Pay by Phonebill

As the term suggests, “Pay by Phonebill” entails making transactions with the funds charged against standard mobile phone bills. Funds from such transactions may also be drawn from prepaid credits. The system generally involves PayforIT and affiliated service providers such as Boku.

Pay by Phonebill enables users to make purchases and deposits into online casino accounts, among other transactions. Because the system is integrated with the payment systems of supporting casinos, there is no need to register for the service or to set up a user account. In most cases, deposits made via Pay by Phonebill appear in the online casino account immediately.

As simple and as seamless as Pay by Phonebill transactions may seem, they actually involve more than a few parties. When you make a deposit into an online casino account, the funds are drawn from existing credits you have in your prepaid mobile SIM card, or charged against your next phone bill.

Transactions are processed via your mobile network operator, and handled by a payment intermediary such as Boku. The funds are then transferred by the intermediary to the receiving casino. This entire process is governed by PayforIT, a government mobile payment system regulator.

PayforIT was formed as a result of an agreement forged between major mobile network operators. The organization essentially provides a set of guidelines governing all mobile phone bill payments in the country. In addition to being supported by all mobile operators in the country, it is regulated by:

• AIME - an industry trade association
• Offcom - an independent regulator of the communications industry
• PhonepayPlus - an organization that regulates phone-paid services

Boku is only one of many PayforIT intermediaries or service providers that include Dialogue, Bango and Oxygen8. It is by far the most commonly utilized intermediary in the online casino industry. These intermediaries basically set up the billing system, implement security features, develop user interfaces, and handle mobile payment transactions.

Boku is used by 8 million customers in more than 68 countries around the world, and is affiliated with most of the major mobile networks in the UK.

Pay by Phonebill does not involve transferring funds from an e-wallet or other online payment system, so there is no need to set up an account.

The Pay by Phonebill service interfaces directly with the payment system of the supporting online casino, so there is no need to prefund an account before making a deposit. If you wish to make a deposit into an online casino account via Pay by Phonebill, the process for doing so is as follows:

1. Go to the casino’s “deposits” page.
2. Select “Pay by mobile” as the deposit method.
3. Specify the amount you wish to deposit.
4. Key in your mobile phone number. You will then be sent an SMS for authentication of the transaction.
5. Reply to the SMS as appropriate.
6. Confirm the transaction.

In most cases, the deposited amount will be reflected in your online casino account instantly. The funds will be deducted from your prepaid phone credits or will be billed to you at the end of the month.

For obvious reasons, any winnings and bonuses you earn from online casinos cannot be withdrawn via Pay by Phonebill. Even if you could withdraw the winnings, you will likely end up only with more call and text credits that you will know what to do with! The most feasible option would therefore be to withdraw the funds via bank transfer or some other method.

Keep in mind that some casinos may not allow you to use two different methods for making deposits and withdrawals. If you deposit via an e-wallet service for example, you may be allowed to withdraw your winnings only to the same e-wallet system. This is something that you should check with the casino before you make a deposit.

That being said, most casinos that support Pay by Phonebill will allow you to withdraw any winnings and bonuses via some other method. In most cases, bank transfers would be the most feasible withdrawal option.

Pay by Phonebill transactions are handled by phone companies, which generally have high levels of security. You can therefore rest assured knowing that your sensitive personal information is protected at all times.

Furthermore, the way the Pay by Phonebill system is set up means that any transactions – whether legitimate or fraudulent – will have to be verified at every stage. An SMS will be sent to your phone before the payment is actually processed, so you have the option to cancel a payment that you did not authorize or if you change your mind for that matter.

Pay by Phonebill transactions also do not involve providing any of your banking information to anyone in any way. Even if the transactions is intercepted or the casino is hacked, all the information that is at risk will be your phone number.

There is usually no charge for using PayforIT and Boku. However, you may incur data charges levied by your phone service provider.

PayforIT and Boku provide customers with an e-support online request form. Both services also have a FAQ that contains answers to most common customer concerns and queries.