Best MasterCard Betting Sites UK

Top 5 MasterCard Debit Betting Sites

Bet365 

When looking at bookmakers that accept Mastercard, this one needs no introduction. 

Bet365 is widely known, not just in the UK but also on a global level, as one of the best, most comprehensive, feature-filled bookmakers in the online sports betting market. Though there’s little they do wrong or don’t offer, the areas where they particularly shine are: the sheer number of sports they offer betting on, their livestreaming product, including live streaming of horse racing from all over the world, a good supply of ongoing bonuses, and an excellent Cash Out product.

At Bet365, you can deposit a minimum of £5 and a maximum of £20,000 on any given transaction, with the deposits being free of charge and instantly processed. 

When it comes to withdrawing your money using Mastercard, you can withdraw the same minimum and maximum amounts as those mentioned above for deposits, and they’re also free of charge.   

Whereas Bet365 does the best they can at their end to ensure they process your withdrawals as quickly as possible - within 1-4 hours - that’s not necessarily the time it will take for the money to be with you. It’s likely to be closer to 2-3 working days, due to delays at the bank’s end. 

Alternatively, you can apply for and use their exclusive Bet365 Mastercard. Once you’ve requested the physical card, it could take up to 28 days for it to arrive. But once you’ve got it, you can then use it to withdraw winnings from your account to it. You can then either withdraw them from an ATM or just use the funds on the card for regular in-store or online purchases. 

Betway 

Betway join Bet365 as one of the most famous and visible Sportsbooks both in the UK and in the world as a whole, with the additional good news being that they’re also one of the betting sites that take Mastercard.  

One of the strings to their bow is that they offer a few sports that other bookmakers don’t, such as handball, volleyball and table tennis, while horse racing fans can watch races streamed live from the likes of the UK, Ireland, Hong Kong, Argentina and Japan. They’re also particularly strong when it comes to Responsible Gambling. 

Betway doesn't advertise on their site that there are maximum amounts when it comes to either deposits or withdrawals, so we have to assume there aren’t any. But for your information, the minimum amount in both cases is £5.

Withdrawing your money to a Mastercard is probably going to take around 1-3 business days, so the advice is: if you need your funds quickly, request them at the start of the week rather than at the end of it, when weekends will cause delays. 

Betfred 

Betfred has made a name for itself over the decades as both an extremely reliable and competent land-based bookmaker, as well as an online one, when it joined the sports betting internet revolution in the late 1990s. 

They may lack some of the frills of their competitors, but they’re an honest and safe bookmaker, famed for their never-ending promos and one that also boasts one of the best, most informative and insightful blogs that goes a long way to assisting you with your betting. 

In addition to being able to use a Mastercard for deposits, where there’s a minimum deposit of £5 per transaction, you can also use it for withdrawals. 

That said, Betfred normally insists that you withdraw using the same payment method as you used to deposit, so if you deposited using Mastercard, you’ll need to withdraw with Mastercard. Following on from that, if you want to withdraw with Mastercard, you will need to deposit with Mastercard. Remember to always verify your account before requesting a withdrawal. 

As for Mastercard withdrawal times, Betfred do warn you on their site that Mastercard is one of the slower methods, taking up to five business days to process, with e-wallets considerably faster. Whereas the minimum amount for a withdrawal with Mastercard is £5, which is pretty standard, the max amount is bigger than at many other betting sites that take Mastercard: £20,000.

Unibet 

Unibet are one of the best Mastercard betting sites on the market and have been around for a long time, being one of the first online bookies to cover over 25 sports, as far back as the early 2000s. 

Racing punters looking for that little bit of extra value have come to the right place because, in addition to fair odds across the board and boosted odds on selected races, there’s also Best Odds Guaranteed, extra places and money back specials. Livestreaming is available for all UK and Ireland racing and there’s a minimum of four different markets per race. 

You can instantly deposit with Mastercard - minimum £5 and maximum £10,000 - and withdraw to it as well. But like with many other sports betting sites that accept Mastercard, you can only do so if you deposited with Mastercard originally. 

The minimum amount you can withdraw is £5, with no maximum amount advertised. When they say it takes ‘a few minutes to one banking day’ it’s more likely to be one banking day, at least.

BetMGM 

Of all the newer Mastercard bookmakers online, this is one of the ones that has made the greatest splash in the UK over the last few years, with a well-designed site and app, a big emphasis on US Sports (they are, after all originally an American bookie) to go with cutting-edge features and a good supply of bonuses. 

It’s a minimum of £10 for both deposits and withdrawals and they’re yet another to operate the closed-loop policy of only allowing you to withdraw to the payment option you deposited from. 

There are no fees when using Mastercard but you should expect at least 2-3 business days before your money arrives.

The Big Question: Why Can't I Withdraw from My MasterCard?

First things first, this isn’t true of all Mastercard betting sites, as we know from just talking you through five of the ones that process Mastercard withdrawals, as well as deposits. 

But it is true that whereas the vast majority of bookmakers accept Mastercard for deposits, many don’t allow it for withdrawals.  

The reason is a historical one. When Mastercard was first set up, it was designed purely for payments to only go one way: from cardholder to merchant, and not vice versa. So outgoing payments were fine but there wasn’t a payment system in process for incoming ones, such as a refund on a purchase, or a withdrawal from a gambling site. 

This was in stark contrast to their big rivals, Visa. Thanks to their Visa Direct system, they were quick to support both money coming in, and out. That same Visa Direct system allowed near-instant push payments, making it perfect for its cardholders to get money back to them, of which a good example is of course, withdrawing winnings from gambling sites. Their Visa Fast Funds product does it even quicker than usual.  

But Mastercard hit back with their Mastercard Send product, which did allow for bidirectional transfers. In a gambling context, it’s known as Payment Transfer Initiative (PTI) and is precisely what allows gambling customers to receive funds going the other way: to their own card. And in quick time: just a few hours. 

The problem is that not all gambling sites have adopted PTI, explaining why the withdrawal process can sometimes be slower than for other methods, or not available at all, meaning you may have to use an alternative method.  

It also explains why Visa withdrawals at betting sites are far more common than Mastercard ones.      

Using MasterCard for Betting: Is it Credit or Debit?

April 2020 marked an important date in the history of all betting in the UK, both online and in person: it brought about the end of the use of credit cards to fund gambling. 

So no more Mastercard credit card betting UK, Visa credit cards, or any other credit cards. 

It’s one of the conditions of having a UKGC license these days that betting sites are no longer allowed to accept deposits made with any credit card and have an ongoing responsibility to monitor any possible workarounds revolving around them. The most common of those is for customers  to fund an e-wallet such as PayPal or Neteller with a credit card, and then try to deposit funds into a betting account with the e-wallet: that’s not allowed, either.     

Conclusion: if you’re using Mastercard, you’ll have to use a MasterCard Debit card rather than a Mastercard credit card, and additionally, it needs to be issued by a UK bank.

How to Deposit with MasterCard Debit

Once you’ve chosen one or more betting sites that accept Mastercard debit and opened an account there, it’s time to make a deposit. Here’s how to do it: 

• You might as well pass your Know Your Customer (KYC) verification process as soon as possible because you’ll need to before making your first-ever withdrawal. 
• Different sports betting sites that accept Mastercard will call the Banking section different things, including just that, while others will have sections called Wallet, or equivalent. Once you’ve found the section, go to the Deposit part of it. 
• Choose Mastercard. As we know, credit cards are no longer accepted so you’ll be selecting MasterCard Debit. 
• Input the necessary details, such as your card number, expiry date, CVV, and the amount you wish to deposit, plus the currency, if applicable. Some sites allow you to save your card securely for future transactions, so you don’t have to go through the same process each time. 
• You’ll then be redirected to your bank’s 3-D Secure page, for example, a Mastercard Identity Check. You confirm the transaction via use of your password, SMS, or your mobile banking app for added protection. There may be one last security check but once that’s done, the funds should be in your account almost instantly. 

MasterCard vs. Visa for Betting: What's the Real Difference?

Next up on the Mastercard vs Visa betting analysis is a look at how the two compare to each other for some key metrics. 

So Visa just about edges this contest as a result of its superior withdrawal qualities but Mastercard matches it in the other areas. And with further improvement, Mastercard may not be behind Visa at all in the next couple of years.  

Is MasterCard Secure for Online Betting?

It certainly is, and that’s one area you don’t need to worry about at all. 

Here’s a summary of the security features you can expect to find at any Mastercard betting sites. 

• MasterCard SecureCode: Known as Identity Check, this is a 2-factor authentication system that adds extra protection to the payment process. During the transaction, you’ll be asked to confirm your identity through a one-time password, SMS verification, or your banking app. 
• CVC2 Code: The 3-digit code on the back of your card will be requested at some stage. Though fraudsters may be able to steal your card’s details, they won’t be able to take advantage unless they have those three numbers, which can only be seen if you’re actually in possession of the card.  
• Zero Liability Protection: If someone has used your card other than you, report it to your bank straight away. Mastercard’s Zero Liability policy means that if your card is fraudulently and you tell them as soon as possible, they’re liable to return your stolen funds after an investigation.  
• PCI DSS Compliance: PCI DSS, or Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard to use its full name, are the regulation that bookies need to comply with when processing Mastercard payments, making sure financial information is handled safely and without any breaches. 

Frequently Asked Questions about MasterCard Betting

The Final Verdict: Is MasterCard a Good Choice for Betting?

Yes, it is. But that comes with a caveat: it’s excellent for depositing funds into your account, but not the best for withdrawing winnings. 

When depositing, it’s a secure, reliable, quick and easy-to-use method, so it ticks all the boxes. 

However, withdrawing with Mastercard can create some challenges. 

For starters, you may not be able to withdraw to Mastercard at all because some betting sites are yet to adopt the technology needed for payments to go to the customer from the betting site, rather than just always from the customer to the betting site. In cases where you can’t withdraw to Mastercard, you’ll have to choose an alternative method, which would normally be a bank transfer, so you’ll need to have an active bank account with which to withdraw. 

And even in cases where you can withdraw to Mastercard, the process will be longer than it would be if you were using Visa Debit, So though both are similar in terms of how you use them, the fact that VIsa is always available as a withdrawal method and withdrawals go through quicker with it, you can see why it has the edge for gambling. 

For a reminder of all of the withdrawal policies of our recommended sites, visit this section.