Our Guide: How do Boku Casinos work?
It may be that you’ve recently become a customer at a mobile casino and you’ve noticed
Boku as a payment method and are curious to know more. Well Boku allows a customer to
make a deposit to their account using their mobile phone number. Boku is very simple as
it takes the money directly from the mobile phone carrier. This means that each time a
deposit is made on your mobile via Boku it is essentially added to your monthly phone
bill. If you’re using a ‘pay as you go’ sim the credit is taken from what you have on
the phone.
It is very simple to use and here is how it works.
- Decide how much you wish to deposit. At present the maximum single deposit amount is
£10 and and a maximum daily amount of £30.
- When making a deposit at a mobile casino scroll through the different options and
select ‘pay by mobile’.
- Enter in your mobile phone number
- You’ll then receive a text message asking you to confirm your purchase, simply reply
to this message to complete the process.
At the moment in the UK the following carriers will allow deposits to be made by Boku
It is fast becoming a popular method of payment as it reduces the need for customers to
enter in a debit or credit card when making a purchase or transaction. This has a number
of benefits from being quick and easy to use and also reduces the chance of fraud as no
card details are entered at any point of the transaction. Its versatility to work on any
web browser is also key as it means that no mobile device is restricted from using the
service. It is also perfect for those individuals who do not have a standard bank
account.
A Brief Look at the History and Background Boku
Boku was originally founded in 2003 and known as Vidicom Limited. The two founders were
Thomas Kirk and Glyn Smith from Derbyshire, UK. After starting the concept and creating
the software the pair of entrepreneurs began to look for funding for their idea of
‘mobilecash’. They turned their attentions to Silicone Valley and in 2008 got funding
from the venture capitalists Khosla Venture. Things then began to move quickly as in
2009 the company became known as Boku and also launched in the USA with the acquisition
of Paymo. Paymo were already working in the mobile payment sector so their acquisition
fitted perfectly. At the same time of this purchase another $13 million flowed into the
company by way of investment for different venture capitalists.
Since those early days the company has grown on a massive scale. At the time of writing
it has made five acquisitions and received nearly $75M in funding from various venture
capitalists. While these are impressive it is who Boku is signing deals with. Boku is
not just a depositing facility for mobile casinos, but has struck deals with Facebook,
Google Play, PlayStation Store, Spotify and many more. It is no wonder that more and
more casinos are starting to offer Boku as a payment method considering some of the
biggest companies in the world allow its customers to use their service.
What to Expect from a Boku Casino
When it comes to the history of pay by boku casino sites then there is not a great deal
to report. It is a fairly new phenomenon and still many casinos are not on board or
accepting it as a method of allowing their customers to make a deposit. The truth behind
this is costs. For those operators who wish to offer their customers the ‘pay by text’
payment option there is a hefty cost involved. This in turn eats into the profits of the
operator and therefore not every casino will offer Boku for this reason. An alternative
reason is that a number of operators are still yet to be aware of this as a payment
method. It seems staggering when you consider Boku is able to process over 4 billion
payment requests worldwide.
There are also those who feel that pay by boku slots and casinos are a bad idea. As the
money is not instantly debited from the bank account it can be difficult to keep track
of how much money is being gambled. A number of leading charities are concerned that
this new form of payment method will be all too attractive to those who have addictive
personalities. They say that as the mobile phone bill is charged at the end of the month
it is seen as ‘easy credit’ and therefore encourages unhealthy gambling. Naturally all
gambling is unhealthy if not done in a controlled manner and this can apply to all forms
of payment methods.
But there is no doubt that Boku is a very good option to pay for goods and services for
customers who like it quick and hassle free. It is fast, easy and very convenient. And
as the number of casino operators’ offering this payment method grows it appears to be
very popular with players around the globe. If you’re looking for a website that offers
boku and other payment providers then take a look at https://www.5slotsites.com
If you’re looking to pay via boku then it just so happens that more and more casino
networks are signing up to offer the service. Numerous casinos are jumping on board and
offering deposits via mobile phone bill. Now they may not strictly be Boku as that is a
particular brand, but the principle of depositing via your mobile is the same. There is
definitely something to watch out for, and that is the fees. For example Jumpman Casinos
will allow a deposit of just £5 but fee for doing so is £2.50! It is no wonder that with
such heavy fees players are questioning the value is making such a deposit. Another
example of fees are progress play casinos, as they charge a flat 15% fee on all deposits
made via your mobile. This is nowhere as steep as the Jumpman Network but still a cost
to consider. Also one to watch out for is the Nektan network of casinos. They only allow
the first deposit to be made via Boku and then the option is removed, which isn’t much
good for those who have joined a particular casino site so they can deposit with their
mobile. But they also have a 15% fee on payments via Boku, so definitely read the T&Cs
before joining any network.