Withdrawal Speeds by Payment Method: A Real-World Comparison

Casino marketing promises “instant withdrawals.” Then you wait three days staring at “pending” status wondering what happened to “instant.”

I spent four months testing withdrawal speeds across eight payment methods with 40 separate cashouts ranging from $50 to $800. I tracked every step: submission to pending, pending to approved, approved to money in account. The differences were massive—and rarely matched what casinos advertised.

Here’s what actually happened with each method.

Testing requires platforms with diverse payment options. Amonbet Casino Nederland launched in 2024 offering bank transfer, Visa, Mastercard, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and crypto with €20 minimums and instant deposit processing—useful variety for comparing withdrawal speeds across traditional and modern methods.

The Crypto Promise vs Reality

Bitcoin withdrawals: 4-18 hours actual time. Not the “instant” casinos advertise. Here’s the breakdown I tracked across 8 Bitcoin withdrawals:

Casino processing: 30 minutes to 3 hours (even at “instant” crypto casinos). Blockchain confirmation: 10 minutes to 6 hours depending on network congestion. Exchange deposit if converting to fiat: another 1-2 hours.

My fastest Bitcoin withdrawal: 4 hours 20 minutes from casino submission to exchange account. My slowest: 17 hours 45 minutes during network congestion (I made the withdrawal on a Sunday when Bitcoin fees spiked).

Ethereum was genuinely faster. Average 2-3 hours total. The faster block times made a real difference. My fastest ETH withdrawal cleared in 1 hour 50 minutes.

The hidden cost: Network fees during testing ranged from $3.50 to $28 for Bitcoin, $2-12 for Ethereum. These fluctuate hourly based on network activity. “Fee-free” crypto withdrawals don’t include blockchain costs you pay separately.

E-Wallets: The Actual Speed Kings

Skrill averaged 6 hours from submission to account. Fastest was 3 hours 15 minutes, slowest was 11 hours (Friday evening submission, processed Monday morning).

Neteller performed nearly identically: 5-8 hour range across 6 withdrawals. One interesting pattern: both Skrill and Neteller processed significantly faster on Tuesday-Thursday. Weekend and Monday submissions sat in pending longer.

Starting with smaller amounts helps. A $2 minimum deposit casino lets you test withdrawal speeds with minimal risk before committing larger sums—I used this approach to verify processing times at new casinos before making substantial deposits.

PayPal was the surprise winner when available. Only 3 casinos I tested offered it, but average time was 4 hours. Fastest was 2 hours 10 minutes. However, PayPal charged 2.5% withdrawal fees at two of three casinos.

Why e-wallets actually work: Casinos batch-process e-wallet withdrawals 3-4 times daily. If you submit right before a batch processes, you’re fast. Submit right after, you wait 6-8 hours for the next batch. No way to predict this timing from the player side.

Credit Cards: The Disappointing Reality

Visa/Mastercard averaged 3-5 business days. My tracking showed zero correlation between casino promises and actual delivery. “24-48 hours” in terms became 72-96 hours in practice.

My fastest card withdrawal: 2 days 8 hours. My slowest: 6 days 4 hours. The casino blamed “banking delays” but the same bank processed e-wallet transfers to my account in hours, not days.

The real reason cards are slow: Anti-fraud checks. Banks scrutinize gambling-related credits more than standard transfers. Several of my withdrawals triggered additional verification calls from my bank before releasing funds.

Bank Transfers: Predictably Slow

3-5 business days, exactly as advertised. Boring but accurate. I tested 5 bank transfer withdrawals. Fastest was 3 days 2 hours, slowest was 5 days 6 hours.

The consistency was almost refreshing after crypto’s unpredictability. If you submit Tuesday morning, expect money Friday afternoon. Submit Friday? Next Wednesday or Thursday.

One advantage: no fees at most casinos. And no exchange rate concerns or network congestion variables. Just reliable, plodding slowness.

What Determines “Fastest” in Practice

Casino processing time matters more than payment method. Platforms marketing themselves as the fastest payout online casino typically process requests within 1-2 hours rather than the industry standard 24-48 hour pending period—this dramatically affects total withdrawal time regardless of whether you choose crypto or e-wallets.

I tracked casino-side pending periods separately from payment method delivery:

Instant processing casinos (7 tested): Average 45 minutes pending time. Standard casinos (5 tested): Average 26 hours pending time.

This matters more than your chosen payment method. A slow casino with instant crypto still takes longer than a fast casino with Skrill. The 26-hour pending period dwarfs the 4-hour e-wallet processing difference.

My Current Strategy

For withdrawals under $500: Skrill or Neteller. Reliable 6-8 hour total time once approved, no network fee surprises.

For withdrawals over $1,000: Bitcoin despite slower speeds. The percentage-based fees on large e-wallet withdrawals (2-3% at many casinos) cost more than fixed blockchain fees.

For weekend withdrawals: Nothing time-sensitive. Friday submissions sat pending until Monday regardless of method. Save urgent cashouts for Tuesday-Thursday when processing teams run full shifts.

The Bottom Line

Payment method matters less than casino processing speed. A fast-processing casino with bank transfer beats a slow casino with crypto. Focus on finding casinos that approve withdrawals within hours, not days. Then choose your payment method based on fees and convenience rather than promised speed differences that rarely materialize.