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TrustPay in Slovakian Casinos
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Knowing that online gambling is perfectly legal in Slovakia, players from the country can engage in the activity whenever they want, and whenever they want to, they can use the local payment gateway TrustPay for their deposits. This is a payment gateway designed by a Slovakian financial company, focused on providing Slovakian users with the ultimate online banking. Allowing you to use all the payment methods you’re normally using across a wide range of eCommerce sites, in your local currency, the euro, the solution is perfect for online casino deposits. Therefore, stay with us to learn more about it and see how to use it across the legit Slovakian online casinos at your disposal. What is TrustPay and why choose it as your deposit method at a Slovakian online casino?
Online Gambling Regulation in Slovakia
When Slovakia was part of the Czechoslovakia, gambling of any form was illegal. It was only when the country became the independent Slovak Republic that it legalized land-based gambling. This happened in 1993, and the industry picked up pretty quickly after the proper regulations were introduced. Many brick-and-mortar casino establishments opened their doors to locals and tourists, giving the newly independent country a much-needed economic boost.
When gambling went online, however, the road to legalization was not as smooth. The country had to decide whether it wanted it or not, considering how successful the land-based industry was. That’s when Slovakia decided to legalize it, but under one condition: it must be fully monopoly-based. The country gave all the power to the already licensed land-based lottery operator TIPOS, leaving online sports betting out and allowing it to be offered by other operators. Therefore, while online gambling was legalized, online casino gambling included, it was offered exclusively by TIPOS.
Given the fact that TIPOS was not going above and beyond to provide Slovakian online casino players with world-class gaming content, they sought a different way to get access to better and more exciting games: they started frequenting international online casino sites. This was a wake-up call for the authorities, and seeing how Slovakian citizens were playing across unlicensed sites, they took a step back and decided to reframe the regulations. The first attempt to regulate online casino gambling better was in 2011, but it was unsuccessful. The actual liberalization of the online casino gambling market happened in 2019 when the country opened its doors to all interested operators to apply for a license.
Slovakia made changes to its Gambling Games Act No 171/2005, and with that, a new era began. TIPOS stayed responsible for the online lottery and online bingo offering, but other operators were now allowed to apply for a license and get one, to legally offer online casino gambling to Slovakian players. Many operators and developers made their debut in Slovakia, so Slovakian players finally got what they wanted in terms of game choices. Meanwhile, illegal unlicensed sites were blocked, and the authorities published a blacklist of sites that were targeting the market illegally.
But then, in 2020, something unexpected happened. Local municipalities started protesting about the negative effects of online gambling on the citizens. They wanted to get the right to ban online gambling on a municipal level, and the government granted that right to them. With the Gambling Act Amendment 2020, municipalities were officially given the right to choose whether they want online gambling within their territories or not. Many municipalities banded it, actually, among which Bratislava, and operators in such municipalities were allowed to continue operating on the market until their licenses expired. Their licenses were due in 2023, and as soon as they expired, operators left the market.
Still, as a Slovakian online casino player, you should not lose hope. Many municipalities continued offering legal online gambling, with the Slovakian Office for the Regulation of Gambling still granting licenses to all operators and software developers interested in getting one. Thanks to successfully established deals, so many new operators and developers have entered the market and continue catering to Slovakian players in the best way possible. You still have the option to join perfectly licensed online casinos and play worldwide-known slot games, award-winning Live Dealers titles, online poker, table games, and video poker, among other types of games.
Therefore, the only thing you should focus on is the payment method you will use to make your transactions across the sites at your disposal. You would want to use a solution that allows you to transact in your local currency, the euro, preferably one that is locally based. And there’s no better option for you than the payment gateway TrustPay, honestly. This is a local payment solution, launched by a private Slovakian financial firm, therefore, you can rest assured that it will provide you with anything you need, for both local and cross-border transfers of money. If it sounds like a solution you’d like to try, continue reading to figure out how to get started with it.
Using TrustPay Across Slovakian Online Casinos
TrustPay appeared when online gambling in Slovakia was offered by TIPOS alone, so by the time the market was fully liberalized, it was a solution Slovakian residents knew very well and used on a regular basis. It debuted in 2009 after the Slovakian company behind it made sure to obtain the Payment Institution license needed for it to legally process transactions for eCommerce platforms in the EEA and EU. The National Bank of Slovakia regulates it and monitors its activities; therefore, you can rest assured that it is completely safe to use.
Now that we have that out of the way, it is time to learn more about the things the company went through in order for the solution to provide you with the services it does. Between 2012 and 2020, the company made sure to become a VISA and MasterCard member, get its PCI DSS certificate, and its Payment Initiation Service Provider license. Then, it introduced its own Virtual IBAN and MPI solutions, SEPA Direct Credit and SEPA Instant Credit products, a corporate bank account product, and a line of prepaid cards. In short, it made it possible for Slovakian users to be able to effortlessly make payments and purchases using a wide variety of payment methods, across a great number of eCommerce sites.
On that note, you have both local, standard, and many other methods to use via its platform. No matter if you prefer using MasterCard or VISA cards for your deposits, or if you are an old-school online bank transfer user, you can, of course, use any of these options. But, popular global alternative solutions like PayPal, Trustly, Boleto Bancario, Paytrail, MobilePay, Google Pay, and Apple Pay are also your options. Local solutions and other alternative options include Tatra Banka Na Splatky, SkipPay, SEPA, BLIK, MyBank, Faster Payments, MBWAY, Bancontact, iDEAL, and Giropay, among others.
As long as you’re already a user of any of these methods, you can instantly give the solution a try at an online casino that accepts it. Seriously, you can do it right away, since you don’t need to register an account with TrustPay to be eligible to use it. You only need to find a proper online casino to join, one that accepts the solution, and register an account with that casino. After you choose the solution from the list of accepted methods, you just have to decide on the method you'll use through the platform. To complete your transfer, you have to enter the required details/credentials as you normally do when paying with that method.
Basically, you just have to follow the steps described in the following section and in no time, your deposit will arrive on your casino balance. Follow our lead.
TrustPay is popular in these countries
Deposits and Withdrawals with TrustPay
As a citizen of a municipality with legal online gambling, you can join any licensed online casino that you want. The good news is, that many licensed Slovakian online casinos accept TrustPay, so you will have plenty of options to consider before you decide on the site to join.
As soon as you do, though, proceed by registering an account with the casino. Disclose any personal info as needed, and to fund your registered player account with TrustPay, do the following:
- Enter the Cashier page the minute you access your registered player account.
- Head over to the Deposits section and press TrustPay’s logo.
- From the methods listed, choose the one you’d like to use.
- Enter the Bank Account/Card/Other Method’s number/credentials.
- Set the amount you wish to deposit and confirm the transaction.
- The amount you requested will be transferred instantly to your casino balance.
TrustPay is, unfortunately, not an option for withdrawals. It was created to help merchants receive payments; they cannot send users money as well. You cannot, hence, request a withdrawal with it.
The good news is that legit Slovakian online casinos offer plenty of convenient payment methods you could use for your cashouts. You can use global alternative options, like eWallets, or even cash out winnings in crypto, so just go over the list and you’ll quickly find a method that will work for you.
Conclusion
As a Slovakian online casino player, you won’t make a mistake by choosing TrustPay as your payment method. This solution gives you the option to make the smoothest transfers of money, using all of the payment methods you’re normally using, in your local currency. Try it, as it is an option across many licensed Slovakian online casino sites.
FAQs
Is online gambling legal in Slovakia?
The short answer is yes. The long answer is, that the industry was legalized a long time ago but was initially monopoly-based. As of 2019, the country offers a more liberalized market. Even though in 2020 many municipalities banned online gambling, plenty of municipalities are offering a world-class online gambling market.
Can Slovakian online casino players frequent international online casino sites?
Actually, offshore unlicensed online casino sites are banned and put on a blacklist. Licensed operators, no matter where they are based, locally or internationally, are at Slovakian players’ disposal.
Do many licensed Slovakian online casino sites offer the local payment gateway TrustPay?
Yes, actually, the solution was already a popular choice among Slovakian users, so when the industry was liberalized, plenty of licensed operators started offering it. You will certainly have a wide choice of sites to explore before you decide on the one to join where you can use TrustPay for your deposits.
Can I contact TrustPay’s Customer Support via phone?
No, unfortunately, you can only contact its Support agents via the email address info@trustpay.eu. If you wish to talk to someone over the phone, you can try the Support service provided by the payment method you're using through the gateway.
Do deposit fees apply when using TrustPay across Slovakian online casinos?
TrustPay does not charge extra for its intermediary service to users, but operators do need to pay some fees. That’s why some operators may charge extra for deposits with it, but most don’t. Bear in mind the fees charged by the payment method you choose to use through the gateway, as those fees are mandatory to pay.