Adventures in depositing
American poker players looking to fund their online accounts should look no further than their local Walmart.
MoneyGram, a money transfer service available worldwide and featured at the retail giant Walmart, can be used to fund PokerStars accounts.
The service is quick, taking less than an hour depending on how far away you live from your local MoneyGram provider. Depositors should keep in mind that there is a hefty $9.95 per transaction service fee and that you may need to show up to two types of identification.
In order to use MoneyGram, PokerStars players will first have to log on to PokerStars and request a MoneyGram deposit. PokerStars will then send you the information necessary to complete the transaction at your local retailer.
It was three hours from the time I requested the option to the time it hit my PokerStars account. Most of that time was spent fighting Boston traffic and waiting in the Walmart customer service line.
Here is a log of my transaction:
1:30 p.m. – Heard about MoneyGram.
1:35 p.m. – Logged onto to PokerStars and reviewed the deposit method.
3:00 p.m. – Requested the deposit method after much deliberation (oh what I do for my readers). I instantly received an email from PokerStars, begging me to come back to them.
4:00 p.m. – Tricked my boss into letting me leave early, only to run into massive traffic. ( Ed. note: He should have listened to his boss and gone to a different one).
4:45 p.m. – Got wicked lost. ( Ed. note: Didn't follow Boss' directions.)
5:15 p.m. – Arrived at Walmart. Anyone else think Mapquest is terrible?
5:45 p.m. – Processed the $80 transaction smoothly.
6:30 p.m. – Logged onto to PokerStars. The money was there! Gambling time!
12:48 a.m. – Won $450 in a $3 triple-shoot out…who likes MoneyGram? Me.
Goodbye Green Dot
I've been experimenting with the Green Dot pre-paid MasterCard, using it to deposit funds into Ultimate Bet. The pre-paid cards, can be purchased at pharmacy chains like Walgreens and CVS, worked twice for me and I was twice able to make $50 deposits.
The third time I tried to deposit, Ultimate Bet denied my transaction. Then I was chastised by Green Dot for using my card for online gambling, a restriction that I missed in their service agreement.
I withdrew the remaining funds and said goodbye to Green Dot.
It was fun while it lasted.