MasterCard
Mastercard is one of the most well-known credit cards, just like VISA and American Express.
With a Mastercard you can:
- just like with a debit card
- withdraw money from an account
- an electronic payment is made
- both online and in a physical store, and also via the internet can be paid
The big difference with a debit card is that the amount paid is only collected afterwards. You can repay the amount paid in installments, but this will cost you a few euros in debit interest.
No Mastercard in Belgian casinos
However, the Belgian law on games of chance stipulates that it is prohibited for all casinos, bookmakers and arcades to accept a payment via Mastercard.
The legislative authorities want to prevent players from gambling with money that they do not actually have. The danger of paying via Mastercard or VISA, for example, is that players will spend more money than they actually have.
It is perfectly possible to make a payment with a Mastercard without actually having money in the account.
Banning payments at a casino with a credit card is one of the measures the government has put in place to protect people with gambling problems. It is prohibited for any casino, arcade or bookmaker to grant credit to a player.
Legislation recently amended
Until recently, savvy players used e-wallets such as Neteller, HiPay and Skrill as a sort of detour to pay with a credit card.
By creating an e-wallet account, depositing money into it via a credit card and eventually using the money on this e-wallet to top up the player’s balance, they managed to circumvent the regulations.
However, the legislature soon realized this trick. The legislation was amended and since June 2019 it is also prohibited for online casinos, arcades and bookmakers, i.e. holders of an A+, B+ or F1+ license, to accept payment via an e-wallet.
