UPay in Sri Lankan Casinos

There was a time when Sri Lankan online casinos could not use any local payment method to fund their online gambling and cash out winnings with, but that changed when UPay appeared. This payment app, supported by the SDB Bank, became an instant hit across online casinos that catered to Sri Lankan players as soon as it launched. Several operators are already offering it to their Sri Lankan players, to allow them to make effortless, fast, and safe deposits and withdrawals in their local currency. The solution is easy to get started with and even easier to use, so if you wish to know more about it, make sure you continue reading. What is UPay, and why decide to use it across online casinos that accept Sri Lankan players?

Online Gambling Regulation in Sri Lanka

To be totally frank, Sri Lanka is a weird country when it comes to gambling regulation. On one hand, historically speaking, it seemed like a country with the loosest stance on gambling, not showing any interest in regulating it for ages. On the other hand, even when it attempted to regulate the industry, there were so many obstacles that the authorities would always give up. In 2010, for instance, land-based gambling was officially legalized, and three operators were given the green light to open their brick-and-mortar casinos, but there was an instant political and religious pressure that the authorities had to back up. In 2013, these establishments faced further delay, and their construction was completely blocked in 2015.

It was not until a decade later that some real efforts were made to legalize and regulate the industry again. At the beginning of 2025, lawmakers announced a bill that would not only regulate the land-based gambling industry but also oversee online gambling activities. That doesn’t mean that in the meantime, no land-based casinos were available in Sri Lanka; there are actually several land-based facilities that are providing casino gambling in the country, and more are on the horizon. City of Dreams, for instance, is a resort that was given permission to operate casinos. The grand casino is expected to open in August 2025, but whether it will eventually, judging by history, we’re yet to see.

In the meantime, Sri Lankans are gambling across offshore online casino sites. The fact that so many operators cater to them only proves their interest in online gambling. You will literally find thousands of sites that accept Sri Lankans, and at least a dozen that exclusively target Sri Lankans, and try to accommodate them on their sites in the best way possible. Across these sites, you will get access to the latest online casino games, designed and provided by developers like Pragmatic Play, Yggdrasil, NetEnt, Evolution, and Games Global, to mention a few. That means that no matter if you're into slots, table games, online poker, video poker, or Live Casino games, for instance, you will certainly have thousands of games to go through and try.

But what these sites shine most in is that they not only give you a bunch of global methods to use, but they’ve also ensured to provide you with local solutions, to allow you to get an even better experience at the site. In addition to a few others, the best Sri Lankan online casinos offer UPay, the local payment app that has taken the financial scene in the country by storm. From the moment it launched, it was an instant hit with users and businesses alike, and that's why its popularity never ceases to increase. You will already find it across the top online casinos that cater to Sri Lankans, so if you wish to know more about, how it works, and how to get started with it, continue reading, as in the next section, we'll share with you exactly that.

Using UPay Across Sri Lankan Online Casinos

Payment Services (Pvt) Ltd launched UPay in 2016, as a cashless and cardless payment system, which proved to be quite successful for handling Sri Lankans' digital transactions, that the SDB Bank showed interest in acquiring it. The acquisition was officially signed three years after its launch, so from 2019 on, this is a payment app offered by the SDB Bank. As such, it reached an even bigger user base and even more businesses incorporated it into their offering, and today, it is one of the most popular and used payment apps in Sri Lanka.

It is an award-winning app that focuses on providing Sri Lankans with everything they might need in terms of online banking. With state-of-the-art security measures and encrypted communication, it provides safe, fast, and convenient digital transactions. With it, you never have to expose any credit card details or bank account numbers with the merchant, or in our case, the operator, whenever you’re sending or receiving money. All you have to do is share some basic personal info that you’ve entered upon registration.

Speaking of registration, here’s what you need to do to get started with it. First of all, you need to visit the Apple App or Google Play Store, respectively, to download the app on your smartphone. Install the app and then set up your account by providing some basic personal details. Then, you will be prompted to link a bank account with any of these banks, Pan Asia, Bank of Ceylon, HNB, Cargills Bank, NDB Bank, Nations TrustBank, or Commercial Bank, for instance, or add credit card/debit card details to link your card to the account. With the solution, you'll be transacting in your local currency, the Sri Lankan rupee; therefore, you can rest assured that your transactions will be cost-efficient, too, as the app is all about simplicity.

Now that you know how effortless it is to get started with it, let's see how to use it. We'll go over the depositing and withdrawing steps in the next section, so that you know exactly what to do once you select it as your payment method at your favorite Sri Lankan online casino. Follow our lead.

Depositing and Withdrawing with UPay

You probably noticed, when we talked about banks that support the solution, that this app collaborates with all major Sri Lankan banks. That's probably why it is such a hit with users and businesses alike, and why several leading Sri Lankan online casinos are already offering it to their Sri Lankan players. Therefore, your first task here is to go over these sites and pick one that suits you best to join.

From here, you’ll need to disclose some basic personal details to create your player account. Once your account is ready, to fund it with UPay, do the following:

1. Log in to your registered player account and head over to the Cashier/Banking page.
2. Once you locate the Deposits section, go through the list of accepted methods, find UPay, and select it.
3. Set the amount of money that you’d like to transfer.
4. Select a linked bank account/card to complete the transaction, or simply scan the LANKAQR code provided with your app.
5. Authenticate the transaction and watch the funds arrive in your balance in a few seconds.

Note: if the operator is not a registered UPay user, the LANKAQR codes won’t be an option; in that case, you’d need to use a card or bank account that you’ve linked to your app.

As you can see, depositing with the solution is extremely easy, but so is withdrawing, as you will now see. You just have to repeat step one, and in step two, select the solution from the list of methods offered in the Withdrawals section. Specify how much you want to withdraw and select the bank account you wish to receive your winnings in. Share your UPay details (phone number or account ID) to confirm your request and wait for the operator to approve it. Once approved, the funds will be sent directly to your bank account from the operator’s UPay wallet account or linked bank account.

Conclusion

There is no doubt that UPay is one of the most convenient payment methods you could use as a Sri Lankan across offshore online casino sites. It is a local solution that allows you to transact in your native currency, quickly and safely. With just a few taps on your smartphone, you'll be making effortless deposits and withdrawals from one app, linked to your bank account or credit/debit card. How awesome is that? Figure it out by trying the solution the first chance you get!