Maestro was the debit card in millions of European wallets for three decades, and plenty of players still have one. But Mastercard stopped issuing new Maestro cards in Europe on 1 July 2023, and the cards that remain are being replaced by Debit Mastercard as they expire. That changes what the Maestro button in a casino cashier really means.
If your Maestro card is still valid and enabled for online payments, it can fund a casino account like any other debit card. The catch is that many Maestro cards were never built for online use, and a growing share of casinos quietly process them through the Mastercard network or no longer list them at all. Knowing which situation you are in saves a lot of declined payments.
Below are the casinos we rate for players paying by Maestro or its successor, followed by what changed, how the deposit works, how winnings come back and what to do when your card is replaced.
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Rated 93 of 100%
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350% up to €15,000 + 350 FS
Rated 93 of 100%
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350% up to €15,000 + 350 FS
Crypto Casino
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Best Casino 2025
Rated 80 of 100%
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Can you still use a Maestro card at online casinos?
Yes, if the card is still valid and your bank has enabled it for online payments. Mastercard stopped issuing new Maestro cards in Europe from 1 July 2023, and existing cards are replaced by Debit Mastercard when they expire, with the last ones due to run out around 2027. Many older Maestro cards were designed for shops and cash machines and are not enabled for online use, which is the most common reason a casino deposit fails. When your bank sends a Debit Mastercard, use it in the same way. Winnings usually come back by bank transfer or to the card where the casino supports card payouts.
Mastercard brought out Maestro in the early 1990s as its debit brand, and in Germany, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands and Italy it simply became the bank card. A whole generation paid for groceries and pulled cash from machines with it without giving the logo a second thought.
The trouble was that Maestro had been designed for physical terminals, and shopping moved online. Mastercard’s answer was Debit Mastercard, which works anywhere Mastercard is accepted, and since 1 July 2023 European banks have not been allowed to issue new Maestro cards.
Cards already in circulation stay valid until their printed expiry date. As they run out, banks replace them with Debit Mastercards, and around 2027 the brand should have all but vanished from European wallets. If you still carry one, the rest of this page is about getting the most out of it until then.
This is where most of the frustration comes from. Because the product was never meant for ecommerce, a large share of Maestro cards left the bank with online payments switched off. Some have no security code printed on the back, and some use a number format that online checkouts reject outright.
Turn it over and see whether there is a three digit code. Then open your bank’s app and look for a setting that allows internet payments. If the code is missing or online use is disabled, every casino will decline the deposit, so shopping around for one that accepts it is wasted effort.
Plenty of banks let you enable online payments with a single switch in the app. Others will send the replacement Debit Mastercard early if you ask. Either route is quicker than hunting for a cashier that still copes with the old card.
Once your card is enabled for online use, paying in works like any other debit card.
After approval the money sits in your casino balance straight away.
Whether winnings can land on the card depends on both the casino and your bank. Some operators send winnings to a debit card. Others refund by card only up to what you deposited that way and pay the remainder by bank transfer.
Maestro has always been the awkward one here. Payouts to it were less common than to Visa or Mastercard even in its prime, because the network was built for purchases rather than money coming in. The normal outcome is a bank transfer to the account the card is attached to, which usually takes one to three banking days after the casino signs it off.
Get your account verified early. A first withdrawal held back for documents is the one delay you can actually prevent.
The new card is tied to the same bank account, but it carries a different number. Casinos save cards by number, so the Maestro stored in your cashier will stop working once the bank cancels it.
Add the Debit Mastercard as a fresh payment method and delete the Maestro if the casino lets you. Some operators want to verify the new card first, usually with a picture of the front where the middle digits are hidden.
Talk to support. Money sent to a closed card normally either goes back to the casino or ends up in the same bank account, but untangling it can take several days.
Paying a casino with a debit card is normally free. Processing costs are carried by the casino, and banks seldom charge anything for a domestic card payment in euros.
Costs creep in when the casino processes in another currency or through an acquirer based abroad. Your bank may then add a conversion charge or a foreign transaction fee, and playing in the currency your account holds avoids most of that.
Some banks turn gambling payments down by default, and others offer a block you can activate yourself. If a deposit fails at the very last approval step, it was almost certainly your bank that stopped it rather than the casino.
On bonuses, debit cards beat e-wallets comfortably. Casinos very rarely exclude card deposits from a welcome package, so paying with Maestro or its successor normally unlocks the whole offer.
The deposit has to reach the bonus minimum, which is often EUR 20. And the offer has to be claimed exactly as the terms describe, whether that means ticking an opt in box or typing a code.
When your bank swaps the brand, deposits with the Debit Mastercard count as ordinary card payments. Your bonus eligibility stays exactly where it was.
Visa Debit and Debit Mastercard were designed with online payments in mind, so more casinos accept them and more of them can take a payout. That gap is precisely why Maestro is being phased out.
| Option | Paying in online | Withdrawals | Bonuses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maestro | Only if the card is enabled for online use | Rare, usually by bank transfer | Normally qualifies |
| Visa Debit or Debit Mastercard | Built for it, widely accepted | Possible more often | Normally qualifies |
| E-wallets such as Skrill or MiFinity | Where the casino lists them | Faster than cards | Weaker than cards |
A popular combination is to deposit by card and withdraw to a wallet where the casino permits it. Where I land: if your Maestro works online, keep using it until it expires. If it does not, take the Debit Mastercard your bank offers rather than wrestling with the old card.
Yes. Mastercard stopped issuing new Maestro cards in Europe from 1 July 2023. Existing cards work until they expire and are replaced by Debit Mastercard.
Most often the card is not enabled for online payments, lacks a security code, or your bank blocks gambling transactions. Check the settings in your banking app.
Rarely. Most casinos pay Maestro users back by bank transfer to the same account, usually within one to three banking days after approval.
Yes, and at many more places online. Add the new card to the casino cashier as a new payment method, since it has a different number.
Usually yes. Your bank may charge for currency conversion if the casino processes the payment in another currency.
Almost always, since card deposits are rarely excluded. Make sure you meet the minimum deposit and follow the claim instructions in the terms.
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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