A trading brand for Smart Voucher Ltd., UKash was conceived by the founder of the Switch debit card widely used in Britain. The company is headed by CEO, Mark Chimside. UKash is deemed an electronic money institution by the Financial Services Authority in the UK, through which it is regulated and authorized to do business. FSA Register Number: 447811. Smart Voucher Ltd., is headquartered in London at 5–7 Tanner Street, SE1 3LE, United Kingdom.
After initially starting off catering to the British online gambling sector, UKash successfully expanded into Ireland, Germany and Spain. It is now available throughout all of Europe. UKash is certainly one of the more unique online casino gambling depositing methods used today, for as its name implies, UKash can only be funded with cash. No credit cards, debit cards nor bank accounts are needed to fund a UKash voucher. As a result, the chances of fraud and identity theft are taken out of the picture.
As just mentioned, what makes UKash such a convenient option to fund online gambling accounts is that no bank accounts or plastic money is required to fund a voucher. What is a voucher you ask? These are cash-value slips that can be obtained at cash retailers (news agents, kiosks, etc.) and banks who offer UKash. Available in thousands of shops where the PayPoint, PayZone or ePay signs are on display, UKash is as ubiquitous as the daily newspaper. If you are unsure about where to go to get your UKash, their website offers a helpful store locator (Ukash.com, or csuk@ukash.com or 0808 234 6244). Vouchers can be obtained in amounts up to 100. PayPoint, PayZone and ePay permit the following variable voucher denominations:
- PayPoint — Denominations ranging from 5.00 to 100.00
- PayZone — 15, 30, 50, 75 and 100
- ePay — 10, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50, 75 and 100
The voucher itself has a 19-digit tracking number, which buyers need only supply when making a deposit at an online casino accepting UKash. Buyers can also choose to have the 19-digit voucher number emailed or even sent to them via SMS. Once a voucher is issued, it can be immediately used to make a deposit. Any unused monies on a voucher are turned into UKash «change», which are given a new 19-digit voucher number. UKash change can be combined into a single voucher, and similarly, can be broken up into multiple vouchers. UKash does not cost anything when being used to fund online casino accounts or to make payments at web retailers, which include Skype, Entropia Universe and Habbo Hotel to name a few. It cannot be used to process withdrawals from online gaming accounts.