MasterCard is a name that needs no introduction. As one of the two dominant Dredit Card companies in the world alongside Visa, MasterCard is trusted by online casino players and operators in the UK and beyond.
With the recent UK ban on credit card transactions for online gambling purposes, Mastercard has undoubtedly took a hit. Thankfully, though, players can still avail themselves of Mastercard’s robust financial systems through supporting debit cards.
Like a credit card, Mastercard debit cards may be used to make deposits and withdrawals like normal. The only difference here is that you don't use your bank's line of credit, but rather the money you have on hand. As we will explain later, this has a number of advantages, particularly when it comes to managing your bankroll.
To utilize Mastercard Debit as a deposit method, you must first sign up for an account with an online casino that accepts the payment method. Once you've completed the registration process and validated your personal information, head over to the checkout.
A wide range of deposit choices should be available. Locate and choose the Mastercard debit card choice from the drop-down menu, then specify the amount of money you want to use. Within minutes, your transaction should be processed and you can play at your favourite online casinos with real money.
Mastercard debit card withdrawals are also widely accepted by most UK online casinos. Navigate to the cashier part of the website and select the payment method and quantity of money you'd want to withdraw. However, keep in mind that the procedure may take a few days to finish. Like many other payment methods, withdrawals take a long time compared to deposits.
As one of the world's most trusted payment methods, the safety of transactions made through Mastercard is practically a given. However, a truly safe transaction requires security at every stage of the transaction process—not just with the card issuer. SSL encryption and Mastercard's own anti-fraud systems help mitigate this, but there will always be a bit of risk involved when making any real money transaction, especially with online casinos.
As we explained earlier, all online gambling transactions made with credit cards are banned in the UK. Debit cards don't have a credit limit; rather, they are directly attached to the funds in your bank account, which means that you will be unable to spend any more money than you can actually afford.
Depositing funds with Mastercard usually does not have any processing fees. However, this is not the case for withdrawals, which have a transaction fee of at least 2%. Therefore, it’s always worth checking the small print before deciding which casino payment options to use.
Being second only to VISA casinos in size and influence, it shouldn't be too hard to find a safe online casino that accepts Mastercard debit cards as a valid transaction method. But if you haven't found any yet, we've compiled a list of some of the best online casinos in the UK that do.
To help you weigh your options on whether or not to use Mastercard for your online casino transactions, here is a summary list of its pros and cons.
Although this method is not quite as popular as more specialised online payment methods like the Neteller casino, Mastercard debit cards are still very much viable and useful as a payment option, due in large part to their strict money limits. If you are the kind of player with a very loose grip on their cash, debit cards just might be the best way to rein in your spending.