Tech
How AI is transforming hospitality operations while preserving human experience
Hospitality has long been defined by human interaction, but the systems that support those interactions have undergone continuous change. Arran Campolucci-Bordi, owner of Casa Italia, established 50 years ago in Liverpool, UK, frames this evolution through lived experience, tracing a path from handwritten reservation books to digital booking systems and now toward AI-driven operations. In his view, each transition reflects a broader shift in how restaurants manage time, communication, and customer expectations.
He points out that earlier generations relied entirely on manual processes. Reservations were written down, availability was checked by hand, and customer inquiries were handled individually. As digital tools emerged, many of these processes moved online, creating greater structure and consistency. According to Arran, the current phase introduces a new layer, where systems are capable of responding dynamically to customer needs without requiring human input.
From his perspective, AI within hospitality is best understood as an operational support system rather than a replacement for people. He explains that Ayra functions similarly to a trained staff member in specific contexts, particularly when it comes to handling information. Once it has been provided with details such as menus, booking systems, and policies, it can respond to customer inquiries in a conversational format. This includes tasks such as checking availability, managing reservations, and answering common questions in real time. He suggests that, in practice, this allows businesses to handle external interactions consistently, while allowing the staff to be focused on where it matters most.
That operational shift is increasingly visible across different industries. According to a report, 58% of employees surveyed say they are already saving time at work through AI tools, with users reporting an average of 52 minutes saved per day, or nearly five hours per week. In a sector like hospitality, where a large share of time is spent responding to enquiries and managing bookings, these time savings can accumulate quickly and better influence where teams focus their efforts.
Arran emphasizes that this type of system is designed to operate alongside existing teams. He notes that many roles within hospitality involve repetitive administrative tasks that take time away from direct customer engagement.
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Building on this, he explains that redistributing that time can reshape how service is delivered inside the restaurant itself. “By shifting those tasks to an AI-driven interface, businesses can allow staff to focus on delivering service within the physical environment of the restaurant,” he says. “It is a way of aligning people with the aspects of their roles that require attention, awareness, and interpersonal interaction.”
The practical implications of this shift are closely tied to how restaurants allocate their time and resources. According to Arran, a significant portion of operational inefficiency comes from fragmented communication, particularly when customers reach out with similar questions or booking requests. “Each individual interaction may be brief, but collectively they represent a substantial time commitment,” he notes. Ayra, he explains, can handle these interactions 24/7, in turn increasing time spent with customers and capturing potential missed opportunities.
This perspective also reflects broader changes in customer behavior. “As digital communication has become more immediate, expectations around response times have shifted accordingly,” Arran notes. “Customers increasingly expect quick and accurate answers, whether they are making a reservation or asking about menu options. Systems that can respond instantly help meet those expectations while maintaining clarity and consistency in communication.”
A common misconception is that hospitality is slow to adopt new technology due to the human-centric nature of the business. According to Arran, the immediate and drastic implications of adopting supposedly “robust” technology stem from the industry’s failure to adequately vet what they adopt
He also highlights the importance of simplicity in adoption. From his experience, one of the main barriers for restaurant owners is not necessarily resistance to technology itself, but uncertainty about how it works in practice. As a result, the platform he has developed is designed to be robust, accurate, and straightforward to implement, only requiring businesses to provide a small amount of information to train their AI agent. Once that information is in place, the system can begin operating autonomously.
This approach reflects a broader shift in how technology is being integrated into traditional industries. Rather than requiring businesses to fundamentally change their operations, tools are being developed to fit within established structures. Arran suggests that this compatibility is essential for long-term adoption, particularly in sectors where consistency is key.
Looking ahead, he sees AI as part of an ongoing progression rather than a final destination. The transition from manual processes to digital systems has already reshaped hospitality operations, and the introduction of AI represents another stage in that evolution. Each phase, he notes, has introduced new efficiencies while maintaining the core objective of serving customers effectively.
“People come into a restaurant for the experience, and that will always be the case,” Arran says. “If technology can take care of everything around that, it allows the staff to focus on what they do best, giving customers the best possible experience.”
Gerard “Gus” Gaynor, a long-serving IEEE volunteer and former engineering director at 3M, died on 9 March. The IEEE Life Fellow was 104.
Readers of The Institute might remember Gus from his 2022 profile: “From Fixing Farm Equipment to Becoming a Director at 3M.” Just last year, he and I coauthored twoarticles. One discusses how to leverage relationships to boost your career growth. The other weighs the pros and cons of pursuing a technical or managerial career path. He was 103 years old then. How many IEEE members can claim a centenarian coauthor?
I first met Gus in 2009 at the IEEE Technical Activities Board (TAB) meeting in San Juan, Puerto Rico. We sat together in the airplane on our way back to Minneapolis, our hometown. At home I told many of my friends about the remarkable person—who was 87 years young at the time—with whom I chatted during our six-hour flight.
A decade later, he and I met for lunch in Minneapolis. He drove himself to the restaurant, just asking for a hand to navigate the snowy sidewalk.
A dedicated IEEE volunteer
Gus’s involvement with IEEE predates the organization. He joined the Institute of Radio Engineers, a predecessor society, as a student member in 1942. Twenty years later he became an active IEEE volunteer.
He served on the TAB’s finance committee and the Publications Services and Products Board. He was president of the IEEE Engineering Management Society (now the Technology and Engineering Management Society ), and he was the Technology Management Council’s first president. He was the founding editor of IEEE-USA’s online magazine Today’s Engineer, which reported on government legislation and issues affecting U.S. members’ careers. The magazine is now available as the e-newsletter IEEE-USA InSight.
He authored several books on technology management, published by IEEE-USA.
IEEE Life Fellow Gerard “Gus” Gaynor died on 9 March.The Gaynor Family
Most recently, after the formation of TEMS in 2015, he became an active member of its executive committee. He served two terms as vice president of publications.
At 100 years old, he led the launch of a new publication, TEMS Leadership Briefs, a novel short-format open-access publication aimed at technology leaders.
Gus, who is a former member of The Institute’s editorial advisory board, also worked with Kathy Pretz, The Institute’s editor in chief, to start an ongoing series of TEMS-sponsored career-interest articles. He coauthored several of them.
Throughout his 64 years as an IEEE volunteer, he received several honors. They include IEEE EMS’s Engineering Manager of the Year Award, the IEEE TEMS Career Achievement Award, and the IEEE-USA McClure Citation of Honor. In 2014 he was inducted into the IEEE Technical Activities Board Hall of Honor.
A 25-year career at 3M
Gus received a degree in electrical engineering in 1950 from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He worked for several companies including Automatic Electric (now part of Nokia) and Johnson Farebox (now part of Genfare), before joining 3M in 1962.
During his successful 25-year career at 3M, he served as chief engineer for a division in Italy, established the innovation department, and led the design and installation of the company’s first computerized manufacturing facilities. He retired as director of engineering in 1987.
Last year, IEEE Life Fellow Michael Condry, a former TEMS president, organized a Zoom call with Gus and other leaders of the society to celebrate Gus’s 104th birthday. Gus looked well and was his usual upbeat self, telling everyone: “I’m good. Everything’s well. I can’t complain.”
Gus was married to Shirley Margaret Karrels Gaynor, who passed away in 2018. He lives on in the hearts and minds of his seven children, seven grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, and innumerable friends and IEEE colleagues.
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Federal agencies, including the FBI, CISA, NSA, the Department of Energy, US Cyber Command, and the Environmental Protection Agency, issued an urgent joint advisory Tuesday, warning that an advanced persistent threat group linked to Iran has been exploiting vulnerabilities in programmable logic controllers since at least March 2026.
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A new Lua-based malware, called LucidRook, is being used in spear-phishing campaigns targeting non-governmental organizations and universities in Taiwan.
Cisco Talos researchers attribute the malware to a threat group tracked internally as UAT-10362, who they describe as a capable adversary “with mature operational tradecraft.”
LucidRook was observed in attacks in October 2025 that relied on phishing emails carrying password-protected archives.
The researchers identified two infection chains, one using an LNK shortcut file that ultimately delivered a malware dropper called LucidPawn, and an EXE-based chain that leveraged a fake antivirus executable impersonating Trend Micro Worry-Free Business Security Services.
The LNK-based attack employs decoy documents, such as government letters crafted to appear as if they originate from the Taiwanese government, to divert the user’s attention.
Source: Cisco Talos
Cisco Talos observed that LucidPawn decrypts and deploys a legitimate executable renamed to mimic Microsoft Edge, along with a malicious DLL (DismCore.dll) for sideloading LucidRook.
LucidRook is notable for its modular design and built-in Lua execution environment, which allows it to retrieve and execute second-stage payloads as Lua bytecode.
This approach enables operators to update functionality without modifying the core malware, while also limiting forensic visibility. This stealth is further increased by extensive obfuscation of the code.
“Embedding the Lua interpreter effectively turns the native DLL into a stable execution platform while allowing the threat actor to update or tailor behavior for each target or campaigns by updating the Lua bytecode payload with a lighter and more flexible development process,” Cisco Talos explains.
“This approach also improves operational security, since the Lua stage can be hosted only briefly and removed from C2 after delivery, and it can hinder post-incident reconstruction when defenders recover only the loader without the externally delivered Lua payload.”
Talos also notes that the binary is heavily obfuscated across embedded strings, file extensions, internal identifiers, and C2 addresses, complicating any reverse-engineering efforts.
During its execution, LucidRook performs system reconnaissance, collecting information such as user and computer names, installed applications, and running processes.
The data is encrypted using RSA, stored in password-protected archives, and exfiltrated to attacker-controlled infrastructure via FTP.
While examining LucidRook, Talos researchers identified a related tool named “LucidKnight,” which is likely used for reconnaissance.
One notable characteristic of LucidKnight is its abuse of Gmail GMTP to exfiltrate collected data, suggesting that UAT-10362 maintains a flexible toolkit to meet varying operational needs.
Cisco Talos concludes with medium confidence that the LucidRook attacks are part of a targeted intrusion campaign. However, they were unable to capture a decryptable Lua bytecode fetched by LucidRook, so the specific actions taken post-infection aren’t known.
Automated pentesting proves the path exists. BAS proves whether your controls stop it. Most teams run one without the other.
This whitepaper maps six validation surfaces, shows where coverage ends, and provides practitioners with three diagnostic questions for any tool evaluation.
Gas prices have skyrocketed across the United States in 2026, with prices the highest they’ve been since 2022. As of early April, the average price for a gallon is $4, a rise primarily fueled by the Iran war. As a result, gas prices have changed daily — and sometimes multiple times a day — and drivers are starting to seethe while at the pump. But gas stations haven’t actually benefited from these ballooning gas prices.
According to Patrick De Haan, Head of Petroleum Analysis at GasBuddy, gas stations don’t make more money when prices rise — in fact, it’s the opposite. Speaking to AP News, De Haan said that “The margins shrink when prices go up because it’s harder for [gas stations] to pass along the increases as quickly as they themselves get them.” The profits, then, are going to the companies that extract and refine crude oil, not the retailers you buy your gas from.
Why do gas stations all have different prices if they don’t benefit?
If gas stations aren’t profiting from the increased gas prices, why do gas stations have different prices? There are actually a lot of factors that go into setting the price of a gallon, largely based on location and taxes.
The biggest factor is geography. For one, gas prices can change from state to state due to taxes. For example, California’s gas taxes and fees totaled about 71 cents per gallon last year — for the gas stations to make a profit, they have to raise the prices to offset these taxes. On the other side of the coin, some states have (or are close to) oil refineries, which makes for shorter delivery distances and lower prices.
Prices can also vary within states. The brand, as well as the volume of gas sold, will factor into the pricing. Some gas stations may be in very convenient locations off the highway, allowing them to get away with higher prices. And if there are two gas stations near one another, one may lower its prices, hoping to draw customers away from its rival. Thus, if you want to save some money as gas continues to rise, use a gas-finding app to locate the gas station with the lowest prices wherever you are.
Hitting potholes while driving is never fun. They can cause headaches, car accidents and damage to your vehicle, culminating in a frustrating commute. Waymo, the robotaxi company, and Waze, the free, community-driven GPS navigation app, have come together to do something about potholes.
On Thursday, the two companies announced a joint venture to target potholes that need patching. The new data-sharing pilot program will collect information on troublesome road conditions and communicate the necessary fixes to the city.
Waymo operates in 11 cities, and the pilot program will begin in five major markets: Austin, Texas; Atlanta; Los Angeles; Phoenix and the San Francisco Bay Area, with plans to expand to more cities in the future. So far, Waymo says it has tracked 500 potholes in the Bay Area alone.
“As Waymo’s autonomous fleet travels across San Jose, we appreciate the collaboration with Waymo and Waze as we explore how technology can help identify issues like potholes faster so we can respond more efficiently,” San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan said in an emailed statement.
Departments of Transportation for each city and state will be able to access this pothole information through the Waze for Cities app. Waymo stated in its blog post that the initial idea for this program was inspired by city officials who expressed the need for a better way to ensure safe road conditions.
Most cities still learn about road issues from residents — through either dialing 311 or using the my311 app — or via manual road inspections. This method has resulted in inadequate fixes and an incomplete understanding of a neighborhood’s road health and the resources needed to maintain it.
Waymo’s robotaxis use autonomous driving technology, including an array of high-end cameras, lidar, radar and other tracking sensors, making them the perfect platform for collecting road data.
Waze customers in cities where Waymo operates will also be able to view this data directly in the app, which is noteworthy given that Waze operates on a user-based reporting system to identify troublesome road conditions. You can already receive pothole data and locations in the app, but adding Waymo’s tracking data will help verify the data and improve the app’s accuracy.
“For years, drivers on Waze have helped each other by reporting potholes for a smoother, safer ride,” Andrew Stober, Waze strategic partner manager, said in the blog post. “This pilot program with Waymo adds another source of data to that effort, giving cities a clearer picture of road conditions through our Waze for Cities platform.”
A Waymo representative didn’t immediately respond to a request for further comment.
On April 9, Apple released macOS 26.4.1 to the public, alongside vague release notes that just discuss that the update contains bug fixes.
The new macOS 26.4.1 update is now available for download
While Apple hasn’t detailed exactly which bugs this new update addresses, there may be clues from other recent releases. The update comes just 24 hours after Apple also released iOS 26.4.1 and iPadOS 26.4.1.
Both updates applied a fix for one bug in particular. That bug caused some iCloud data not to sync correctly and affected both Apple and third-party apps, including Passwords.
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Did Microsoft really retire Windows 10 in October 2025? The company is now offering additional options to further extend the lifespan of an operating system first released in 2015. Redmond’s updated plans include several more years of security patches for Windows 10 Enterprise LTSB 2016 through the same Extended Security…
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This is a follow-up to my recent piece “AI Coach or AI Ghostwriter? The Choice Is Yours,” which argued that AI can either sharpen your thinking or replace it. That piece was about writing. This one is about the other side of the coin: reading. The practical question is: how do you use AI to become a more productive reader rather than a lazier one?
Back in 2006, my UW students and I coined the term “machine reading” to describe the autonomous understanding of text by computers (Etzioni, Banko, & Cafarella, AAAI 2006). Two decades later, large language models (LLMs) can digest, summarize, and answer questions about text with startling competence. The irony is that the biggest consumers of this capability are people, using AI to do our reading for us.
AI-assisted reading has become so pervasive that we are approaching the absurdity captured in Tom Fishburne’s famous Marketoonist cartoon: “AI Written, AI Read.” One AI writes the memo, another AI summarizes it, with minimal human involvement.
The simplest use of AI for reading is summarization, and it certainly has its merits. Drop a 50-page PDF into your favorite LLM, ask for a summary, and you’ll get one in seconds.
But that summary is merely a skeleton. It strips away the voice, the best lines, the telling details, and the nuances that can make or break your understanding. If you are reading a legal contract, the details are the whole point. If you are reading a competitor’s product announcement, the spin they put on the numbers matters more than the numbers themselves. A skeleton doesn’t have a pulse!
AI-assisted reading punishes passivity. A recent Wharton study of over 10,000 participants found that people who relied on AI-generated summaries showed shallower knowledge and offered fewer concrete facts afterward compared to those who engaged with original sources. Advice written after AI use was shorter, less factual, and more homogeneous across users. In other words, AI summaries do not just compress text. They flatten it.
Speed reading via AI can be a bit like speed dating: you cover a lot of ground, but you do not actually know anyone when you leave.
The fundamental question here is not productivity. It is about the impact of AI reading on you as the reader: What happens to your retention, your understanding, your ability to synthesize across sources? Are you winning by doing this, or are you atrophying the cognitive muscle that makes you good at your job? Outsourcing your thinking to AI is not productivity gain; it’s a competence leak.
My practical advice is: treat the summary as a triage tool, not a destination. Use it to decide whether a document deserves your time. That is genuinely valuable. The world produces more text than any human can process, and AI can help you sort the wheat from the chaff in minutes instead of hours. But once you decide that something matters, put down the summary and engage with the source.
The real power of AI reading lies not in one-shot summarization but in dialog. Think of it as an interrogation of the document, focused on what interests you. Upload the contract, the research paper, or the earnings call transcript, and then start asking questions. What are the three riskiest clauses? How does this methodology compare to the Chen et al. paper from last year? Where does the CFO’s commentary contradict the numbers in Table 4?
This is not a command you fire off and forget. It is a back-and-forth conversation between you and the AI about the text, one that surfaces specific quotes, draws connections to related materials, and drills into exactly what you need. The quality of the conversation depends entirely on the quality of your questions. AI-assisted reading rewards curiosity.
A word of caution that I can’t repeat often enough: always verify anything important yourself. AI models hallucinate. They fabricate quotes, invent statistics, and present fiction with the serene confidence of a tenured professor. The verification step is essential. If you skip it, you are not reading with AI. You are gambling with AI.
You also want to adopt different reading strategies for different tasks, just as you would without AI. Summarization is fine for getting the gist of a piece, for sorting your inbox, for deciding what to read next. It will not serve you well if you need to retain the content, defend it in a meeting, or build on it in your own work. For those tasks, you need the interrogation approach, and you need to supplement it with old-fashioned human reading of the passages the AI points you to.
Used well, AI can make you a better, faster, more thorough reader by helping you navigate more material, ask sharper questions, and spot connections you would have missed. Used badly, it turns you into a consumer of predigested pablum, the intellectual equivalent of living on protein shakes when there is a farmers’ market across the street.
The machines are happy to read for you, but they won’t understand for you. The choice, as always, is yours.
Editor’s note: GeekWire publishes guest opinions to foster informed discussion and highlight a diversity of perspectives on issues shaping the tech and startup community. If you’re interested in submitting a guest column, email us at tips@geekwire.com. Submissions are reviewed by our editorial team for relevance and editorial standards.
Lenovo packed some seriously powerful gaming specs into a sleek, 8.8-inch design with its Legion Tab Gen 3. Outfitted with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor and a 6,550-mAh battery, this gaming tablet provides solid gaming performance and respectable battery life.
The Legion Tab has a fairly standard slab design that won’t turn any heads, but its 2,560×1,600-pixel resolution LCD screen with a 165Hz refresh rate will make your games look great. One of the best quality of life features on this gaming tablet is the fact that it actually has two USB-C ports integrated into its chassis: A USB 2.0 port on the left side of the device supports 65-watt chargers, and a USB 3.0 port at the bottom lets you plug into an external display. It’s a real boon to have such a portable device with the capability to connect to a larger monitor when you sit down to play at home, and the feature differentiates the Legion Tab Gen 3 from its competitors.
The base configuration is priced at $550, which is a solid price point for a dedicated gaming tablet, especially if you can’t find the RedMagic Astra and don’t want to wait for the upcoming release of the Legion Tab Gen 5. The Legion Tab offers a bigger display than the iPad Mini at an even lower price, with slightly outdated but still high-performance processing capabilities to boot. The Legion Tab Gen 3 won’t be going toe-to-toe with the RedMagic Astra when it comes to performance or battery life, but it’s a close race. And while the Legion Tab Gen 3 is nowhere near as small as the iPad Mini, it’s certainly more portable than the 9.1-inch RedMagic Astra.
If you’re looking for a dedicated gaming tablet, the Lenovo Legion Tab Gen 3 might be the most accessible option right now. But if you can hold on a little longer, the Legion Tab Gen 5 will be a technological leap forward for Lenovo’s gaming tablet.
Why we like it: The Legion Tab Gen 3 is a great “middle of the road” gaming tablet. It’s older than other gaming tablets we’ve reviewed, but the processing power and performance still hold up for some of the best games to take on the go.
Who it’s best for: If you’re a hardcore gamer, there are a couple of reasons you might skip out on the RedMagic Astra. Maybe it’s currently unavailable in your market. Maybe you’re turned off by the RedMagic’s lack of commitment to OS security updates. Either way, the Legion Tab Gen 3 is the next best thing in the dedicated gaming tablet space, with outdated hardware that’s still respectably powerful. It’s also an extremely portable device, to boot.
Who shouldn’t buy it: If you’re looking for the best-performing gaming tablet on the market, you could stand to do better than the Legion Tab Gen 3. This is a high-performance budget option, but it’s outclassed by other gaming tablets that we’ve reviewed.
Your payment method does more than move money. It determines how fast you can play after depositing, how quickly you can access your winnings, whether you qualify for a welcome bonus, and how much the transaction costs you. Players who choose without thinking often run into blocked methods, delayed withdrawals, or quietly voided bonuses. Choosing the right method from the start eliminates all of that.
This guide covers the nine most widely available payment methods at online casinos in 2026 — debit cards, e-wallets, open banking, prepaid cards, mobile wallets, and cryptocurrency — with honest data on speed, fees, limitations, and who each method actually suits. For players specifically looking for a guide on Klarna Pay Now (the successor to Sofort), see our dedicated Klarna casino payment guide.
⚡ Quick Take: Best Method by Use Case
-
- Fastest deposit + withdrawal overall: Trustly (Open Banking)
- Best for familiarity and broad availability: Visa/Mastercard Debit
- Best e-wallet for withdrawal speed: Skrill or PayPal
- Best for privacy-conscious players: Paysafecard (deposits only)
- Fastest withdrawals overall (where available): Cryptocurrency
- Best mobile wallet option: Apple Pay
- Not recommended for UK players: Any credit card — banned for gambling under UKGC rules
Casino Payment Methods Compared
| Method | Deposit Speed | Withdrawal Speed | Fees | UK Available |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Visa / Mastercard Debit | Instant | 1–5 business days | Free | ✓ Yes |
| PayPal | Instant | 24 hours | Free at most casinos | ✓ Yes |
| Trustly (Open Banking) | Under 6 seconds | Same day / instant | Free | ✓ Yes |
| Skrill | Instant | A few hours | Small fees may apply | ✓ Yes |
| Neteller | Instant | 24 hours | Free at most casinos | ✓ Yes |
| Apple Pay / Google Pay | Instant | 24 hours | Free | ✓ Yes |
| Klarna Pay Now | Instant | 1–3 business days | Free | ✓ Yes |
| Paysafecard | Instant | Deposits only (mostly) | Free | ✓ Yes |
| Cryptocurrency | Minutes | Under 1 hour (crypto casinos) | Network fees apply | Varies by casino |
Speed and fee data sourced from OLBG’s casino payment methods guide. Withdrawal times reflect casino-side processing after approval; actual timelines may vary by operator.
1. Visa and Mastercard Debit Cards
Debit cards remain the most universally accepted deposit method at licensed online casinos. Visa and Mastercard both use EMV chip protection and tokenisation, meaning your actual card number is not transmitted during online transactions — only a single-use token passes to the payment processor. Deposits are instant across the board. The main drawback is withdrawal speed: card payouts typically take 1–5 business days, as the return transfer is routed back through the card network’s settlement system rather than a direct push to your account.
One important distinction for UK players: debit cards are permitted under UKGC rules, but credit cards are not. The UK Gambling Commission’s ban on credit card gambling came into effect in April 2020 and applies to all UKGC-licensed operators. If you attempt to deposit with a credit card at a UK-licensed casino, the transaction will be declined at the merchant’s end — not because of a card issue, but by regulatory enforcement. Debit cards from Visa and Mastercard are unaffected. For more context on how UK regulations shape your payment choices, see our responsible gambling and regulatory guide.
2. PayPal
PayPal is the most widely recognised e-wallet in the world and a strong casino payment option where it is supported. Deposits are instant, and withdrawals typically clear within 24 hours — significantly faster than debit card returns. The platform does not share your bank or card details with the casino directly; PayPal acts as the intermediary, meaning your underlying financial details stay within the PayPal ecosystem. Most PayPal casino transactions carry no fees for the player, though PayPal may apply conversion charges for cross-currency deposits.
The main limitation is that PayPal is not universally accepted across all online casinos — availability depends on the operator’s payment processor relationships and regional licensing. Some casinos also exclude PayPal deposits from welcome bonus eligibility, or impose a separate wagering structure for PayPal users. Always check the bonus terms before depositing via PayPal if a welcome offer is a factor in your decision. It is also worth noting that PayPal’s own terms of service prohibit its use for unlicensed gambling operations — it works exclusively at regulated, licensed casino sites, which is actually a useful indirect signal of a casino’s legitimacy.
3. Trustly (Open Banking)
Trustly is the most technically advanced payment method widely available at licensed casinos in 2026. It operates as an open banking intermediary, connecting directly to your bank account through regulated bank APIs rather than routing through a card network or e-wallet balance. According to iGaming Payment Solutions’ 2026 Trustly review, the service processed $87 billion in transactions in 2024 and is connected to over 6,300 European banks — a scale that reflects its adoption as the default open banking rail for the iGaming industry.
Deposits complete in under six seconds according to Trustly’s Pay N Play documentation — and the Pay N Play feature, used by a growing number of European casinos, combines the deposit and KYC registration into a single bank authentication step, eliminating the need to fill in separate sign-up forms. Withdrawals push back to the same bank account, often same-day. The service works without creating a Trustly account — you simply select it at the casino cashier and authenticate through your own online banking. In the UK, 14 major banks support Trustly, including Barclays, Lloyds, HSBC, NatWest, Nationwide, and Santander. The only meaningful limitation: if your bank is not on the supported list, Trustly will not function for you — in which case a debit card or PayPal is the practical fallback.
4. Skrill
Skrill is a dedicated iGaming e-wallet that has been a staple of the online casino industry for over two decades. It is part of the Paysafe Group alongside Neteller and Paysafecard, giving it broad merchant relationships across the casino sector. Deposits are instant; withdrawal speeds are among the fastest in the non-crypto category, typically processing within a few hours once the casino approves the request. Skrill also supports cryptocurrency funding, meaning players can top up their Skrill balance using crypto and then use Skrill as the deposit method at casinos that don’t directly support crypto — a useful workaround.
The primary caveat: many casinos exclude Skrill (and Neteller) deposits from welcome bonus eligibility. This is disclosed in the terms of most major operators, but it catches new players off guard. If you plan to claim a sign-up bonus, verify the terms before depositing. Skrill also applies fees for certain transaction types, including currency conversion and inactivity charges on dormant accounts. For a direct comparison of Skrill against other e-wallet options, see our Skrill casino payment guide.
5. Neteller
Neteller occupies a similar market position to Skrill — same parent company (Paysafe), same broad casino acceptance, same instant deposit speed, and same 24-hour withdrawal window. Players often choose between the two based on which offers better rates through their VIP tier programmes, since both run loyalty structures that reduce fees and improve limits at higher tiers. If you are registered with both, it is worth comparing your current tier benefit on each before selecting your deposit method.
Like Skrill, Neteller deposits are excluded from welcome bonuses at most major casinos. New players in particular should prioritise a debit card or Trustly for their first deposit to capture any available sign-up offer, then switch to Neteller for ongoing play if its withdrawal speed and convenience suit their habits. Neteller is also excluded from BNPL products and cannot be funded using credit instruments in most jurisdictions — an intentional design choice aligned with responsible gambling standards.
6. Apple Pay and Google Pay
Mobile wallet payments have grown significantly at online casinos over the past two years. Apple Pay and Google Pay both function as tokenised card proxies — when you pay with Apple Pay, the casino never sees your actual debit card number; only a one-time device-generated token passes through.
For players who primarily use casinos on a smartphone, this is the lowest-friction deposit option available: Face ID or fingerprint confirmation replaces manual card entry, and deposits settle instantly. Withdrawal availability via Apple Pay and Google Pay is more limited than deposits — many casinos support them only for deposits and route payouts back to the underlying linked card, meaning withdrawal timelines revert to the card’s 1–5 day window.
7. Klarna Pay Now
Klarna Pay Now is a bank transfer payment method available at a growing number of licensed casinos, particularly in Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, and the UK. It replaced Sofort (deprecated October 2024) as Klarna’s instant bank transfer product. Deposits are instant and require no card details to be shared with the casino — authentication happens through your bank’s login interface within Klarna’s encrypted checkout flow.
Withdrawal support varies by operator; where available, payouts take 1–3 business days. Klarna’s credit-based products (Pay in 30 Days, Pay in 4) are not permitted for gambling transactions under regulated market rules. For a full breakdown of how Klarna works at online casinos, including the deposit and withdrawal process step-by-step, see our Klarna casino payment guide.
8. Paysafecard
Paysafecard is a prepaid voucher system: you purchase a physical or digital card loaded with a fixed denomination (£10, £25, £50, £100) from a newsagent, petrol station, or online retailer, then enter the 16-digit PIN at the casino cashier. No bank account, card details, or personal financial information is required. This makes it the most privacy-preserving deposit method available at regulated casinos. The significant limitation is withdrawals — Paysafecard functions almost exclusively as a deposit vehicle.
Most casinos cannot pay winnings back to a Paysafecard, which means players need a separate linked withdrawal method. It also cannot be used to deposit more than the loaded denomination, so high-volume players find it inconvenient. For casual, lower-stakes players who prioritise anonymity and spending control, it remains a practical choice.
9. Cryptocurrency
Cryptocurrency offers the fastest withdrawal speeds of any payment method category where it is supported. Bitcoin Lightning transactions clear in under 15 minutes at compatible crypto casinos; Ethereum, Litecoin, and stablecoin (USDT) withdrawals typically complete within one hour. The appeal is significant for players who dislike the multi-day waiting period associated with bank-route withdrawals. Deposits are similarly fast — typically confirmed within a few minutes depending on network congestion and the coin used.
The trade-offs are real and should not be minimised. Cryptocurrency values fluctuate, which means the value of your casino balance can change between deposit and withdrawal if you are holding crypto rather than stablecoins. Network fees — the “gas” cost per transaction — vary by coin and network congestion. In the UK, crypto gambling exists in a transitional regulatory environment: UK government legislation announced in December 2025 will bring cryptocurrency firms under firm FCA regulation from 2027, but the framework is not yet finalised.
As TecPinion’s analysis of Bitcoin in gambling for 2025–26 notes, regulatory direction in the UK, EU, and parts of Asia is tightening — players using crypto at casinos should monitor whether their specific operator’s licensing covers crypto transactions in their jurisdiction. Stablecoins like USDT reduce the volatility risk while retaining the speed benefit, making them a more predictable crypto deposit option for players who want blockchain-speed payouts without exposure to price swings.
How to Choose the Right Method: A Decision Framework
Match your circumstances to the right method:
You want the fastest possible deposits and withdrawals and your bank is Trustly-compatible
→ Use Trustly. It is the fastest end-to-end method available at licensed European casinos.
You are depositing for the first time and want to qualify for a welcome bonus
→ Use a Visa or Mastercard debit card. Most casinos include debit card deposits in bonus eligibility. Avoid Skrill, Neteller, and PayPal for your first deposit if a bonus is a priority — check bonus terms first.
You want faster withdrawals than card networks provide but without crypto risk
→ Use Skrill or PayPal. Both offer same-day or near-same-day payouts at most major casinos once approved.
You primarily deposit on a smartphone and want the least friction
→ Use Apple Pay (iPhone) or Google Pay (Android). One biometric confirmation, instant deposit.
You want to control your spending without linking any bank account or card
→ Use Paysafecard. Fixed denomination, no financial data shared. Set up a separate withdrawal method before playing.
You use a crypto-primary casino and want the fastest payouts
→ Use Bitcoin Lightning or USDT. Sub-hour withdrawals at crypto-native casinos. Confirm your casino’s crypto licensing status if you are in the UK.
Your preferred method has been rejected or is unavailable
→ Check whether the casino’s block is fee-related, geographic, or bonus-related. Switch to a debit card as a reliable universal fallback — they are accepted at virtually every licensed online casino globally.
UK Regulatory Context: What Players Need to Know
UK players operate under the strictest consumer protection framework in the online gambling world. The UK Gambling Commission prohibits the use of credit cards for gambling deposits — this applies to all UKGC-licensed operators and was introduced to prevent players from funding gambling with borrowed money. Any deposit attempt via a credit card at a UKGC-licensed site will be declined. Debit cards, e-wallets, open banking methods, and prepaid vouchers are all permissible. Klarna’s Pay in 30 and Pay in 4 products are also not available for gambling transactions under this framework for the same reason.
For cryptocurrency, UK-facing casinos that accept crypto are in a transitional regulatory window. The UK government’s December 2025 announcement confirmed that firm crypto regulation will come into force from 2027, giving operators and players a clearer compliance timeline. Until that framework is fully in force, verify that any casino accepting crypto in the UK holds a valid UKGC licence — the licensing status governs player protection regardless of payment method. For a broader overview of your rights and protections as a player, see our responsible gambling regulatory guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which casino payment method has the fastest withdrawal?
Cryptocurrency offers the fastest withdrawals at casinos that support it — Bitcoin Lightning and Ethereum withdrawals can clear in under one hour. Among fiat methods, Skrill is typically fastest, processing within a few hours after casino approval. PayPal and Trustly usually complete withdrawals within 24 hours. Debit cards (Visa/Mastercard) are the slowest, with payouts taking 1–5 business days through card network settlement.
Are any casino payment methods banned in the UK?
Yes. Credit cards are banned for gambling deposits at all UKGC-licensed online casinos, as enforced by the UK Gambling Commission since April 2020. Klarna’s buy-now-pay-later credit products (Pay in 30, Pay in 4) are also not permitted for gambling transactions in the UK. Debit cards, e-wallets, open banking services, and prepaid cards are all permitted under current rules.
Will using PayPal or Skrill affect my welcome bonus?
Possibly yes. Many online casinos exclude e-wallet deposits — including PayPal, Skrill, and Neteller — from welcome bonus eligibility or apply different wagering requirements to e-wallet players. This is disclosed in the casino’s bonus terms and conditions. If claiming a welcome offer is a priority, deposit by debit card or Trustly for your first transaction, and switch to your preferred e-wallet thereafter. Always read bonus terms before depositing.
Is open banking (Trustly) safe to use at online casinos?
Yes. Trustly is a regulated payment institution authorised under the EU Payment Services Directive and connected to over 6,300 European banks through official bank APIs. Your bank credentials are entered directly into your bank’s authenticated interface — the casino never sees them. The payment layer between you and the casino is isolated within the bank authentication flow. The main practical safety check is ensuring the casino itself is licensed: Trustly’s own merchant agreements require operators to hold valid gambling licences.
Can I use cryptocurrency for online casino deposits in the UK?
At some casinos, yes — but the regulatory picture is evolving. UK government legislation announced in December 2025 will bring crypto firms under firm FCA regulation from 2027. Until that framework is in force, crypto at UK-facing casinos exists in a grey compliance zone. If you choose to use crypto, verify that the casino holds an active UKGC licence, as that licensing status governs your player protection regardless of payment method. Unregulated crypto casinos offer no recourse if disputes arise.
What is the best payment method if I don’t want to share bank or card details with the casino?
Paysafecard requires no bank account, card, or personal financial information — you purchase a prepaid voucher and enter only the 16-digit PIN at checkout. For players who prefer a bank-connected method without card exposure, Trustly and open banking services authenticate entirely through your bank’s own interface; the casino only receives confirmation of payment, not your credentials. E-wallets (PayPal, Skrill) similarly act as a data buffer between your bank and the merchant.
What should I do if my preferred payment method is rejected?
First, identify the reason for the rejection — it is usually one of three things: your bank has blocked the merchant category code for gambling (common with certain current accounts), the casino does not support your method in your country, or a bonus-related restriction is preventing the deposit from being processed.
The most reliable universal fallback is a Visa or Mastercard debit card — they carry the broadest merchant acceptance of any method. If your bank blocks gambling merchant categories, open a separate account with a bank that does not impose this restriction, or use Trustly as a bank-linked alternative that may route differently through your bank’s payment infrastructure. For more guidance on navigating payment issues at specific operators, our casino payment troubleshooting guide covers the most common scenarios.
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