Paypal Bingo Sites - Updated: April 2024

Can I Play PayPal Bingo Sites in the UK?

PayPal gambling is ubiquitous in the United Kingdom. Most sportsbooks, casinos, and bingo sites accept this payment method for deposits and withdrawals.

You could be forgiven for thinking that the same was true across the industry, but that’s just not the case.

In casinos licensed by the authorities of Curacao, you’re more likely to find cryptocurrency options than PayPal while Malta-based gaming sites tend to prefer Skrill and Neteller.

It seems that the relationship shared by PayPal and UK gambling sites is unique.

I couldn’t get any concrete answer on why this is the case, but I have a theory.

According to PayPal, its services can only be used in countries where gambling is legal. It also restricts its services for merchants that are unable to verify the identity of their players.

In an FAQ section titled, “What gambling activities does PayPal prohibit?”, it states:

“PayPal prohibits transactions for gambling activities by merchants and account holders in the U.S. and any jurisdiction where gambling activities are illegal”

And

“…merchants must demonstrate to PayPal’s satisfaction that they have the ability to block gambling activities for account holders in the U.S. and any jurisdiction where gambling activities may be illegal.”

The first statement may rule Curacao casinos out of the equation. Online casinos licensed in this region are able to offer legal gambling services to players in a host of countries, but that excludes Curacao itself, as online gambling seems to be prohibited there.

What’s more, many cryptocurrency casinos allow players to register without any verification checks and as they’re using a payment service not connected to a bank account, credit card, or any other official and centralised solution, it’s easier for them to slip through the net.

If you check the user reviews on Curacao-licensed, bitcoin-friendly casinos, you’ll see that many are from the US. US players are seemingly using VPNs to bypass basic checks and gamble freely, and this is clearly something that PayPal is not happy to support.

Of course, that’s just my theory, and it’s one I haven’t been able to verify, but it would certainly explain why PayPal is so common on UK-licensed casinos and practically unheard of elsewhere.

Which UK Bingo Sites Accept PayPal?

PayPal is accepted on all sites that work on the Jumpman Gaming network, including Lights Camera Bingo and Rocket Bingo. It is also accepted on 888 Gaming sites like 888 Casino and 777 Casino. Generally speaking, it’s accepted more places than it’s not.

I would say that it’s easier to list the sites that don’t accept PayPal than the ones that do, but that would require me to actually find them, and that’s no easy task.

Simply put, if you want to use PayPal to play bingo in the UK, you’re spoilt for choice.

Pros of Playing PayPal Bingo Sites

There are a couple of obvious advantages to using PayPal over a traditional payment option like debit cards or bank transfers. But there’s more to this method than meets the eye, as shown by the following list of benefits.

Speed and Convenience

These are the obvious benefits and the ones you probably already know about—PayPal is just so much faster and easier than debit cards and bank transfers.

Withdrawals should hit your account as soon as they have been processed and you can spend that money straight away or transfer it to your bank account.

You just can’t beat PayPal when it comes to speed and ease of use.

Easy Bankrolling

PayPal is fantastic for bankrolling purposes.

Simply load your funds with your bankroll for the month and then use it to play at all of your favourite sportsbooks, casinos, and bingo sites.

Place bets. Play games of poker. Buy bingo tickets. It all comes from your pre-determined monthly bankroll and if you refrain from topping up those funds until the next period, you can keep a close rein on your outgoings.

Chargebacks

Credit card gambling was always a terrible idea and something I was happy to see the back of. You would be charged cash advance fees and penalty interest rates by your card provider and a merchant fee by the casino, and to make matters worse, it was only available as a deposit method.

However, there was one benefit that the credit card ban nearly eradicated: chargebacks.

Thankfully, PayPal has a similar system in place.

Simply put, a chargeback is your way of lodging a complaint against a company that fails to provide a product or service. You file a dispute, turn it into a claim, and if you’re being genuine, you should get your money back.

PayPal has had a chargeback system in place since the beginning and while it’s not quite the same for online casinos/bingo sites as it is for eBay purchases, it’s still there.

If you have an issue with a legitimate and regulated site, this should not be your first course of action. You should always go through the IBAS first and the regulator second. But if you’re scammed by a fly-by-night unregulated casino, PayPal could help you to get your money back, of course, at Bingo Paradise, we only list UKGC approved sites.

Customer Support

Many of the people who refuse to use PayPal do so because of a negative past experience, and in 99% of cases, that experience involved bad customer support.

It’s no secret that PayPal’s customer support used to be terrible. You’d get more sense out of a kitten on a catnip high. These days, though, PayPal has righted the wrongs of the past and no longer relies on slow emails and non-responsive support teams.

If you have an issue, simply log into your account, and visit the Help section. You’ll see a code and a phone number. Dial the phone number and enter the code and you’ll be connected to a support team professional (usually in Ireland) who has your account in front of them.

Is it perfect? Not at all. PayPal is still a big company and so you won’t always get the clarity you seek. But it works better than it used to do and is much more effective than the systems used by other big companies.

Cons of Playing PayPal Bingo Sites

PayPal isn’t for everyone. Some players hate it and some of that hate is justified. It has been around a long time and hasn’t always had the best reputation. On a personal level, I used to hate PayPal. I used the service all of the time, but only because my hatred for Skrill was even more intense and I didn’t let my principles get in the way of convenience.

Thankfully, PayPal has improved a lot since those frustrating early years. These days it’s the exemplar service that it always strived to be. Still, it’s not without its issues, and depending on your personal preferences, these will either be minor and irrelevant niggles or complete dealbreakers.

Slow for New Members

Although PayPal is fast and convenient for most gamblers, that’s simply not the case if you have yet to sign up for an account.

If you want to reap the full benefits of PayPal, you’ll need a verified account. That means signing up, inputting bank details and debit card details, and then completing verification checks. If there is an issue with those checks, the process will drag and you’ll wonder why you didn’t just use your debit card instead.

It’s Not Always Available

Although PayPal is available at most bingo sites and other gambling sites in the UK, it’s not as common as Visa and Mastercard. You shouldn’t have an issue with the country’s top bingo sites, but you may encounter a few frustrating omissions as you get further down the list.

Fees and Delays

You shouldn’t be charged to make a deposit using PayPal, nor should you incur fees when you withdraw. However, you may be hit with fees when you initially fund your PayPal account. Fees are also charged for currency conversions. It’s also worth noting that various operators may set minimum withdrawal and deposit limits for Paypal and may even add a charge for withdrawals – check the T&Cs of the site before you play.

There can be delays as well, but it really all depends on the methods you use.

For instance, if you choose to add funds to your PayPal account from your bank account, you may need to wait for 3 to 5 days. If you withdraw to a method other than a bank account, it could also take a few days and may involve fees.

However, if you simply add a bank account and debit card to PayPal and make sure they are both verified, you can deposit directly using these methods and then withdraw to them in an instant. In other words, it’s easy to avoid the fees and delays if you know what you’re doing and use the right methods.

PayPal Alternatives for Playing Bingo

Ready to start playing bingo with PayPal funds? Just check out some of the top UK bingo sites mentioned above or take a look at our other reviews. All of the sites that we cover here at Bingo Paradise are UK-licensed and the majority accept PayPal.

If you’re not quite sold on the idea of using PayPal, there are a couple of alternatives to consider:

Neteller: A popular option among UK gamblers and one that is very similar to PayPal.
Skrill: Once known as Moneybookers, Skrill is owned by the same company as Neteller (as well as PaysafeCard) and is a complete—albeit not perfect—service.
ecoPayz: This payment option is becoming increasingly common on bingo sites in the UK and is a solid alternative to PayPal.

There are other popular methods as well, but many of them are either not available in the UK or have yet to be universally adopted by UK bingo sites.