Below are our picks for the casino brands with the best Mastercard acceptance in 2012. If you are based in the USA, please expect modest deposit success rates relative to VISA. This is due to new legislation being passed towards complete regulation of the market on a federal level. The UIGEA is currently impairing MasterCard deposits for US gambling customers, but players depositing with Visa International branded cards are still spared from noticeable restrictions.
As most online gamblers are aware of, the US government is cracking down on online gambling in the States. The poker shutdowns have made credit card companies nervous. These companies are now paying closer attention to noting the source of transactions, causing many declined payments when players try to deposit. Fortunately, there are still solutions and workarounds to these issues.
The root cause of failures is typically one of two things. Either the credit card is overdrawn or the card company implements rules against using the card for online gambling. The first problem is fixable only by paying off the card balance and regaining some spending power. The second issue is a bit more challenging.
If you know that your balance is *not* preventing you from making your online casino deposit, them look into your credit card’s rules for online wagering. If you are in the United States, all of these rules (in theory) boil down to the same basic problem: the government has legislation to prevent transfers from banks to casino sites. This means that you need to find a credit card company that is compatible (some always are), use gift cards as a temporary solution, or establish an overseas account with a linked credit card.
These solutions are rather extreme. However, most major credit card companies are extremely wary of online gambling right now. The US bust that shut down PokerStars.com was partially triggered by unorthodox banking practices. It is illegal for a bank operating in the US to allow a US customer to purchase services labeled as “online gambling.” The reason that the FBI went after those three sites is that they were improperly labeling their services to get around US credit card regulations. Instead of “online gaming,” they were claiming to sell jewelry and other expensive items. Worse yet, several banks were working with the sites and allowing their bank cards to be used in making online gambling deposits.
After realizing that bank and credit cards could be manipulated to allow online gambling, the US has warned credit card companies that further infractions against the law may result in loss of the right to do business in the US. This means that MasterCard must police its own cardholders. Thus, they are somewhat overzealous in blocking gambling purchases.
There are several potential solutions
1. Find a different credit or bank card.
Some players have reported greater success with Visa, as the company is big enough and international enough that gambling purchases sometimes fall through the cracks. However, this is not a reliable solution and may cease to work at some point. Note that debit and bank cards are usually affiliated with a credit card company. If you have had poor luck with MasterCard, getting a debit card from a bank that is affiliated with Visa may not solve your problem.
2. Invest in international Visa gift cards.
These international gift cards work like debit cards. However, they DO need to be purchased or ordered from abroad; a US Visa will abide by US gambling laws. Also, read the paperwork on the card; even internationally, some gift cards will not work for online gambling.
3. Set up an international or Canadian account.
Be careful with this option. The US government looks with suspicion on Americans who set up foreign accounts without reason, and foreign banks often make the process equally difficult. However, if you have a good excuse, such as family who live abroad, a foreign account with a foreign bank card will work for online deposits. Just remember to pay US taxes on your account.
While the rules and regulations are extremely annoying right now, most gambling authorities predict that the US will lift the gambling ban and even encourage online gambling, just as soon as they can find a way to tax it. In the meantime, short term solutions should tide you over.
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