Online Gaming Merchant Accounts

The online gaming business has contributed to a massive boom in the gambling trade. Primarily this is down to the increasing awareness of an industry that has taken advantage of the versatility of the Internet.

From online and mobile games, to sports-bets and virtual poker rooms, the spectrum of various gambling forms are readily available from anywhere in the world. Through these newfound possibilities gaming businesses have been able to harness the potential of the Internet, reaching out to broader and younger audiences.

In order to harvest the rewards of the gaming industry you need a gambling license and a suitable merchant account. This article looks at what it means to be an online gaming business from the perspective of high risk and how that affects a merchant service provided.

High Risk Management
Parallel to the offline alternative online casino and gambling facilities are considered to be well-organized and hugely profitable businesses. Naturally, like in any form of business, naïve and or poor management will prove costly.

In regards to online gaming the notion of correct and proper management is imperative. This is subsequently due to the potentially large sums of money passing through the company on a daily basis. Consequently the gaming industry, like many other forms of business, falls under the category of high risk.

High risk generally refers to a significantly higher potential of risk involve on the part of the merchant service provider. This is not restricted to but typically includes the financial hazards of fraud, refunds and chargebacks, which are thought ‘more likely’ to occur within high risk businesses.

Some businesses are generically considered high risk and are judged so by underwriters who are employed by merchant account providers to assess the viability of merchant applications. The following two reasons outline why the gaming industry is deemed high risk:

High sales volumes
Local/domestic merchant service providers restrict high sales volumes by implemented processing limits that the merchant must abide by. These limits are deployed to protect the providing bank against high chargebacks and refunds incurred by the merchant. Due to the extensive and frequent amount of monetary activities involved in gambling, standard processing limits are unrealistically rigid.

Gaming businesses require higher and more flexible sales volumes. Consequently higher sales volumes and processing limits come at a greater risk to the financially liable merchant account provider, therefore transaction fees and reserves are slightly higher.

Fraud
In the same vain gaming businesses’ accounts and processing typically reside offshore, which tend to make revenues and other funds less accessible for taxation. As a result the gaming industry in these instances has contributed to money laundering and fraud.

Account Providers
Offshore merchant accounts provide the necessary means to support such a business. Firstly on a financial basis, as financial institutions, they are structurally prepared to handle large quantities and the potential risk involved. Secondly, as a consequence, these are companies who recognise and can implement the required security needs.

In addition, they understand the varying jurisdictional obligations that differ from one country to the next. As a result they can find the best deal worldwide from both a legal and financial perspective.

To participate successfully and competitively in the online gaming industry you need a realistic and dedicated high risk merchant account provider. Offshore accounts are geared toward high risk businesses and are not only the preferred choice but the right solution