Best UnionPay Online Casinos 2024

By Kwasi Osei-Bobie 29.10.2023, updated 16.12.2024

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UnionPay casinos have gained massive popularity in recent years thanks to the payment method’s numerous perks, including swift and secure transactions. UnionPay is a Chinese financial service provider that allows users to make payments, such as casino deposits and withdrawals, using the company’s branded debit, credit, and prepaid cards. In this review, we’ll briefly discuss UnionPay as a company, explore its products and services, market coverage in gambling-friendly regions, and its pros and cons. In addition, we’ll provide a step-by-step guide on how to deposit and withdraw winnings from online casinos that accept UnionPay.

General information about UnionPay

UnionPay International is a subsidiary of China UnionPay, a state-owned payment service provider established in March 2002. Basically, China UnionPay is a coalition for China’s banking card industry, operating under the supervision of the People’s Bank of China. As of today, it’s the only interbank network in the country, as it connects all ATMs of all banks in the region. Three years after its establishment (in 2005), UnionPay started to expand its market outside China by partnering with various international payment networks. According to numerous sources, UnionPay surpassed Mastercard and Visa in terms of transaction volume, thus becoming the largest credit and debit card processing institution worldwide.

As mentioned, UnionPay allows users worldwide to make payments through branded debit, credit, and prepaid cards, but the company does not issue these products directly. Instead, interested consumers can visit UnionPay member banks and financial institutions to procure their preferred cards. Once you’re issued a card, you can make payments, such as funding your gambling account from wherever, just like a regular bank card.

To accommodate its broad customer base, UnionPay offers various cards, each with individual perks and services. Thus, depending on your issued card, you can fund your gambling account or withdraw your winnings from real money UnionPay casinos without hassle. In this regard, UnionPay provides debit, credit, and prepaid cards (loadable and non-reloadable) for online casino players.

UnionPay market coverage

Headquartered in Shanghai, China, UnionPay has partnered with over 2600 banks and financial institutions worldwide to issue its cards and spread its services outside the region. Thanks to the international association, the company has an incredible global market coverage, serving 183 countries in Asia, Europe, Oceania, America, and Africa. UnionPay has issued over 230 million cards overseas, a factor that propelled the brand to overtake Visa and Mastercard as the leading card-processing institution for debit and credit card transactions. Some gambling-friendly jurisdictions where you can use UnionPay to make casino deposits and withdrawals include

• Georgia
• Hong Kong
• India
• Chinese Mainland
• Macau
• Australia
• Brazil
• Canada
• Argentina
• Kenya
• Nigeria
• South Africa, etc.

How to deposit to online casinos with UnionPay

You must first deposit funds into your casino account to play your favourite games in real-money UnionPay casinos. In this regard, UnionPay is an ideal payment option as it offers swift and secure transactions. It’s also a cost-effective alternative as it features no service charges for processing deposits, but this might change depending on your UnionPay casino. Below is the procedure for depositing to online casinos accepting UnionPay:

1. Your first step is to sign up for a player account in one of the best UnionPay casinos online. Afterwards, proceed to the banking/cashier section and open the Deposit window, where you’ll find a list of all supported deposit options.
2. Select UnionPay to fund your account through this channel, at which point a payment window will open. Here, you’ll be required to fill in your card details, including your card number, expiration date, and the 3-digit CVV number.
3. Afterwards, enter your preferred deposit amount, considering the platform’s deposit limits and click the Deposit button to complete the transaction.

As previously stated, casinos with UnionPay deposits have swift transaction times. Therefore, your player account will be credited immediately after the transaction goes through, i.e., within seconds or less than a minute. Moreover, top UnionPay casinos offer signup offers for first-time deposits, meaning you’ll be eligible for the bonus once your deposit is successful.

How to withdraw from online casinos with UnionPay

When playing for real money in an online casino, you’re bound to have some winnings during your gambling session, and once you have gathered enough winnings, your next thought is usually on how to get your payouts as quickly as possible. UnionPay also supports casino payouts, but there are limitations depending on your jurisdiction and the type of card you use. Some banks don’t accept gambling transactions, and prepaid cards only support deposits. This means you’ll have to find an alternative banking method, such as an e-wallet, wire transfer, or crypto, for withdrawals. To withdraw your winnings through this alternative, follow the steps below.

1. Head to the cashier section and open the Withdraw page.
2. Pick UnionPay from the provided list as your preferred payout option, upon which you’ll be redirected to a new page. Since you used the same card for deposits, the system will auto-fill all your card details.
3. Lastly, enter your withdrawal amount, submit your request, and wait for the casino to process your payment.

Although UnionPay has quick transaction times for deposits, you might be disappointed when it comes to withdrawals, as they may take up to three business days to process. However, the overall withdrawal time will depend on your real money UnionPay casino. Note that you can reduce the withdrawal time if you perform the KYC procedure during signup.

UnionPay transaction times and fees

Regarding deposits, UnionPay has one of the fastest transaction times because as soon as you enter your card details and the amount you wish to deposit, the funds will be floated into your casino account almost instantly. This means you’ll enjoy your favourite real money casino games within no time. However, the same does not apply when it comes to withdrawals. Casino payouts may take one to three business days to process, meaning this payment method may not be ideal for you if you wish to have your winnings fast.

Regarding fees, top UnionPay casinos don’t charge any transaction fees for deposits and withdrawals. However, UnionPay charges online merchants for each transaction, meaning your preferred UnionPay casino might impose these fees on you. You might also incur currency conversion fees if you transact using a different currency from the one registered on the card.

UnionPay casinos pros and cons

Pros

• Since it’s a popular payment method worldwide, it’s easy to find online casinos accepting UnionPay for deposits and withdrawals.
• UnionPay offers swift transaction times for casino deposits, making it a convenient payment option for players.
• Depending on your jurisdiction and the type of card you’re using, you can deposit and cash out your casino winnings through this channel.
• UnionPay cards have EMV chips embedded, and they’re PIN-based, ensuring all transactions are secure from unauthorised access.

Cons

• UnionPay payouts have a long withdrawal time of up to three business days.
• Depending on your UnionPay casino and bank, you might incur service fees for withdrawals.

Convenience and safety of UnionPay casinos

For starters, UnionPay serves over 180 countries worldwide by partnering with 2600+ financial institutions, meaning the payment method is widely recognised and accepted. This makes it a convenient banking method for online casino players since you can easily procure a UnionPay card and seamlessly begin transacting with it from anywhere. In addition, UnionPay debit and prepaid cards are ideal for users who can’t control their spending as they allow you only to spend the funds on the card and nothing extra.

Regarding security, UnionPay is the largest debit and credit card processing institution with the largest PIN-based network worldwide, meaning all transactions are highly secured from online fraud, thanks to the company’s top-tier security measures.

Conclusion

UnionPay is an international payment network that provides its services in partnership with banks and other financial institutions through branded debit, credit, and prepaid cards. Thanks to its global alliance and acceptance, you can obtain a card from the member banks and use it to make secure online payments, such as casino deposits and withdrawals, regardless of location. You’ll find a list of the pros and cons of UnionPay casinos in this review, alongside other relevant information regarding the payment method, such as its transaction times and fees, convenience and safety, market coverage, etc.