Getting started with a PayPal deposit on Bet365 Poker begins in much the same way as every other online poker site. Click on the flashy Download Now button and you’re already on your way.

After the instillation process is complete, launch the client. You’ll be asked to log in or given the option to create a new account. Seeing as this is our first time using Bet365, click the registration button. This will open up your web browser of choice and automatically navigate you to the sign-up [age.

You are presented with a form that includes all the usual fields. Once you’ve selected a username and entered all your personal data, you’ll be immediately whisked to a deposit screen.

A drop down box lists all the available deposit methods and another allows to choose which currency you’d like to make the bets in. Pick PayPal from the first box and whatever takes your fancy from the second. Bet365 deals with deposits in British Pounds (GBP), but Paypal can handle any required currency conversions.

After stating how much money you wish to add to your account, you can also specify a deposit limit. This is a personal figure which Bet365 will not let you exceed, over a certain time period. It’s a good defense for those who are worried about letting the thrill of online poker take too hard a toll on their wallet. The final step for this section is to enter your password.

Continuing will bring you to a PayPal page, where you can log into your account to complete the transaction. It’s worth nothing that if you don’t already have a PayPal account heading into Bet365, you can create one at this point. Whatever you decide, once you’re inside PayPal a confirmation screen will pop-up so that you can double check the details of your deposit.

When you’re happy, click to continue. That’s everything you need, so far as the deposit goes. The cash will be in your account and you’re ready to hit the tables.

When it comes to withdrawals, Bet365 is either excellent or tiresome, depending on your perspective. Every online poker site worth their salt takes account security very seriously, but few go to the lengths of Bet365 to ensure everything is absolutely legal and above board.

Shortly after approving your deposit, expect to receive an email containing your personal details and a record of your last deposit. Bet365 requests that you confirm this info by clicking on a simple link. Then, when you want to make a withdrawal, expect to be confronted by the following screen.

This is all part of the Know Your Customer (KYC) program, which enables the company to be absolutely sure you are who you say you are and that no one else has illegally gained access to your account.

Before you can make any kind of withdrawal, you will have to request a phone call. In my experience it took around 15 minutes for my phone to ring. The polite customer service operative explained to me that during that time, they had been checking my details against the UK electoral role in order to verify that they were all correct. Luckily for me I had passed with flying colors, but he did note that further documents may have been requested by Bet365 had they been unable to confirm my age.

Once this process is over, withdrawing was extremely simple. With a few clicks, the cash was back in my PayPal account. However, don’t expect to have seen the last of KYC. A few days later I received a letter in the post requesting that I log onto Bet365 and enter a unique code in order to confirm my address.

All of these hoops you need to jump through may seem like a pain, but ultimately they are only in place to ensure that both you and Bet365 have a safe online poker experience. Considering the ease with which you can transfer money via PayPal, these extra steps are more than worth the hassle.