The Steps in a Mastercard Casino Transaction
When a Mastercard payment is initiated by a casino player, the transaction undergoes several stages before the money ends up in said player’s casino balance. The first step is the deposit initiation itself, which is followed by the authentication of the transfer. An authentication request is sent to your bank via the Mastercard’s network, asking for information to verify the payment.
Your bank would then confirm the card number, the billing address and the CVV number as well as whether the balance is sufficient enough to carry out the deposit. If so, your bank would approve the deposit and would send authorization to the casino’s bank using the Mastercard network.
This leads us to the next step which is clearing the money from your balance. Your casino’s bank would send the authorized payment data to the Mastercard network where it needs to be validated. This is followed by the last step, the settlement between the two parties involved in the transaction, i.e. your issuing bank and the casino’s bank.
The deposit is forwarded by your issuing bank to the bank of the online gambling operator, which in turn would transfer the sum to your casino’s bank account. It sounds overly complex but one such transaction is usually completed within a few moments as Mastercard deposits are normally processed immediately.
How to acquire a MasterCard
Getting a credit card is a fairly straightforward, albeit slow, process. First you need to check in with your local bank and see what their policy regarding credit is and whether or not they are authorized to issue physical Mastercard products in the first place. If they operate within the MasterCard network they are able to issue these types of cards. Note that there are different types of credits cards like Standard, Gold, Titanium, and Platinum Mastercards so you best check which type is the most suitable for your gambling purposes.
Normally you will have to go through a screening process and submit personal information such as your monthly income, name, address, Social Security Number (or your country’s equivalent) and credit history. This information is filled into the application form the issuing bank or credit union will give you. If you do not feel like visiting the issuing bank in person, you can use its website and fill in the application form online. Make sure you input all your information correctly and be honest about your credit history, if you are applying for a credit card, in particular, since Mastercard is known to offer a range of prepaid and debit cards as well.
Should your request for a credit card get declined, make sure you request the issuer to send you a copy of the credit file so that you can gain a proper understanding as to the reasons. If the bank finds you an acceptable candidate, it will offer you a plan suited to your means and your new card will be shipped to you within the timeframe designated by the issuing institution. The timeframe is largely based on the policies of the particular issuer but would usually range from 10 days to 2 weeks.
Best Mastercard casino sites
Depositing to Online Casinos
Using a Mastercard to deposit in online casinos cannot get any simpler than it already is. When depositing, you must first navigate to the casino’s cashier page, select credit/debit cards from the list of options and then choose the Mastercard brand from the drop-down menu. You proceed by entering the 16-digit code on the front, the expiration date, the card holder’s name and the CVV code on the back. Of course, you would also need to specify the desired deposit amount.
Then you check whether you have entered all the details correctly, confirm the deposit, and this is it. There are no waiting timeframes since the payment is completed instantly. It is possible that when paying with Mastercard for online gambling, 2%-3% fees may be charged to your account, depending on the casino. Yet, most established casinos would defray the transaction expenses for Mastercard deposits. The limits on the deposit would generally depend on the gambling operator you play with.
Withdrawing from Online Casinos
It is worth noting that Mastercard has adopted its own policies in regard to online gambling. Players from jurisdictions where online gambling is illegal and unregulated may hit a snag when attempting to withdraw via Mastercard. If you are a resident of a country like the United States where gambling on games of chance on the web is largely prohibited, your Mastercard withdrawal may not go through. Banks in the country, including the issuers of Mastercard products, have been instructednot to process payments to such cards should the transaction come from a gambling website.
How do these gambling transactions get recognized as such, though? It all started with Mastercard attaching MCCs (Merchant Category Code) as a means of distinguishing different types of gambling activities along with the level of risk they entail. For instance, online gambling operators offering products that involve skills to win, eg. poker, have codes 7994 and 7999 attached to them. These are considered low and medium-risk activities by Mastercard.
Gambling operators offering games of chance fall under the category of high-risk gaming providers and as such have the code 7995 attached to their transactions. This causes the withdrawals from such websites to get blocked whenever the transfer was made to a country where online gambling is prohibited.
As of 2015, Mastercard has introduced several new codes of this type that make it possible to distinguish between licensed and unlicensed gambling providers in a given jurisdiction. Online lotteries run by the government have a code of 7800 whereas the code 7802 pertains to licensed horse and dog racing operations. Licensed online casinos have a code 7801 attached to them. Still, if you are a resident of the US who plans on gambling at an offshore licensed casino, we would recommend you not to risk it and go for another method of payment where you will not struggle with having your payments declined.
Pros & Cons of MasterCard Casinos
Pros
- Widely Accepted
- No fees, Instant Deposits
- Safe and Secure
- Mobile Banking App
- Additional Bonuses and Promotions
Cons
- Withdrawals are unaccepted at some US casinos
- Withdrawals may take up to 5 business days
- A 2% fee on withdrawals may apply