MasterCard Debit in Slovakian Casinos

Slovakia is an attractive market for many operators who continue offering their services to Slovakian players, but the regulations are a bit complex. You will soon learn why, but for the moment, it is important to know that as a Slovakian player wishing to join an online casino, you have the green light. Now, across the sites that cater to players from the country, you can use MasterCard Debit, if you wish to have safe and effortless transactions in euros. The card is offered at every second if not every single online casino that targets Slovakian players, so you'll certainly have plenty of sites to check out and join. So, stay with us to learn more about the regulations and this amazing card, to draw your own conclusion. Why use MasterCard Debit at a Slovakian online casino?

Online Gambling Regulation in Slovakia

There’s a lot to be said about the gambling situation in Slovakia. Previously part of Czechoslovakia, the Slovak Republic proclaimed independence in 1993, and with that, legalized gambling and a large number of gambling establishments opened their doors to locals and tourists alike. A few years in and online gambling started trending, so the country legalized it, as well, in 2005. However, since it was a new territory, with the activities happening online, Slovakia decided to have full control over it and give TIPOS power over the entire gambling and lottery offering.

With only one state-controlled operator at their disposal, Slovakian players were dissatisfied with their options, so they started frequenting offshore online casino sites to get better variety. The authorities saw players’ interest in having better choices and finally gave in. In 2019, it legalized remote gambling and opened its doors to offshore operators. It started allowing offshore operators to go live in Slovakia via TIPOS, though. TIPOS retained the power to offer lottery and bingo exclusively, but via partnerships, players were officially allowed to join any online casino they had access to.

In line with the Gambling Games Act 171/2005, offshore operators were given the chance to apply for and obtain a license to operate on the market. Many developers debuted their brands in Slovakia, too, so it seemed like the industry was finally going to take off as players expected. But then, individual municipalities started revolting, asking the government to have the right to decide whether or not online gambling should be offered to their citizens. The government gave them that right, and in shocking news, many municipalities chose to ban it, including Bratislava. They were worried about the safety of the citizens and didn't want them to start having gambling problems.

To make matters worse, the authorities discovered that although they were now given better choices, Slovakian players continued joining offshore sites. At first, the authorities tried blacklisting such operators, but this was against EU online gambling laws, as all EU countries had to allow free access to EU-based operators for fair trade. However municipalities made sure to take care of these sites each in its own way, so this was put to rest. Plus, until 2023, while their licenses were still active, licensed operators prior to the bans were allowed to continue offering their services to players from municipalities with banned online gambling.

The Slovakian Office for the Regulation of Gambling (Úrad pre reguláciu hazardných hier) makes sure to oversee the activities in municipalities with legal online gambling and is allowed to continue granting licenses in the future, to any operator interested in getting one. So, whenever you come across an online casino licensed by the regulator, you can freely join it and not worry about anything else. Just check the games offered and skip to the next if what you’re looking for is missing, since sites that cater to Slovakian players are powered by the very best operators.

To get an all-inclusive experience, make sure you check out the payment methods list at the casino you’re eyeing, looking for global and popular methods like MasterCard Debit card. This debit card will certainly make your entire online gambling experience go easily and smoothly as it is one of the most accessible methods in the industry.

You will find hundreds of sites that cater to Slovakian players and offer it, so the first chance you get give it a try. If you don’t know how to, continue reading, as in the next section, we’ll tell you more about its history and guide you through the steps you need to take to get started with it. A large number of Slovaks are already using it, but if you’re not one of them, you will see that with it, you will be making smooth deposits and really fast withdrawals in your native euro currency across too many sites to count.

Using MasterCard Debit Across Slovakian Online Casinos

There’s not a chance in the world that you haven’t heard of or already using a MasterCard card. This global brand has quite a long history and a stellar reputation, thanks to the amazing debit, prepaid, credit, and gift cards it offers in collaboration with major financial companies and banks in the world. It has unrivaled global recognition, and it is considered one of the top card brands the world has known of.

Now, when it first debuted, it was a charge card launched by four leading US banks, Crocker National Bank, the Bank of California, the United California Bank, and Wells Fargo. This happened in 1966 when the organization only offered it to its users. A few years in, it started circulating across over 25,000 financial institutions and their users. By the time it was repurposed into a credit card, it had gone global and been rebranded as MasterCard. It was a huge hit among global users, but many saw the need for a card that you could use as an alternative to cash, without having your credit history checked. That's how in 1979, the first standard MasterCard Debit card was born.

To apply for it, users did not have to have a stellar history as their credit was not checked. This was what made the debit card the preferred choice for many. But, as you may know, while with credit cards your history is checked because you can take loans from your bank, with the debit card, it is not checked because you cannot get in debt and can only spend as much money as you have in your bank account balance. This worked splendidly for many, and it still does, especially for online casino players, as with it they can never overspend.

All banks in Slovakia, basically, offer the standard type of the MasterCard Debit card. So, to get one for yourself, you will need to either visit your bank in person or check whether your bank offers the option to apply for a card online. Either way, an application form needs to be filled out with basic personal info; no credit history checks, nada. Then, after you verify your identity and submit the form, the bank will review it and send it to MasterCard to prepare your debit card.

The card can arrive via mail at your home address, or you can pick it up at the bank; it will be your decision. Either way, when you receive it, you will also get verification codes with it in an envelope. You need to keep that envelope safe, as the codes will be needed in the future for verification and authentication purposes. And assuming you have them with you whenever you wish to transact with the card, you can rest assured that you'll be able to make deposits and withdrawals in your local currency, the euro, across a great number of sites. In fact, follow our lead. Next, we'll look into the steps needed to request these actions.

Deposits and Withdrawals with MasterCard Debit

We weren’t joking when we said that you’ll find MasterCard Debit across most, if not all, online casinos that cater to Slovakian online casinos. You’ll have close to 400 sites to check out here at WoO, so roll up your sleeves and start your search for the most ideal site to join.

As soon as you find it, register a player account with it. You will, again, need to share some personal details, basic ones, and in just a few taps on your device, your account will be ready to be funded. To fund it with MasterCard Debit, make sure you follow these steps:

1. Enter your player account and look up the Banking page.
2. Select MasterCard Debit’s logo from the listed Deposit Methods.
3. Set the amount you wish to transfer.
4. Replicate the card details to the designated fields: number, expiry date, name, and if needed, the CCV2 code.
5. Authenticate the transaction and watch the funds arriving in your balance instantly.

Considering this is a debit card on which you can also receive money, it goes without saying that you canmake withdrawals with it, as well. Once approved, the money will reach your bank account directly, meaning that the operator will have an address to which the money can be sent.

The withdrawal procedure is basically identical: you select the card from the listed Withdrawal Methods, set the amount you want to withdraw, and enter the needed card details. Now, the only difference is that the operator will need to check out your request before it is confirmed. This can take 24 to 48 hours, depending on the operator, but as soon as approved, the funds will reach your bank account/card in no time.

Conclusion

Slovakian online casino players have the opportunity to choose from a great number of online casinos to join, and most, if not all of them, offer MasterCard Debit. As such, the card is one of the most accessible options to use for deposits and withdrawals in your local currency, so don’t waste time and give it a try the next time you log into your registered online casino account.