Sofort was for years the way German speaking players paid a casino straight from their bank: pick your bank, log in, confirm with a TAN, done. Then Klarna, which had owned Sofort since 2014, folded it into its own Pay now service and switched off Sofort as a standalone method in autumn 2024. Many casinos still show the Sofort name, but what runs behind it has changed.
For players the idea lives on. Paying directly from a bank account, with no card and no wallet in between, is still one of the most popular ways to deposit in Germany, Austria and neighbouring countries. What matters now is knowing what a Sofort button in a cashier actually does today, and which bank payment methods have taken its place.
Below are the casinos we rate for players who used to pay with Sofort, followed by what changed, how Klarna Pay now works at the cashier, how payouts are handled and which alternatives give you the same instant bank deposit.
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Can you still pay with Sofort at online casinos?
Not as a separate service. Klarna, which owns Sofort, stopped offering Sofort as a standalone payment method on 1 October 2024 and moved it into Klarna Pay now. Some casinos still label the option Sofort, and it may route through Klarna, while others have replaced it with Trustly, Rapid Transfer or another open banking method. All of these work the same way: you log in to your own bank and confirm the payment, and the deposit arrives instantly. Withdrawals go by bank transfer, so check the payout options and verify your account before your first deposit.
Sofort was founded in Germany in 2005 and became the default online bank payment across the DACH region. Klarna bought the company in 2014 and ran it alongside its own products for a decade.
From late 2023 Klarna stopped signing new merchants to Sofort, and on 1 October 2024 it ended Sofort as a standalone method everywhere. Its bank payment function continues inside Klarna Pay now, under the Klarna name.
Players recognise Sofort, and some cashiers never updated their labels. That is why you still find it listed, and why the tag appears on so many casino profiles, including ours.
If you click a Sofort option in a cashier today, one of three things usually happens. You are passed to Klarna, you are passed to another open banking provider that the casino has quietly swapped in, or the payment simply fails because the option is outdated.
Look at the window that opens. If it carries the Klarna name, you are paying with Klarna Pay now. If it shows Trustly, Rapid Transfer or a generic bank selection page, the casino has moved to a different provider. Both routes end at your own bank’s login.
Choose the bank payment option that is listed by its current name instead. The deposit works the same way.
Klarna Pay now is the closest thing to the old Sofort. You select it in the cashier, choose your bank, and log in with your usual online banking details inside the Klarna window.
You approve with whatever your bank uses, a TAN, a push notification in your banking app or a card reader. The casino receives confirmation straight away and credits your balance.
Klarna also offers pay later and instalment products. Licensed casinos do not accept those for gambling, and you should not want them to. At a casino, Klarna means paying now from money already in your account.
Sofort was always a deposit method, and Klarna Pay now is the same. Winnings come back by bank transfer, usually to the same account you paid from, which the casino already knows is yours.
After approval, a SEPA transfer normally takes one to two banking days, sometimes faster if both banks support instant payments. The casino’s own pending period and verification come first.
Verify your account before you request the first payout, and make sure the name on the casino account matches your bank account exactly. Mismatched names are the most common reason a bank payout is held.
The appeal of Sofort style payments has always been that no card number changes hands. You authenticate with your own bank, and the casino only receives confirmation that the payment has been made.
European rules require two factor approval for online bank payments, so every deposit needs your login and a second step such as an app confirmation. That makes a misused payment very hard without your phone.
Start payments only from inside the casino cashier. A real bank payment window always leads to your bank’s official login, never to a page asking for your details in a chat or email.
Bank payment deposits are almost always free for the player. The casino pays the processing cost, and your bank normally charges nothing for a domestic or SEPA payment.
Casino minimums usually start at EUR 10 or EUR 20. The maximum comes from the casino and from your online banking transfer limit, which you can often raise in your banking app.
In Germany, licensed operators must apply a monthly deposit limit across providers, and some banks block payments to unlicensed gambling sites. These rules apply whichever bank payment method you use.
Direct bank payments are rarely excluded from welcome offers. Casinos save their exclusions mostly for e-wallets, so a Klarna or other open banking deposit usually qualifies without trouble.
Bonus terms sometimes name methods that no longer exist, Sofort included. If the terms mention Sofort but the cashier now shows Klarna, ask support which one the rule refers to before you deposit.
Complete wagering and verification before withdrawing. Since the payout goes to your bank account, a verified account moves through the approval queue faster.
If you liked Sofort, you want the same thing: an instant deposit from your own bank with no card and no wallet. Several methods now do that job, and which one you see depends on the casino.
Klarna Pay now is the direct successor. Trustly covers much of Europe and often handles payouts too. Rapid Transfer from Skrill appears wherever the casino works with Skrill. In the Netherlands, iDEAL does the same job.
Pick the one listed by the casino you want to play at, preferably one that also supports withdrawals to your bank. That gives you a single route in and out.
Not as a standalone method. Klarna ended Sofort on 1 October 2024 and moved its bank payment function into Klarna Pay now.
Some cashiers never updated the label. The option may now route through Klarna or another bank payment provider, or it may no longer work.
No. Both are deposit methods. Casinos pay winnings back by bank transfer, usually to the account you deposited from.
Usually yes. The casino pays the processing cost, and banks normally charge nothing for the payment itself.
No. Licensed casinos only accept Klarna’s pay now option, which takes money directly from your bank account.
Klarna Pay now is the direct successor. Trustly and Rapid Transfer offer the same instant bank deposit, and Trustly often handles payouts as well.
Every method we have tested at a licensed casino, with the deposit floor, the payout route and the cost written out for each one.
81 methods
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