A Look Back at the Early iGaming Days (1990s-2000)
If gambling dates back to pre-historic times—when people bartered and wagered for scraps of metal—then iGaming has a bit of history too. Back in 1994, Gaming Club was launched and is often considered the world’s first online casino. Some argue InterCasino deserves that title instead, but either way, iGaming has been around for at least three decades.
At that time, the cashiers were rudimentary. No PayPal — that wouldn’t be founded until 1998 in Palo Alto. No Neteller either, which launched in Canada in 1999 before relocating to the Isle of Man and eventually becoming part of PaySafe. Crypto wouldn’t show up until 2008. So back then, your only real option was a credit card — usually Visa or Mastercard — and even those were hit-or-miss, depending on the bank’s mood. Deposits were clunky, withdrawals were slow, and the concept of “instant payout” was still a distant dream.
If you’re curious, here’s what you would expect to see in the cashiers:
What Cashiers Offered in 1990s:
💳 Credit Cards
- Visa and Mastercard were the standard picks for deposits.
- American Express was almost never accepted—partly due to its high merchant fees, and partly because it just wasn’t that common in Canada at the time.
🏦 Bank Transfers / Wire Transfers
- These were slow, expensive, and often required a trip to the bank (or at least a phone call).
- High rollers used them for large deposits, especially at casinos hosted offshore in places like Antigua or Costa Rica.
📬 Paper Checks / Cheques
- For withdrawals, some casinos mailed physical checks. Yes, in an envelope.
- These could take two to four weeks, and often had generic sender names to avoid drawing attention—especially if someone else was picking up your mail.
🧾 Direct Bank Debits (early eCheck-style)
- A few sites experimented with pre-authorized bank debits, mainly for U.S. and Canadian players.
- These were the early ancestors of modern eChecks, but with limited bank support and reliability.
Here’s How eChecks Made Their way into Player Cashiers (early 2000s):
First off, it’s worth noting that eCheck development started in the U.S., where it was typically known as ACH. It only later moved into Canadian space. Here, people tend to prefer the terms EFT or simply eCheck.
The Key USA milestones were:
- 1993–1995: The U.S. government and banking sector began pilot programs for processing checks digitally. This was in preparation for what would become the Check Clearing for the 21st Century Act (Check 21). This laid the groundwork for electronic check images.
- 1998: The NACHA (National Automated Clearing House Association) introduced formal standards for eChecks — allowing payments using a consumer’s checking account. Of course, all without a paper check being written or mailed.
These laid the groundwork for the arrival of eCheck. More specifically, In Canada, the evolution of eChecks followed this path:
- Pre-2000s: Canada already had Pre-Authorized Debits (PADs). This is basically a banking standard that allows recurring or one-time debits from a customer’s account (with their consent). And this is the closest Canadian equivalent to the U.S. eCheck system.
- Early 2000s: These PADs began to be adapted for online use, but adoption was slower and more fragmented compared to U.S. ACH.
- 2003–2005: Some early Canadian online casinos and payment processors started offering “instant bank transfers” or “electronic checks” by integrating with banks directly — though these weren’t officially called “eChecks” yet.
- Today: In Canada, the term “eCheck” is often used colloquially (especially in iGaming), but it still functions via PAD + online bank verification, not ACH.
2003–2005 marks the beginning of eCheck-style deposits for Canadian iGaming. In 2003, Spin Casino and Gaming Club had eCheck in the cashiers.
Big iGaming Groups That Still Offer eCheck in 2025
PokerStars (still active):
In the early 2000s, PokerStars introduced and branded “Instant eChecks” as a new and superior deposit method. These were essentially ACH transfers. The feature quickly caught on with poker players — this was still the pre–Black Friday era — and competitors began to follow suit. In 2025, PokerStars still offers eCheck to Canadian players.
About the Group
PokerStars is currently owned by Flutter Entertainment plc, one of the world’s largest online gambling companies. Originally launched under Rational Group in 2001, PokerStars was acquired by Amaya Inc. in 2014 for $4.9 billion — a major deal that led Amaya to rebrand as The Stars Group.
In 2020, Flutter Entertainment — already the owner of FanDuel, Betfair, and Paddy Power — completed its merger with The Stars Group, bringing PokerStars into its global portfolio. Today, Flutter is publicly traded on the London Stock Exchange (LSE: FLTR) and operates across sports betting, casino, poker, and fantasy under a range of international brands.
Baytree Interactive Limited (still active)
Spin Casino and Gaming Club began offering eCheck-style banking options as early as 2003. At the time, they operated under separate corporate umbrellas — Spin Casino through The Palace Group, and Gaming Club through Belle Rock Entertainment, a division of Carmen Media Group. In the years that followed, both brands were consolidated under Bayton Ltd and Baytree Interactive Ltd, which continue to operate them today. In Ontario, the company uses Cadtree Ltd as its locally licensed entity. All Cadtree and Baytree brands still offer eCheck to Canadian players in 2025, although these now come with unlock requirements.
About the Group
Bayton Ltd, Baytree Interactive Ltd, and Cadtree Ltd all operate under the broader umbrella of Super Group (SGHC) Limited, a global iGaming company publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange. Super Group also owns major international brands like Betway, but runs its casino portfolio through region-specific subsidiaries like Baytree and Bayton. Their latest Canadian facing brand is Grizzly Casino.
Casino Rewards (Still Active)
Casino Rewards is home to over 20 brands in Canada (including Luxury casino) and eCheck is their second most popular deposit method after Interac. They’ve kept eCheck available from the beginning. The Casino Rewards Group is well-established as one of the longest-serving casino groups in the online gambling industry, having been in operation since 2000. The network has built a solid reputation over more than two decades, serving over 15 million players worldwide.
The company operates as a network of online casinos that share the same loyalty program, allowing players to earn and redeem rewards across all member casinos within the network.
About the Group
Casino Rewards is managed by Fresh Horizons Ltd, with licensing through the Kahnawake Gaming Commission and other regional regulators. In Ontario, several of its brands — like Luxury Casino — operate under Apollo Entertainment Ltd as a locally registered entity. While the branding varies across sites, all casinos in the group share the same loyalty system and backend, making it one of the most unified casino networks still active in Canada.
DraftKings (Ontario; still accepts eCheck)
DraftKings launched in Ontario in May 2022 under an iGaming Ontario license. It supports VIP Preferred eCheck, giving Canadian players a bank-connected option for both sportsbook and casino play as well as fantasy sports.
About the Group
DraftKings Ontario is operated by Crown DK CAN Ltd, a Canadian subsidiary of DraftKings Inc., a publicly traded U.S. company listed on the NASDAQ (DKNG). The platform is fully licensed and regulated by iGaming Ontario (iGO) and the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO). While the Ontario site is run under a separate legal entity for regulatory purposes, it delivers the same core DraftKings experience. This means localized banking options, promotions, and responsible gambling tools.
Caesars Sportsbook Ontario (still accepts eCheck)
Caesars Sportsbook went live in Ontario in April 2022. Available deposit methods include eCheck, Interac, and credit cards — all tailored for Canadian players. eCheck is offered as part of the VIP Preferred service, for their high rollers.
About the Group
Caesars Sportsbook Ontario is operated by American Wagering Inc., a subsidiary of Caesars Entertainment Inc. The company runs both Caesars Sportsbook & Casino and Horseshoe Casino Ontario under its Ontario license.Caesars Entertainment runs over 50 properties globally, including iconic names like Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. The company trades on the NASDAQ under CZR and is known for its high-level executive management team drawn from both the casino and tech worlds.
Bally Bet Ontario (still accepts eCheck)
Bally Bet launched in Ontario in mid-2022 and supports eCheck deposits along with other local methods like Interac, Visa Direct, and credit cards. The platform is operated by Bally’s Canada Inc., the licensed Ontario arm of Bally’s.
About the Group
Bally Bet is part of Bally’s Corporation, a U.S.-based gaming and entertainment company listed on the NASDAQ under the symbol BALY. The company owns and operates a mix of land-based casinos and online gaming products across the U.S., and entered the Canadian market through its subsidiary Bally’s Canada Inc.
Big iGaming Groups That Stopped Offering eCheck
Full Tilt Poker (defunct)
Full Tilt Poker offered an eCheck option referred to as “Quick Deposit” prior to Black Friday. This was in direct response to PokerStars’ introduction of “Instant eChecks,” as the two leading poker brands competed for viable deposit options after the UIGEA was passed. Full Tilt Poker is now defunct.
About the Group
Full Tilt Poker was operated by TiltWare and backed by pros like Howard Lederer and Chris Ferguson. After Black Friday in 2011 exposed major financial mismanagement, the site shut down. PokerStars acquired its assets through a DOJ settlement and brought it back online under new control.
In 2014, Canadian firm Amaya Inc. bought both PokerStars and Full Tilt in a $4.9 billion deal. The two brands ran in parallel for a while, but Full Tilt was eventually retired. Today, only PokerStars remains active — now part of Flutter Entertainment.
Absolute Poker and Ultimate Bet (defunct)
UB and AP, as they were commonly known, also accepted instant eChecks from both Canada and the United States. Licensed by Kahnawake Gaming, they sponsored Phil Hellmuth and hosted the Aruba Classic tournament each year. They were mostly known for their slick software and easy-to-use banking options. Today, both sites are defunct, following the fallout from the UIGEA.
About the Group
Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker eventually merged under the Cereus Network, operating on shared software but as separate brands. Both were hit by insider cheating scandals in the late 2000s, which hurt their credibility — but the sites stayed live until Black Friday in 2011, when the U.S. DOJ shut them down for violating federal gambling laws. Unlike PokerStars, they couldn’t recover player funds, and both sites went offline for good.
Sportsbook.com and PlayersOnly.com (defunct)
Both of these brands accepted eCheck from North American players. They were part of the Merge network. Sportsbook.com started as a betting site, which made their poker rooms especially appealing at the time — plenty of fish, as poker players liked to say. Despite being a sportsbook first, their software was solid, and they offered instant eCheck to both sports bettors and poker players alike.
About the Group:
Sportsbook.com and PlayersOnly.com were part of Sportingbet’s U.S.-facing sportsbook operation, which earned “Best U.S. Sportsbook” awards in 2005 and 2006. After the UIGEA passed in 2006, Sportingbet sold all its U.S. assets—Sportsbook.com, PlayersOnly.com, and others—to Jazette Enterprises Ltd, an offshore company licensed in Curaçao, for just $1 plus assumed liabilities.
Around 2010, both brands joined the Merge Gaming Network to add online poker alongside their sportsbook offerings. While their betting operations remained active for a few years after the 2011 DOJ crackdown, the poker rooms faded quietly. Today, both brands are defunct.
Conclusion:
The number of casinos offering eCheck has thinned out over the years — especially with new fintech options flooding the market. However, a few long-standing groups haven’t given up on it. At PokerStars and select full-service casinos like those in the Baytree and Casino Rewards networks, eCheck remains alive — and caters to a small but dedicated group of players. Caesars and Bally are also investing in the method, tying it into their loyalty programs via VIP Preferred. Overall, your options remain solid if you’re an eCheck player in 2025 — but you need to know where to look.
