20+ years in the gambling industry including 13+ years playing and reviewing slots.
OLBG’s Chris Taylor spoke to David Foord, Commercial Manager at Fonix for a general Questions and Answers interview regarding Pay By Mobile.
Founded in 2006, Fonix is a leading specialist in mobile operator payments, messaging and telephony with a focus on broadcast, charity, entertainment, transport, digital brands and, of course, gaming. Their Pay By Mobile product is available at many casino sites in the UK, allowing you to deposit quickly and securely just by entering your mobile phone number.
With a rise in Pay By Mobile casinos, the Q&A with Fonix looks at how it works, what mobile phone networks it’s available on, how easy it is to deposit at online casinos, why you should deposit using Pay By Mobile, the advantages versus other payment methods, it’s rise in popularity and where else you can use Pay By Mobile.
Q: For players not familiar with Fonix/Pay By Mobile, how does it work?
DF: “Pay By Mobile allows you to add deposits and payments to your mobile phone bill—it's as easy as entering your phone number at checkout or the cashier, and within a few taps, your payment is complete. Pay by Mobile has a variety of applications, from making online deposits to entering competitions or donating to charities via text. We proudly support numerous platforms, such as MrQ, The Phone Casino, and Duelz.”
Q: Which mobile phone networks is Pay by Mobile compatible with?
DF: “Pay By Mobile is available on all major UK Networks, so O2, EE, Vodafone and Three. If you’re planning to try it out, it’s best to check with your network provider to ensure that premium-rate services can be added to your phone bill.”
Q: How easy is it to deposit using Pay By Mobile?
DF: “It’s very easy! For your first deposit, simply select Pay By Mobile at the cashier and enter your mobile phone number. You will receive a confirmation PIN via SMS for your first transaction. Once you enter and confirm it at the cashier, your deposit will be complete. You will then receive another SMS as a receipt for your deposit.
For future deposits, simply enter your number and click ‘Deposit’, or you can save your number in the cashier for an even faster experience!”
Q: Why should UK players use Pay By Mobile when depositing at online casinos?
DF: “Here’s a few reasons why:
- Convenience – It just takes a phone number and an active handset to deposit.
- Security – You don’t need to share your card details or banking information with a casino, reducing the risk of exposing sensitive data.
- Mobile-Friendly – If you’re betting on your mobile, why not do it all on mobile?
- Instant Deposits – Your SMS receipt arrives immediately after clicking ‘Deposit’, so you’re ready to play right away.
Q: What are the advantages of Pay By Mobile compared to other digital wallets/payment methods?
DF: “The speed and convenience of depositing with Pay By Mobile is its greatest strength and the main reason why so many choose to use it. Most people tend to know their mobile phone number by heart, so it’s a simple and frictionless payment option.
Other payment methods often require remembering a username and password and setting up other payment methods and wallets can require you to set up an account, verify the account, set up security questions and so on.
If you have a UK mobile phone number on one of the main networks mentioned above, you have an active handset, and have enabled premium-rate charges, you should be able to use Pay By Mobile.”
Q: Why do you think Pay By Mobile’s popularity has grown in the UK in recent years?
DF: “Its simplicity and convenience make it an easy choice for people wanting to make a payment. We interacted with over a third of the UK population in 2024 and continue to see an uplift every year in the number of people using Pay By Mobile.
Whether it’s deposits on online casinos, text entries to competitions, or text donations to UK charities, Pay By Mobile continues to demonstrate its value.”
Q: Are players’ preferences regarding payments different in the UK compared to other markets?
DF: “Definitely, UK players tend to stick to what they know; Debit cards dominate and PayPal, Skrill and Neteller are trusted casino payment options as they’re highly regarded for online casinos.
Internationally, there are various local payment methods in most countries that compete with traditional payment methods. However, their prominence varies depending on factors like popularity, availability, local regulations, payment security and so on.
Pay By Mobile continues to grow in popularity in the UK, and we’re speaking to more and more operators all the time. It’s accessible to most people and with default deposit limits of £40 per transaction and £240 per month, it’s a much more responsible payment option than those we compete with.”
Q: Where else can customers use Pay by Mobile’s services?
DF: “If you’ve ever donated via text to a charity, or entered a competition by text on the radio or TV, you have used a Pay By Mobile service – you might notice it now more often than you expect!”
