Western Union

We are sure that you’ve heard about Western Union. The company has been around not for years but for more than a century. It’s synonymous with money transfers all around the globe. This is no surprise since Western Union services are available in more than 200 countries worldwide.

The first thing that comes to mind when thinking of Western Union is money transfers in person. This also isn’t surprising since the company first introduced the money transfer service in the late 19th century. However, Western Union updated its services to meet the needs of new-age clients. As a result, you can now send money with Western Union from the mobile app, online and in person.

Since Western Union online wire transfers caught our eye, we’ve decided to focus on new WU products to see if they’re suitable for casino banking. Read on to learn if Western Union could be your favourite casino payment method.

About Western Union

Believe it or not, Western Union was founded in 1851. New York and Mississippi Valley Printing Telegraph Company and the New York & Western Union Telegraph Company jointly created the Western Union. The main idea behind this decision was to build an efficient telegraph network that would be available all across the States.

The company established a strong telegraph network, and in the late 19th century, it introduced a new service – money transfer. Telephone slowly but surely started to dominate over the telegraph. Hence, the money transfer service soon became the WU primary business.

At the beginning of the 21st century, Western Union decided to keep up with new technology trends and started providing online money transfer services. This was a smart decision, of course, since the company enlarged its client base. Not that they lacked clients, but they wanted to adjust their products to meet the new demands.

Soon, they also launched their mobile app and introduced mobile payments. Western Union app is a huge success, allowing you to track your money transfers in real-time and pay online and in-store on the go.

Western Union processes millions of transactions each year because its services are easy, convenient, safe, and available globally. But are they convenient enough for casino gamers? Well, it depends. If you choose to send money online, the process is much more straightforward than paying in one of the local WU agent locations.

Target Markets

Western Union is a global company offering offline and online money transfer services in more than 200 countries. You can send money with Western Union in South America, Latin America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and Africa. Yes, the company’s global transfer network is the largest in the world.

Its client base boasts over 150 million users that send and receive money at more than half a million agent locations. Moreover, you can also access WU services at 100,000+ ATMs and kiosks. Still, online money transfer platform is not available in all countries where offline services are available. Over 40 countries in the world have access to the WU online portal, allowing users to send and receive money online. Some of them include the US, the UK, Brazil, Canada, Australia, Argentina, Mexico, the Netherlands, South Africa, and Finland.

Western Union Account

Singing up with Wester Union depends on the WU service you want to use. You don’t need to open an account if you send money from land-based agent locations. But since we’re more focused on online payments, we’ll explain how to sign up with Western Union online.

Visit the official site and click Register in the top right corner. Provide your email address and create a strong password. You’ll receive an email with a 4-digit PIN code valid for 72 hours. You need to use this code to verify your email address. After providing the code, click Join Now to load the new registration page. Enter your name, surname, date of birth, address, phone number and security question there. Accept the Wester Union T&C, and that’s it. You’ve finished the registration.

However, the process doesn’t end there completely. You’ll need to verify your identity to regularly use the WU platform to send money online. Click “I want to send money regularly” on your money transfer page. You’ll receive a letter with a confirmation form you must fill out. Also, you must provide a scan of your valid, government-issued ID, in which your name, picture, signature and expiry date are clearly visible.

Sign the confirmation form and save the ID scans as JPG or PDF. Finally, send the form and ID scans to [email protected] and log in to your account to see your identification status. You’ll generally wait a few days to receive a confirmation email from Western Union.

When all is done, you can start sending money online. Simply open your account, enter the amount you want to send, and choose the country from the drop-down list. Choose Pay Online and then select credit card, debit card, or bank account. Then, pick how the receiver wants to collect the funds – as a cash pick-up or from a bank account. If you’re sending funds from your bank account to the recipient’s bank account, you must provide the bank name, IBAN and recipient’s bank account number.

When you finish the payment, you’ll receive an email with a Money Transfer Control Number (MTCN). Use MTCN to track the status of your transaction.

How to Deposit with Western Union?

Depositing with Western Union is slightly different than with other payment methods. First, open the banking page and select WU as your deposit method. Then, contact the casino’s customer support for the instructions and details needed to make your WU casino deposit. The most commonly used type of transaction is Money Order, which lets you deposit funds online.

However, you can also decide to pay in person at the nearest WU affiliate. If you pick this option, make sure to keep a 10-digit MTCN since the casino representatives may ask you to give them this number.

How to Withdraw with Western Union?

You won’t find many online casinos that allow you to cash out winnings with Western Union. The reason is obvious – these transactions may be a bit complicated.

The process is similar to depositing money, but this time, the casino finance team will give you the MTCN code first. You’ll then go to the nearest WU location and provide the code and your ID to collect the cash.
If you wish to receive money in your bank account, the support team will ask you to give them your bank’s BIC, IBAN and bank account number.

Transfer Times, Fees, and Security

Western Union casino deposits are not instant. You’ll probably wait some 20 minutes to see the money land in your casino balance. However, these transactions might take up to a few hours in some cases.

Cashout timeframes are even longer. This makes sense if we consider the casino pending period necessary for the team to review the withdrawal request. The chosen way of receiving money (in-person or online) also affects the timeframe. Generally, it takes 1-5 days to collect your winnings from the casino with Western Union.

Some fees are also involved if you use Western Union for casino banking. You’ll pay a $15 transfer fee for credit card transactions. However, WU won’t charge anything if you pay with a debit card or from your bank account.

A company that has such a long history must have a spotless reputation. Western Union can brag about it. It has been listed on the New York Stock Exchange, regulated by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) in the United States. In the UK and the EU region, the company has a seal of approval from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). In other words, Western Union is a reputable, trustworthy, and long-standing financial institution you can trust.