Using Boku at online casinos
It can be used in all of the world’s leading digital marketplaces, such as the Apple App Store, Google Play, Facebook and Spotify, which means you can use it for a huge range of online services in addition to playing at Boku slots sites.
Boku is an extremely convenient and easy-to-use method of making secure online payments to a casino account or for a range of other digital services. You can make a Boku casino deposit using a phone on any of the UK’s mobile networks and with any type of mobile device.
Our expert team here at WhichBingo has been hard at work checking out and reviewing the best Boku casino sites and online bingo rooms where you can use your mobile phone to make deposits into your account:
FEATURED BOKU BINGO AND CASINO SITES
18+ | Play responsibly | www.begambleaware.org | User Agreement & Bonus T&Cs apply
1st deposit only | min deposit £10 | max bet £2 | max bonus £100 | max cashout x3 the bonus | max cashout from spin winnings £100 | x40 wagering on bonus and bonus spin winnings | 30-day bonus expiry | 24-hour bonus spins expiry | bonus is valid for selected games only
*18+. New players only | No restrictions while playing with cash | Min. refund bonus is £10 | Wagering on bonus is 60x | Bonus based on 1st deposit lost | Max bet with bonus is £5 | Skrill and Neteller excluded | Full T&Cs apply. Please gamble responsibly. Gambleaware.org #AD
18+. First deposit only. Min deposit £10. 100% Bonus Match on 1st deposit, max £100 bonus & 100 bonus spins on Starburst. 40x wagering(dep+bonus). 40x on spins, 4x conversion, bonus valid on selected slots. Full T&Cs apply. Please Gamble Responsibly. Gambleaware.org #AD
18+. Offer is available to new customers who register via the promo code CASF51. Winnings are paid in cash. Extra spins are valued at 10p. Get an additional 50 extra spins when you deposit and spend £10 on eligible games. Deposits made with e-wallets are not valid for this offer. Full T&Cs apply. Please play responsibly. Gambleaware.org #AD
*18+. New players only. Valid until further notice. Min dep £20. 200% games bonus [GB] max £50 + 25 Extra Spins [FS] on selected games (FS valid for 3 days respectively; Max win cap 0.25p per spin). FS wins granted in Games Bonus [GB] & valid on selected games only. WR: 35x Games Bonus; 35x FS wins. GB wins cap: £100 + initial bonus. UK: deposit balance can be withdrawn at any time. Country restrictions apply. Full T&Cs apply. Please play responsibly. Gambleaware.org #AD
*18+.New Players Only. Wagering occurs from real balance first. 50X wagering the bonus. Contribution may vary per game. Available on selected games only. The wagering requirement is calculated on bonus bets only. Bonus valid 30 Days from receipt. Max conversion: 3 times the bonus amount or from extra spins: £20. Min Deposit £20. Withdrawal requests void all active/pending bonuses. Excluded Skrill and Neteller deposits. Full Terms Apply . Please play responsibly. Gambleaware.org #AD
18+. New players only. Min deposit £10. 20 Bonus Spins valid on Book of Dead. Bonus funds are 100% up to £100. Bonus funds + spin winnings are separate to cash funds and subject to 35x wagering requirement. Only bonus funds count towards wagering contribution. £5 bonus max bet. Bonus funds must be used within 30 days, spins within 10 days. Affordability checks apply. Terms Apply. Gambleaware.org #AD
*18+. New casino players only. Extra spins offer is subject to account verification. All spins must be used before withdrawal allowed. Min deposit £20 with “FIRST500” required. Max deposit £500. 5 redemption points per £1 required to convert Casino Instant Bonus into cash. Casino Instant and Extra Spins expire in 7 days. Selected Slots only. Terms apply. Please gamble Responsibly. Gambleaware.org #AD
18+. New customers only. First three deposits only. Min deposit £10. Max total bonus £500 & 150 Spins. 30x wagering (dep+bonus). 30x on spins, 4x conversion, bonus and spins valid on selected slots. Full T&C’s apply. Please gamble responsibly. Gambleaware.org #AD
The advantages and disadvantages of using Boku
Pros
- No need for a separate account or app — Unlike some other payment methods, e.g., PayPal or e-wallets, a casino with Boku allows you to make deposits which are then either charged to your mobile phone bill or deducted from your pre-paid balance. This means there no need to set up or maintain a separate account, making your online gaming funds easier to manage.
- Use Boku on any mobile phone — Although a significant proportion of the UK population today has a smartphone, it is not necessary to have the latest tech to be able to play at a Boku casino or bingo site. You can make payments on any device that can send and receive text messages — even the earliest versions of mobile phones.
- A secure payment method — Many players favour playing at a Boku mobile casino because of the additional security it provides with regard to personal and financial information. As your deposit is charged to your phone bill, you don’t need to share debit card details with either the casino or a third party service provider. Likewise, your details aren’t being stored anywhere so you are less susceptible to hacking, fraud and identity theft.
- No fees — You aren’t charged a fee by your mobile service provider when you make a deposit into your Boku bingo account or at a Boku casino. The amount that you deposit is the same amount that appears on your bill. However, it is important to note that a Boku online casino may choose to charge a fee for offering this service. Therefore, always check the T&Cs carefully before playing at any Boku payment slots site.
- Simple to use — Anyone who has ever made a deposit into a casino or bingo account — or any sort of payment online — will have no difficulty in making a Boku casino deposit. You simply go through the banking or cashier page and follow the instructions as you would with any other payment method, with the only difference being that you need to have your mobile phone handy to receive a confirmation text message and then reply.
Cons
- Withdrawal not available with Boku — If you play at a Boku payment bingo site, you will nevertheless need to have some alternative form of payment method in place when it comes to cashing out, as you can’t withdraw using Boku. If you don’t have another method that you can use, your withdrawn funds will usually be sent to you in the form of a cheque, which is by some way the slowest method for withdrawals available.
- Deposits are limited — You will generally be limited both in the size of individual transactions and the total amount you can add to your account in a day when you make a Boku casino deposit. In most instances, the maximum amount you can deposit in a 24-hour period is £30, which won’t necessarily be a problem for the occasional player, but if you take your gaming a little more seriously, this could prove to be quite an impediment.
- Deposit Fees – As we mentioned previously, while most casinos do not charge a fee for depositing, most do for Boku and it is a significant amount. You will find that some charge a high fee of 15% of your deposit. This means that if you make a deposit of £15, £2.75 will instantly be taken away from your cash balance.
Banking with Boku
You need to weigh up all the pros and cons if you are thinking about signing up to play at a Boku casino. And while there are growing numbers of casino sites and Boku bingo sites, you need to consider whether this is the right payment method for you.
Deposit and withdrawal times
One thing you can be sure of when you pay at a Boku deposit slots site is that your funds will be credited to your account and can be played with straight away. There is no processing time, so you can start gambling immediately. However, as you can’t withdraw using Boku, you need to find an alternative method when you want to cash out. We recommend PayPal, or an e-wallet like Neteller or Skrill, as these offer the fastest payout times (although there will usually be a processing time of at least 48 hours at almost all online casinos before payments are completed).
Ease of opening an account
There is no separate Boku account to set up or manage. As long as you have a mobile phone and are playing at a casino with Boku, there is not much else you need to do. When you select Boku as your payment method on the banking or cashier page and enter the amount you want to deposit, you’ll be prompted to enter your mobile phone number. You’ll then receive a text message, asking you to confirm the payment amount. Once this is done, your funds are available.
Fees structure
Your mobile phone carrier will not charge you a fee for using Boku — the amount that you deposit into your casino account is the amount that will appear on your next phone bill or be deducted from your pay-as-you-go balance. However, the majority of sites on our Boku casino list will charge you a fee for using this service. This will generally be 2.5%, but you should check each individual site’s T&Cs before signing up to make sure you know what the charge will be.
Our final thoughts on Boku
When it comes to simplicity and convenience, there is much to like about Boku. The process of making a deposit is very easy — all you are required to do is reply to a text message to confirm your deposit and the amount. It is also a simple and straightforward payment method in that there is
- no new account to set up and maintain
- no new passwords to remember
- no new app to download and install
However, there are also some drawbacks, not least the fact that the number of Boku bingo sites and online casinos accessible by UK players is relatively limited. If this is your preferred payment method, you won’t have as many playing options as you might otherwise. The limit on deposits is also a negative factor, as is the fact that Boku can’t be used to cash out and make withdrawals. It is also important to take into consideration the potentially very high deposit fees charged by the online casino to make a deposit using Boku.
On the whole, our view is that Boku is a good payment method for someone who plays online bingo or slots every now and then, and neither invests nor expects to win too much. However, if you are a more serious, dedicated player, other payment methods will likely suit you better.
Author And Managing Editor
Anita is well-known and respected within the online bingo industry, she loves all things bingo and slots and has been involved with online bingo and gambling sites since the late 1990’s. She has been the full-time writer and Editor of WhichBingo for much of that time and is respected by operators and players alike for her no-nonsense judgments and opinions. Anita has seen the highs and lows of the industry she loves, has seen it grow and develop and contract again into what it is today. She has worked with the biggest names in the industry and has a reputation for being fair and to the point in her writing.
