 

Is PayPal available at betting sites for Canada?

Outside Ontario, you should note that PayPal is NOT available for use with any offshore betting sites for Canada - though it is now available at a limited number of official and legal Ontario sportsbooks (but these are only available for players located in Ontario).  Many sportsbook review resources lie about this bit of information with regard to using PayPal in Canada, outside Ontario.  See an example of this lie at Betting.ca pictured at right, or below on your mobile, which was taken well before the legal Ontario market came into existence.  Not only does 888sport not accept PayPal from players across Canada, 888sport did not even offer CAD accounts.  Betting.ca went on to list nine other sites on this ‘PayPal betting sites’ page for Canada and none of them accepted PayPal from players in Canada.  So in other words, Betting.ca was certainly misleading players in Canada with this false information.

Why would a sportsbook review resource be so misleading?

Here’s how it works for the online publisher:  Design a page that will get highly-ranked in search engines for an in-demand keyword string like "PayPal betting sites for Canada". Or perhaps the page is designed to be phrased as a question like, "Are there any PayPal betting sites for Canada?".  Even though not a single listed provider on the page actually provides PayPal to players in Canada, the deceptive sportsbook marketing publisher gets the page onto your screen.  You then visit the listed betting site with the referring publisher knowing full well that you will simply get started at the online sportsbook by using one of the PayPal alternatives mentioned above.  

The referring publisher gets credit for your referral and receives a commission from the betting company for this deception.  Good for them, not great for you.  SNBET reveals Canadian sports betting scams like this on our CAD betting and scam-avoidance information page.  Bad information abounds on the web with regard to Canadian sports betting payment methods, so take a lot of what you read on the matter with a grain of salt.

Why is PayPal not available for Canadians at so many betting sites?

PayPal is a highly regulated company and only facilitates transactions to gambling sites that are fully licensed and regulated within the local jurisdiction of the player.  This is why the only PayPal betting site that existed in Canada prior to the opening of the legal Ontario market, was the fully legal BCLC betting site for British Columbia residents; PlayNow.com.

All other online sportsbooks that serve Canada outside Ontario are considered to be offshore 'grey market' providers - even the ones that are regulated by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission in Quebec, so PayPal will not be available at these providers for players in Canada and outside Ontario. Unfortunately, online gaming regulation in Canada is lumped in with the regulation of land-based gaming, which is overseen at the provincial level. 

As of April 4 2022, Ontario has opened its fully legal iGaming market with several licensed providers. Several of these Ontario licensed sports betting sites may offer PayPal to their customers, but most of the rest of the country will have to do without this convenient method for making and receiving online sportsbook payments.   

Is Apple Pay available as an online sportsbook & casino payment method in Canada?

Yes, Apple Pay is available as an online sportsbook payment method from the entire market of Canada, both in the regulated Ontario market, and in the so-called "rest of Canada" market to "off shore" operators.  With it, people outside the Ontario market may use debit and credit cards as the underlying funding methods to make deposits via Apple Pay.  We have not seen any disreputable or scammy betting or casino brands that support it, which is great news. 

However, the number of available gaming operators that do support Apple Pay is fairly limited. Unlike Interac, not every top operator for Canada has moved to add Apple Pay to their menu of supported payment options. Of those brands that we recommend for Canada, bet365, Betway & Unibet support Apple Pay payments. Read more about Canada Apple Pay sportsbooks and how this deposit method works.

Two important things to note about Apple Pay for use to betting & casino sites from Canada: 1) They are good for deposits only. The operator will likely dictate the method for withdrawal. This could be a cheque or bank transfer, but due to Anti-money laundering rules, it will be their choice.  2) Debit cards are certainly better to use with Apple Pay as compared to credit cards. As we describe above, credit card payments become very expensive to all gaming sites in Canada, even via Apple Pay, due to interest and fees.

What e-wallets are available for online sportsbook & casino payments in Canada?

MuchBetter and Payz are e-wallets that are very similar to PayPal in terms of the way in which you may use them to buy things online or make payments by linking them to credit cards, debit cards or funding them from Canadian bank accounts, or even via cryptocurrencies.  MuchBetter has become the predominant e-wallet solution for Canadian payments to online sportsbooks and casinos. Facilitating particularly large transactions once fully verified, MuchBetter can be a very convenient option for high-stakes bettors. Read about our Canada MuchBetter sportsbooks and how this e-wallet works for Canadian sports bettors.

With Payz (formerly EcoPayz), it may take you some time to increase your transaction limits to a suitably high level if you intend to deposit & withdrawal large amounts in any single transaction. In other words, Payz is not generally the preferred payment method from Canada for high-rollers or VIPs as you really need to work your way up to the higher levels or tiers in this way.

Are cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum or Tether available for payments at the top sportsbooks for Canada?

No. Currently, all the most reputable CAD betting sites for Canada, which operate in offshore jurisdictions of Gibraltar, Malta or Kahnawake, do not also operate with direct crypto betting accounts, nor do they accept payments in Bitcoin, Ethereum, Tether or other crypto for exchange toward a Canadian Dollar betting account balance. These gaming jurisdictions have not progressed toward crypto in this manner, so the betting sites only deal directly in fiat currencies. However, an e-wallet payment solution like MuchBetter, does work as an intermediary to accept crypto payments, and then convert it to CAD, which can then be sent to the sportsbooks that support the MuchBetter e-wallet. 

The reality is that most sportsbook operators that allow direct cryptocurrency betting from Canada, actually operate from the lax gaming jurisdiction of Curaçao. While there may be some good operators there, far more are complete scam operators. We discuss this issue in more detail and reveal which of the crypto sports betting sites for Canada allow for safe, direct betting in Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin and Tether.  There's only one brand that we recommend.

What are the pre-paid solutions available at online sportsbooks for Canada

Paysafecard is by far the most widely supported pre-paid solution at Canadian online sportsboooks as well as the most widely available pre-paid option for physical purchase at retailers across the country.  Paysafecards are also available for purchase online in several Canadian Dollar denominations.  With them, you simply buy the card (or virtual card), then once at the betting site cashier page, enter the card PIN code to grant your funds. Read more about Canada paysafecard sportsbooks and how it works.

Other prepaid solutions similar to paysafecard, such as Neosurf or Flexepin are available to use at Betway Canada.  These methods work in the same fashion, they are just not as widely accepted by Canadian online sportsbooks as compared to paysafecard.

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