Western Union Payments

The history of the Western Union Company dates back to 1851, when they began providing telegraph services from New York to the Mississippi Valley. By 1871, services had been expanded from coast to coast and evolved to include electronic money transfer. Western Union was also one of the original eleven stocks included in the first Dow Jones Average.

By 1980, revenue from the company’s money transfer services exceeded telegram service revenue. Western Union has since grown to become a global money transfer service, operating a network of some 510,000 agent locations in more than 200 countries and territories. In conjunction with international affiliates, Orlandi Valuta and Vigo, customers are offered fast, reliable and convenient ways of sending and receiving money all around the globe, plus the ability to make payments and purchase money orders.

When it comes to betting online, Western Union is an accepted method of making financial transactions at some 185 gaming sites, including 181 that use English as their primary language. They include such major bookmakers and casinos as Ladbrokes, Bet365, BetVictor, William Hill, Expekt, Party Casino and bwin Sports, to name but a few.

Western Union is particularly advantageous to online players who do not have access to or do not wish to use a bank account or credit card in conjunction with their gaming activities. Agents provide an easy and convenient way to remit and receive funds in cash. On the other hand, those who register for a free Western Union Quick Pay account may also take advantage of “card pay-in & cash pay-out” or “card pay-in & bank account pay-out” options for direct transactions via the Internet.

For those dealing solely in cash with a gaming site, special Company Codes are provided for making deposits from any Western Union agent location. The codes vary by currency, such as different ones for transfers in Pounds and Euros. Both deposits and withdrawals via Western Union typically require a £10 minimum transfer and take 1~5 days to process. There are no additional fees charged by the gaming site.

For those using Quick Pay, clicking on the “Banking” tab of most gaming sites leads to a pull-down menu on the deposit page, which can be used to select the Western Union option. Entering the Quick Pay account number, date of transaction and amount to be deposited, along with the gaming site customer ID and password, will initiate the transfer. Again, no additional fees are charged.

For withdrawals, a similar process can be used from the Banking tab, selecting the “Withdraw” option from the cashier page and indicating the amount to be transferred. This process does, however, necessitate an extra step. The customer must contact Customer Services to complete the transaction by providing either the Quick Pay details or the agent location for the funds to be sent. For those using Quick Pay, the status of the order can be tracked through the Western Union website. Cash customers receive a confirmation number which can be used in the same way.

For those who intend to use Western Union frequently, a special “gold!card” is available with a multitude of benefits. It makes transactions faster, as customer details and those of receivers are stored on the gold!card itself. For those who provide a mobile phone number, there is free SMS notification when the money transfer has been paid out, too.

Sports fans may be interested to note that in 2012 the global payment services leader signed a three-year agreement to become the Presenting Sponsor of the UEFA Europa League. The contract will run through 2015 and include the 2013, 2014 and 2015 UEFA Futsal Cup finals.

Related Articles