Information about Mastercard casinos
When we think of payment cards, Mastercard is never far away from our thoughts. The universal nature of the company means we see it as a payment option on nearly all e-commerce websites, and if we close our eyes most of us can see its double-circled logo in our mind's eye.
Not surprisingly, most online casinos accept Mastercard as a payment method: in fact, it's unlikely you'll find one that doesn't. That said, it's still important to find a reliable Mastercard casino to play on.
This page will help you to do that, as well as providing details about bonuses in Mastercard casinos, the pros and cons of using the provider, and information about the global company behind the card.
Table of contents:
Mastercard history: the original credit card with a world-famous identity
The history of Mastercard stretches right back to the start of widespread plastic payment card use in the USA.
In 1966, a group of banks formed the Interbank Card Association (ICA) to cater for the growing demand for card payments. Needing to gain an advantage over their rival, the BankAmericard, the group rebranded their name and logo a few years later, introducing the name Master Charge and the distinctive orange and red logo which we all know today.
Over the next decade, the company expanded its operations into Europe by forming an alliance with the Euro Card and Access Card brands, and in 1979 the name Mastercard was used for the first time.
Since then, Mastercard has gone from strength to strength. From becoming the first payment card in China; through creating the first global online debit program, Maestro, in the 1990s; to teaming up with Apple to integrate an e-wallet feature into iPhone models in 2014.
Note: A publicly traded company since 2006, its range of services include Mastercard Click to Pay — a password-free digital payment process — and Banknet, a global telecommunications network.
Mastercard's huge reach and its reputation for safe, hassle-free payments are the reasons why it is used in all kinds of businesses and stores across the world. It's also the reason why it's used in so many online casinos. Next, we're going to take a look at why they're so trusted, as well as some downsides of using a Mastercard that are important to know.
Pros and cons of Mastercard
Mastercard's universal presence since the 1970s is a kind of vicious circle for its competitors. Its ever-present logo encourages people to sign up in droves, and its continually growing customer base allows the company to increase its operations even further.
Apart from that, Mastercard is well-known for its excellent security features. In fact, merchants often have to prove their reliability to Mastercard if they want to sign up, rather than the other way round, as with a lot of payment providers.
If you're a Mastercard user, you'll benefit from key safety mechanisms such as zero liability protection, which means that you won't be held responsible for unauthorized transactions and the money will be reimbursed to your account. However, some types of prepaid cards and gift cards don't qualify for this benefit, so be careful if you have one of these.
The company also encrypts contactless payments, which makes counterfeit use exceptionally difficult, and even offers tokenization: a process which replaces your credit card with a unique token that is stored in the merchant's database instead — keeping your sensitive information secure.
Like its competitor VISA, also supported by a large number of VISA casinos, Mastercard is one of the world leaders in partnership programs for its credit card holders. They team up with airlines, hotels, major retailers plus many more outlets to allow customers to use the card pretty much wherever they go. These alliances mean that you can make use of some sweet rewards programs with your Mastercard, offering discounts, perks and prizes depending on which company you use.
Despite all this, many people still have reservations about using Mastercard, mainly on ethical grounds. Apart from creating a virtual duopoly with VISA on the credit card scene (leading to fears of bullying tactics against rivals, such as price-fixing), the organization has been hit by a number of lawsuits in recent years and was fined just under half a billion euros for breaching EU antitrust rules in 2019. There are concerns that such underhand tactics will continue if the company's power continues to increase over the coming years, although its public reputation remains very positive.
How to use Mastercard in online casinos
If you want to use Mastercard in an online casino, then the process is usually very simple and stress-free.
To deposit money, you'll first need to have an account with your desired casino, something that only takes a few minutes to set up. Then you head to the deposit section of the casino. There, you select Mastercard as your payment method and simply enter your card details (number, expiry date, CVV — or security — code, and your name), along with the amount you want to deposit. Once the payment is submitted and approved, it should appear in your casino balance almost immediately.
This process should apply to Mastercard debit cards and prepaid cards, as well as credit cards, but it's possible that the casino will have a different option for these in the payment section. It's also worth noting that some countries don't allow casino users to pay with credit cards nowadays due to a change in the law, the UK being one example, and more countries might follow suit in the future.
Note: To add a cautionary note; even if you are in a country where credit card payments are supported, you should use it wisely when playing in online casinos, or maybe not at all. Playing with borrowed money is often dangerous as it's easy to accumulate debt and added interest. Our safe gambling guide goes into more detail on this topic.
Some casinos that allow Mastercard also permit withdrawals, but this depends on the specific policies of the casino in question. If they do, then the withdrawal process is very similar to making a deposit, although it might take some days for it to land in your bank account.
For this reason, it makes sense to check the withdrawal options for each casino you use, and our reviews can provide you with information about withdrawals, such as their availability and relevant limits. To learn more about how we do this, check out our How we review online casinos guide.
How to find the best Mastercard online casino for you
With so many Mastercard casinos available, it may be hard to choose one to play on. Maybe you want to find one that has a certain game that you like or one that accepts your currency. Most importantly, you'll want to find one that is safe to play on.
Our list of Mastercard casinos is designed to help you find the ones that meet your standards. To do that, we offer a detailed review of each casino and useful filter mechanisms to help you narrow down the list of options to your taste.
To start with, you should have the list of recommended Mastercard casinos in front of you as the default page setting. These are the cream of the crop, according to our team, and will most likely have what you are looking for. You can change this list to display the newest casinos with the method: just click the 'Newly opened' tab to get these. Or maybe you just want to hit the 'All' tab to see the full list.
Bonuses offered by Mastercard casinos
To finish, it's worth adding a note about bonuses in Mastercard casinos: maybe you want to find one that allows you to use a deposit (welcome) bonus or even a no deposit bonus.
To search for a specific type of bonus, head to our list of casino bonuses, check the 'Mastercard' filter, and find the 'Bonus Type' section. To get no deposit bonuses, for example, select the 'No Deposit Bonus' option to draw up a list of relevant casinos. Another option is to go to the list of no deposit bonuses and check 'Mastercard' there. This process can be applied to all bonus types, along with their relevant lists.
All of the casino reviews and bonuses in our database will be relevant and up-to-date as they are continuously checked and updated by the team.
Please disable your AdBlock