Cheque payments at online casinos
A cheque (check) is document that authorises the payment of money from your bank account to a named beneficiary. To be able to write cheques you need to have a current account (checking account) with a bank where you have deposited a certain amount of money. A cheque is a document where you write the instructions for payment which include the amount to be paid, the date and to whom you are making this payment. You are able to pay to another individual or to an institution.
Casinos that issue cheques most commonly do so as a method of withdrawal for players located in the United States. This is due to the legal uncertainty created by the UIGEA law which makes it difficult for casinos to process withdrawals electronically. Cheques issued by an online casino to American customers will almost always be issued via a third party intermediary in order to make the payment appear to be unrelated to online gambling.
In recent times cheques have been replaced more and more with debit and credit cards as well as other forms of transferring money directly from one bank account to another. Using a cheque, it may take some time for the money to transfer from your account to the intended recipient, as the cheque needs to reach the payee and the will then need to be cashed or deposited into their bank account, which can involve a clearance period of several days.