FirePay, accessible to anyone who holds a United States bank account and now serving more than 600,000 active account holders, functions as a Web-based cash account in much the same way that a bank debit card works. All you do is sign up (www.firepay.com) to receive a 16-digit account number and an expiration date. Transfer funds directly from your U.S. bank account to your FirePay Personal Account, and those funds may then be used with any online casino that accepts FirePay. There are no fees to sign up, pay with, or withdraw funds from your FirePay Personal Account. Deposit fees are low, maxing out at $2 per deposit if you are approved for and choose to use the FirePay Express Fund option, which makes funds transfers available within 2 minutes instead of the normal transfer time of 2 to 3 business days. By using only your FirePay account number for all transactions, your personal information is safeguarded. That safety is further supported by the fact that FirePay carefully screens the trustworthiness of the businesses with which it works. You'll receive email confirmation of all transactions, and detailed statements are available to you online.

FirePay highlights:

• Currencies: A FirePay Personal Account is available to anyone who holds a checking account with a bank in the United States.
• Signing up: You register your checking account with FirePay, which then verifies your account by making a small validation deposit that you confirm, a process that generally takes 2 to 3 business days.
• Depositing funds: Once you're confirmed, you fund your FirePay account directly from your checking account. The first transfer takes 2 to 3 business days; but you can also sign up for FirePay Express Fund, which transfers funds in less than 2 minutes for a fee of $2 per deposit.
• Transferring funds: Choose FirePay as your transaction method. As long as you have sufficient funds in your FirePay Personal Account, simply enter your 16-digit account number and expiration date along with the amount.
• Withdrawing funds: You can withdraw funds at any time from your FirePay Personal Account, including any amounts in the account exceeding your initial deposits, via electronic funds transfer (EFT).
• Security: In its state-of-the-art data center, FirePay used advanced transaction-processing technology that includes such security features as strong encryption, double firewalls, IP address filtering, and role-based access control. Your personal information is never shared.