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MBWAY in Portuguese Casinos
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If you’re a Portuguese online casino player, you know that across the many online casinos you can frequent, MBWAY is always ranked as one of the top payment methods to use for your deposits and withdrawals. That’s because the solution, launched by MultiBanco, has managed to become Portuguese players’ favorite payment method. Thanks to the fact that it is supported by leading banks in the country and can be alternatively used, it is the perfect option to use to fund your online casino account and cash out winnings from it. The solution has a remarkable availability across casinos that cater to Portuguese players, due to its popularity across the country and has become a household brand across the top Portuguese casinos. So, if you wish to give it a go yourself, stay with us to learn more about it. What is MBWAY and why use it as your payment method across Portuguese online casinos?
Online Gambling Regulation in Portugal
Gambling is an activity enjoyed by Portuguese players for ages, really. Legalized in 1916, the industry has been going from strength to strength in the country, with a huge number of casino establishments and betting shops scattered all throughout its territory. The law that regulated land-based gambling in the country was the Legal Regime for the Operation of Games of Chance in Casinos, and as an addition to this law came the online lottery, in 2000, when the country legalized the first online gambling vertical. The vertical, however, was monopoly-based, with the Portuguese National Lottery behind it.
Nevertheless, considering online gambling gained immense popularity all across the world, Portugal introduced the Regime Jurídico dos Jogos e Apostas – Decree-Law No. 66/2015 and in 2015 legalized online casino gambling, too. This move was made by the authorities due to the fact that players were already frequenting online casinos, only not local ones. They were playing across all kinds of unlicensed, offshore sites that were targeting the market. They were not prosecuted for that, and operators were not punished, their sites were not blocked, no matter the fact that they did not pay taxes at the time.
In 2015, however, things changed. The authorities started blocking illegal sites and only allowed licensed sites to cater to Portuguese players. Operators who paid taxes and abided by the rules were the only ones who could legally offer online gambling to Portuguese players. Offshore sites were blocked by internet service providers, as ordered by the authorities, and players were left with nothing but perfectly licensed sites to join.
Nevertheless, as a player, if you still manage to bump into an international online casino that accepts Portuguese players, you are free to join it without worrying about getting prosecuted for that. Even though the regulator tightened the regulations, and players are advised to join licensed Portuguese sites, if you, by any chance, wander off at an offshore site, you can still enjoy your time there with no worries on your mind.
That being said, it is probably clear to you by now that you have hundreds of sites at your disposal to join as a Portuguese player. Whether you join a national or international online casino, you will still be able to enjoy online poker, table games, Live Casino games, and the much-wanted world-class slots, offered to you by the likes of Yggdrasil, Games Global, Playtech, and Evolution.
So, the only thing you need to focus on when selecting a site to join is the payment method you’ll be using. Since the ideal option would be a local solution that allows transactions in euros, why not go with MBWAY? This is a mobile solution rolled out by none other than MultiBanco, your country's leading interbank network. It was designed with the aim to facilitate online transactions for Portuguese players even further, allowing them to transact online with just a few taps on their smartphones. It is an option for both deposits and withdrawals across a great number of online casinos, so why not stick with us to learn more about it, to make a more informed decision when it comes to whether you’d want to use it or not? We’ll tell you all we know about it in the following section.
Using MBWAY Across Portuguese Online Casinos
As introduced, MBWAY is a mobile payment solution that the Portuguese interbank network, MultiBanco, launched in 2015 with the aim to further facilitate the way users handle their online transactions via their mobile devices. The solution functions like most eWallets, considering you need to download an app to get started with it, and once you have the app, you can use all of its services, including MultiBanco, in just a few simple taps on your smartphone.
The best part is, that you can use it regardless of whether you're banked or unbanked. Banked users are at an advantage since the solution is supported by all of the banks in the MultiBanco network, called Adhering Banks. Unbanked users, however, can use it via their Skrill and Neteller eWallet accounts. As of 2023, the solution is supported by these two globally-recognized and wildly-used eWallets. So, even if you don’t have a bank account with one of the leading Portuguese banks part of the interbank network, you can still use its services via your Skrill/Neteller eWallet account. That’s the main reason why more than 5 Portuguese users have chosen to use it over any other, especially for their online casino deposits and withdrawals.
On that note, to get started with it and use it across top Portuguese online casinos, the following are the simple steps you need to take. Assuming you are a Portuguese citizen and you have a smartphone via an active number with any of the many Portuguese operators, you are good to go. First, open MultiBanco, and then in the designated field, enter your phone number. You will quickly get your six-digit MBWAY code, so now just download the app and once you install it, enter the PIN. An SMS will arrive at the phone number you provided, and with it, the service will be automatically activated in the app. The app, of course, is available for both Android and iOS devices, so you can download it for free from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, respectively.
Now, when it comes to services you can use via the app, we can mention Pay with MBWAY, a functionality that allows you to shop and pay offline and online using a QR code or NFC. Then, you can generate a virtual card and use it anywhere where cards can be used, for all sorts of purchases and payments. You can withdraw money from ATMs, too, use the Authorized Payments functionality, and even split bills when out with friends. But what interests us the most is the Send Money/Ask for Money functionality, since with it, you can make deposits and request withdrawals from online casino operators.
In fact, stay with us as in the following section, we’ll tell you exactly how to use this functionality to start making your MBWAY deposits and withdrawals.
Depositing and Withdrawing with MBWAY
SpinCity, Casoo, and IceCasino are the best-ranked online casino sites here at WoO, which hold the Wizard’s Approval, that you can join as a Portuguese player to enjoy your deposits and withdrawals with MBWAY. There are over a dozen others to explore, too, so make sure you check out our list of reviewed casinos in your search for the best site to join.
The minute you pick the casino to join, register a player account with it. As soon as your account is ready, to make a deposit with MBWAY, go through these steps:
- Log into your registered player profile and hop to the Banking page.
- Find the list of Deposit Methods, locate MBWAY's logo, and press it.
- Enter your app and press Send Money.
- Specify how much you’d want to send to the operator’s phone number (if you don’t know the phone number, make sure you get in touch with the casino’s Support team to get it).
- Confirm the transfer and in an instant, the funds will reach your balance.
We should point out at this point that the procedure we just described applies if you’re a banked user. If you wish to use the solution via your Skrill/Neteller eWallet account, you would need to follow some different steps. You would need to select your eWallet as your Deposit Method and then enter your respective eWallet account and proceed by setting the amount you wish to deposit and selecting MBWAY as the service you’d wish to use to complete the transfer.
When it comes to withdrawals, you would need to repeat the same procedure as the one we explained in detail for banked users, this time selecting the solution from the list of Withdrawal Methods. Enter your app, select Ask for Money, and enter the amount you wish to withdraw. As soon as you validate your request, you will need to wait for the casino to approve it. The approval will arrive within 24 to 48 hours, but as soon as it does, the money will be automatically sent to your app.
Conclusion
There's no better option for you to use as a Portuguese player than MBWAY. This is an exceptionally easy-to-use, incredibly available, and convenient solution to use, especially for online casino deposits and withdrawals in your native currency. Make sure you put it on your to-try list and give it a go the next time you wish to play your favorite online casino games.
FAQs
Is it legal to gamble online in Portugal?
Yes, Portugal offers a perfectly legal online gambling market, legalized in 2015 with the Regime Jurídico dos Jogos e Apostas – Decree-Law No. 66/2015. Players are free to join any online casino that caters to the market, without exceptions.
Do Portuguese online casino players get prosecuted for gambling at offshore online casino sites?
While offshore casino sites are blocked by the authorities, should a player get access to one, they won’t be prosecuted for it. They are, of course, encouraged to join licensed Portuguese online casinos, but in case they join an international one, they won’t be punished for it.
How many Portuguese online casinos accept MBWAY?
MBWAY is a popular payment solution across Portuguese-catering online casinos, and only here at WoO, you will find around 15 legitimate sites to join and enjoy effortless transactions via your app, in your native currency.
Is it possible to fund my MBWAY app with a credit/debit card?
Sure thing. You can link a credit/debit card to your app, issued by one or more of the Adhering Banks, as the total of cards you can have on your app is 8.
Does MBWAY offer Customer Support?
It sure does. When you visit its official website, you will find an incredibly detailed and informative FAQs section, where you can learn the answer to the question you may have on your own. But, in case you need to talk to a representative, you have the phone line 217 918 725. The agents are at your disposal during business days from 08:00 to 18:00.