What is Boku?
Boku was originally founded in 2003 as Vidicom Limited by Thomas Kirk and Glyn Smith from Derbyshire, England. After founding the service, the pair began searching for funding and looked towards Silicone Valley.
In 2008, the two men received funding from Khosla Venture, an American company, and Index Ventures, a British company. After reestablishing itself as Boku, Inc. and after buying Mobilcash and Paymo, a mobile payment provider, Boku officially launched in 2009.
Boku grew quickly over the next several years, receiving nearly $75 million in funding from various companies and signing deals with brands such as PlayStation, Spotify, Facebook, Google, Xbox and more, allowing hundreds of people to use its service.
Its popularity continues to increase today as more and more people are choosing to use it. It’s become so popular that some online casinos are finally accepting it as a valid payment method.
How Does Boku Work?
There are two ways you can use Boku to pay for goods or services. There’s an option for people who are contracted to their mobile carriers and an option for people who aren’t and prefer the pay-as-you-go route.
Pay-As-You-Go
Players who aren’t contracted to their mobile carrier can use the pay-as-you-go option in which payments (Including casino deposits) are deducted from mobile data, which is used to browse the internet, send messages and make calls.
Mobile Contracts
Players who are contracted to their mobile carrier can also use Boku. Generally, it works the same way only that the payment will be added to your bill at the end of the month rather than deducted from your mobile data. When this happens, Boku will be displayed clearly on your phone billing statement.
Note: Boku does not have any transaction fees associated with it. Boku is completely free to use.
Withdrawals
It’s important you understand that Boku cannot be used for withdrawals, it only works as a deposit option. When you do decide to withdraw any of your winnings, we suggest you use a different payment option. We recommend you use e-wallets such as Skrill, Neteller or PayPal as they have the fastest processing times.
Who Can Use Boku Casino Sites?
Anyone! As mentioned above, Boku is available in other 50 different countries. It’s available to anyone over the age of 18 as long as they have a mobile device or use a mobile carrier that is partnered with the firm.
In the UK, Boku has partnered with some of the most popular carriers including O2, EE, T-Mobile, Orange and Vodafone. It’s also accepted as a payment option with companies such as PlayStation, Xbox, Spotify and much more.
Boku is available on most devices including desktops, laptops, smartphones, tablet devices and even televisions! If you’re connected to the internet or have a 3 or 4G connection, you’ll be able to use Boku.
How To Use Boku
One of the reasons Boku is so popular is because it’s incredibly easy to register and start using. To register with Boku, all you need to do is:
Step 1
Find a casino that accepts Boku as a payment option and make sure you’re registered. Then click the ‘Deposit’ button on your account.
Step 2
At the deposit screen, click on the ‘Pay by Mobile’ or the Boku logo and click ‘Continue’.
Step 3
Select or enter how much you wish to deposit and click ‘Continue’.
Step 4
Enter your mobile number and then confirm your payment request.
Step 5
That’s it! You’re all ready to start playing.
Is Boku Safe?
Boku casino sites are incredibly safe. In fact, Boku is one of the safest payment options you can use. The reason Boku is appealing to so many people is because it’s not tied to your bank account. Most casinos require a form of payment that is linked to your bank account or cards, but Boku isn’t. It’s only connected to your mobile number which means you don’t need to provide the casino with any of your personal or financial details, which many people dislike doing.
In addition to this, Boku only allows up to £30 deposits, so if someone did manage to hack into your casino or Boku account, they wouldn’t be able to do much with it compared to other payment options. Lastly, Boku works with leading mobile carriers who follow a strict set of rules and employ some of the best security services around. In fact, the UK has several organisations that regulate phone pay services including PhonePayPlus, Ofcom and AIME.
In short, there’s nothing to worry about when it comes to Boku.
Pros and Cons of Boku
Pros
- Boku is easy to use, safe and offers speedy payments
- Works on devices such as smartphones and PCs
- You don’t need a bank account or credit or debit cards
Cons
- You can only deposit fixed amounts of money
- Boku cannot be used to withdraw winnings
- Few casinos accept Boku as a payment option
Boku Casino Sites
Now you’ve learnt how Boku works, how you can use it and what’s good and bad about it, it’s time to look at which casinos actually accept the payment option as a deposit method.
Despite its popularity, it can actually be quite hard to find Boku casino site in the UK. At the time of writing, the following casinos accept Boku:
Vegas Hero
Vegas Hero is an online casino that offers a huge variety of games. It accepts Boku as well as VISA, MasterCard, Skrill, Neteller and Paysafecard.
It’s currently offering new players a welcome bonus of 100% match of up to £200 plus 50 spins on first deposit.
Casumo
Casumo is an online casino that offers a great selection of games. It accepts Boku and other methods. Read our review for all payment options here.
Its welcome bonus offers new players a 100% match of up to £300 plus 20 bonus spins on first deposit.
Mansion Casino
Mansion Casino is one of the best-known casinos in the industry. Along with Boku, it accepts other payment options. For more information, read our review here.
It’s currently offering a 100% match of up to £200 welcome bonus for newly registered players.
All British Casino
All British Casino is an online casino that offers fast withdrawals. Along with Boku, All British offers several payment options. Find out more with our review here.
It’s currently offering a welcome bonus of 100% match of up to £100 plus 100 bonus spins to new players on first deposit.
Casino.com
Casino.com is an online casino that’s well-known in the industry. Along with Boku, it accepts PayPal, VISA, Skrill, Neteller, Paysafecard and EntroPay.
It is offering new players a welcome bonus of 100% of up to £100 plus 180 bonus spins on a first deposit.
Spinit
Spinit is a new online casino that offers a great catalogue of games. Along with Boku, Spinit accepts various payment options. Read more in our review here.
It’s welcome bonus for new players consists of a 100% match of up to £200 plus 200 bonus spins on a first deposit.
Responsible Gambling
While using Boku sounds like a great idea, it’s important you keep track of how much you’re spending. It can be easy to ignore or forget how much you’ve deposited and spent at Boku casino sites when using this payment method because nothing is taken from your bank account.
However, you don’t want to open your mobile bill statement at the end of the month to find a big surprise. If you do find yourself forgetting how much you’ve spent, you can easily call your mobile carrier and ask a customer service agent.
Is Boku Worth It?
Boku is simple, easy to use and incredibly fast. On top of that, the payment option can be used on multiple devices and in over 50 different countries, making it a great payment method. However, it depends entirely on how you’re using it (Contract or pay-as-you-go) and whether you’re connected to a mobile carrier that accepts it.
We’ll also give you a little warning, remember to keep a note of your deposits so you don’t get any unexpected fees. Since payments aren’t charged until the end of the month or come from your mobile data allowance, it can be easy to overspend and worry about the consequences later.
Lastly, though it’s a great payment option, it can be quite difficult finding a Boku casino site that actually accepts it. We’ve outlined the casinos that do, so make sure to read through our reviews to find out more.