Maestro cards used to show up pretty often at online casinos, so we wanted to see if that’s true for sweepstakes play. Our SweepCasinos team checked every platform that mentions Maestro and tested how deposits and redemptions work when it’s listed as an option.
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Maestro is available at sweepstakes casinos, but not as widely as Visa or Mastercard. Our team tested deposits on these sites and looked at how the payments behaved during the checkout process. All the deposits were instant, and the payment steps were identical across every sweeps site.
What differed was how casinos handled fees and limits at the cashier. Some of them showed charges and fees, but a lot of sites shared no information about any payment fees. The table below lists the sweepstakes casinos where Maestro deposits worked and how each site presents the payment before confirmation.
| Logos | Site | Welcome Offer |
Min/Max Deposit |
Processing Time |
Fees |
| FreeSpin Casino | 200,000 GC + 20 Spins | $1.00 – $500.00 | Instant | Card issuer fees may apply | |
| Gold Treasure Casino | 100,000 GC + 3 SC | $2.99 – $99.99 | Instant | Fee not listed | |
| Mega Frenzy Casino | GC 20,000 + SC 20 | $0.99 – $999.99 | Instant | ❌ | |
| RealPrize Casino | 100,000 GC + 2 SC | $3.00 – $100.00 | Instant | ❌ | |
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Sportzino Originals | Up to 170,000 GC + 7 SC | $0.99 – $49.99 | Instant | ❌ |
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Stake.us Casino | 550,000 GC + 55 SC | $20 – $9,000 | Instant | 1–2% |
| The Money Factory Casino | 15,000 GC + 3 SC | $9.99 to $199.99 | Instant | ❌ | |
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WOW Vegas Casino | 150,000 WC + 2 SC | $4.99 – $99.99+ | Instant | ❌ |
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Zula Casino | 120,000 GC + 10 SC | $0.99 – $250,000 | Instant | ❌ |
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Casino.Click | 550K GC + 55 SC | $2.00 – $500.00 | Instant | ❌ |
Maestro is used only as a deposit method on sweepstakes casinos. That’s why our team focused on the transaction speed and what happens once you make a deposit with Maestro. On each sweepstakes site we tried, the money transfer was instant, as soon as the payment method was confirmed.
We also noticed that Maestro is not used as a redemption method at all. Refunds and chargebacks are handled, but they are subject to specific bank rules that are not directly related to the casino. This makes the process slower, and we encountered situations where a chargeback would result in an account review. They can even lock your balance because sweepstakes sites react to chargebacks differently than standard refunds.
| Action | Typical Processing Time |
Typical Limits |
Fees | What to Expect |
| Deposit | Instant | $10 – $300 | 1–2% | Your purchased coins will appear immediately upon purchase. |
| Redemption (Sweeps Coins) | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | This method can only be used for deposits. |
| Refunds or Chargebacks | 3–10 business days (varies by bank) | Varies by issuer | Possible bank fee; | Refunds aren’t typically offered; chargebacks may lead to account review, frozen balances, or bans on sweepstakes sites. |
| Verification (KYC) | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | Maestro doesn’t require you to verify yourself to be able to use it on sweepstakes sites. |
Using Maestro at sweepstakes casinos isn’t always straightforward. Before, we mentioned that in most cases deposits via Maestro are handled without any problems. However, a lot of sweepstakes sites just reject a Maestro card without giving a clear reason.
Our team listed the practical advantages and limitations below so you know what to expect before trying to use Maestro for sweeps play.
Deposits post instantly once a Maestro (or “Mastercard/Maestro”) card purchase is approved in the cashier.
Online purchases use Mastercard’s EMV 3-D Secure (Identity Check/SecureCode) for step-up authentication.
Low cashier minimums where cards are supported
Some international operators still show Maestro as a deposit option by region
If your bank has already replaced your Maestro with Debit Mastercard, you’ll gain broader online acceptance on the same account.
Acceptance at U.S. sweepstakes casinos is very limited; Maestro has been retired for new issuance since July 1, 2023 and is being replaced by Debit Mastercard.
Many sweeps cashiers list “Mastercard (credit/debit)” but not Maestro specifically (e.g., Pulsz/Chumba), so cards may be declined even if Mastercard is shown.
Typically deposit-only; redemptions paid via bank transfer/eCheck/Skrill or similar, not back to Maestro.
Maestro’s historical e-commerce limitations and cross-border quirks are a key reason for the phase-out, reducing online acceptance further over time.
3-D Secure challenges can fail (bank/issuer declines), which blocks the purchase until identity checks pass.
Maestro is more of a standard debit card than a credit-based payment method, so we compared it directly with the options most players already use. As mentioned earlier, Maestro works only for deposits, which puts it in the same category as Visa Debit and Mastercard Debit when it comes to sweeps play.
Maestro is being replaced by Debit Mastercard, but some sweepstakes and social casinos still treat it differently at checkout. That’s why we compared it to Visa and Mastercard, since those are the cards most sites offer.
| Method | Deposit Time |
Redemption Time |
Typical Limits |
Fees | Verification (KYC) |
| Mastercard Debit | Instant | 1–3 days | $1–$5 (Min) $500–$1,000 (Max) |
0–2% | ❌ |
| Visa Debit | Instant | 1–3 days (via linked PayPal or ACH) | $1–$5 (Min) $500–$1,000 (Max) |
0–2% | ❌ |
Maestro does not depend on device type, so usage comes down to whether a sweepstakes casino accepts the card at checkout. Our team focused on where Maestro is used, bank requirements, and what happens once players want to use it for something other than Coin purchases.
Following standard sweepstakes rules, there has to be an identity check when using Maestro. This is simple enough because Maestro never changes their verification steps, and withdrawals trigger account checks. That’s probably why you can’t use it to make withdrawals at sweepstakes sites.
| Field | Information |
| Platforms | Maestro is not device-dependent. If a sweepstakes site accepts Maestro, players can use it on iOS, Android, and Desktop Web because it’s processed like a normal online card payment. |
| Card/Bank Requirements | • Debit card only (no credit version).
• Must support online transactions. • Name must match the player’s verified account for withdrawals. • KYC is required for redemptions regardless of payment card. |
| Geo/Identity Checks | • KYC before first withdrawal (ID, address, sometimes SSN).
• Maestro itself does not change geo or identity requirements. |
| Known Restrictions | • Maestro is being discontinued → many sites block or don’t list it.
• Some banks decline Maestro for online or gambling-coded purchases. • Withdrawals can’t go back to Maestro → players must use ACH/bank transfer or another payout method. |
Problems with Maestro are usually problems that occur from the bank side instead of the sweepstakes casino. Our team checked Maestro payments and noticed that most failed attempts were because of bank restrictions and gambling-coded transactions. In most cases, the card was accepted at the sweepstake site, but the bank blocked the transaction before it was completed.
As mentioned several times so far, Maestro never appears as a withdrawal option, which can confuse users who expect card refunds. The table below lists the most common Maestro problems we ran into and the quickest ways to deal with them.
| Problem | Likely Cause | Quick Fix |
| Deposit declined | International/cross-border restrictions | Try a bank/card that supports gambling MCCs |
| Verification failed | Maestro restricted for gambling verification | Ask bank if Maestro is eligible for online gaming |
| Withdrawal not available | Maestro not enabled for inbound payouts in your region | Complete KYC + wagering requirements |
| Refund/chargeback route | Some operators cannot refund to Maestro and require bank transfer | Monitor bank for return credit |
Our team listed the basic details surrounding Maestro and its role on sweepstakes platforms.
| Field | Information |
| Founded | 1991 (launched by Mastercard as a global online POS debit brand). |
| Headquarters | Brand owned/operated by Mastercard Incorporated (global HQ: 2000 Purchase St, Purchase, New York, USA). |
| Regulated By | Card-network scheme rules (Mastercard); issuing/acquiring banks subject to local laws (e.g., EU PSD2 Strong Customer Authentication for e-commerce). |
| Service Type | Debit card brand for card-present (EMV/contactless) and some card-not-present use; widely co-badged with domestic debit schemes in Europe. Being phased out across Europe in favor of Debit Mastercard. |
| Common Use in Sweepstakes Casinos | Historically accepted for card deposits where supported. In practice today, operators list “Mastercard/Debit Mastercard”; Maestro is increasingly unavailable as issuers replace it, so players typically use Debit Mastercard instead. Withdrawals are not to Maestro; redemptions usually go to bank transfer/ACH. |
| Key Security / Compliance Standards | EMV chip & contactless security (dynamic data, CVC/CVC3), Mastercard network rules, PCI DSS for merchants, and PSD2 SCA (EEA) for online transactions. |
Since card options don’t always work for everyone, we added a few different sweepstakes banking options that cover other use cases. Each method below comes from a different banking type and is commonly used with sweepstakes sites when cards are limited or unavailable.
These sweepstakes banking methods handle deposits and redemptions differently, depending on how the site routes payments.
A Maestro casino with sweepstakes play would be a platform where you could use your Maestro debit card to buy Gold Coins and receive bonus Sweeps Coins for prize play. Maestro runs on the same network as Mastercard, so in theory, it would work the same way. At this time, we have not found any verified sweepstakes casinos that accept it.
No, you cannot currently use Maestro for sweepstakes play. None of the verified casinos on our list accept Maestro transactions. Some websites claim to accept Maestro, but they are not connected to the official sweepstakes network and should be avoided.
Maestro is not commonly used for online gaming in the United States, where most sweepstakes casinos operate. Because of that, payment processors that handle sweepstakes transactions have not added support for it.
If you were planning to use Maestro, your best options are Mastercard, Visa, or ACH. These options are all verified, safe, and accepted by nearly every sweepstakes casino. They also provide direct control over payments and redemptions.