How We Test Bank Acceptance
Every month, our payments specialist Raj Thakur conducts real deposit tests from actual Canadian bank accounts at the casinos we track. We hold active accounts at all 9 banks listed below, and we test both Visa and Mastercard where available. This isn’t survey data or user reports — it’s first-party testing with real money.
Our February 2025 testing covered 34 casinos across 9 Canadian banks, with $2,400 in real test deposits. We record success/failure, processing time, cash advance coding behaviour, and any fees charged. This page presents the full bank-by-bank results.
Bank-by-Bank Breakdown
Credit Unions — High Acceptance
Visa acceptance: ✓ High | Mastercard acceptance: ✓ High
Canadian credit unions consistently deliver the highest casino deposit acceptance rates of any banking category. This is because most credit unions do not implement system-wide gambling MCC blocks at the network level. Individual credit unions may have their own policies, but in our testing, deposits from credit union Visa and Mastercard cards succeed at rates above 95% across the board.
Policy source: No system-wide gambling MCC block. Individual credit union policies vary but are generally permissive.
Cash advance coding: Varies by credit union. Most code MCC 7995 transactions as cash advances, but some smaller credit unions process them as regular purchases. Check your specific credit union’s cardholder agreement or call them directly.
Our test results (Feb 2025): Tested at 2 credit unions across 34 casino sites. Success rate exceeded 95% at both. No systematic blocks observed.
Tip: If you bank primarily with a Big 5 bank that blocks gambling transactions, opening a secondary credit union account specifically for casino deposits is a strategy some players use. Credit unions typically have lower fees and easier approval processes than the Big 5.
BMO (Bank of Montreal) — High Acceptance
Visa acceptance: ✓ High | Mastercard acceptance: ✓ High
BMO is one of the most permissive Big 5 banks for online casino deposits. Their cardholder agreement classifies gambling transactions as “cash-like transactions” rather than blocking them outright. This means your deposit will go through, but it will be coded as a cash advance with the corresponding higher interest rate and immediate fees.
Policy source: BMO Mastercard Cardholder Agreement (2024), Section 8 — Cash-like Transactions. [Source 1]
Cash advance coding: Yes — BMO consistently codes MCC 7995 as a cash advance. Expect their standard cash advance APR (currently 22.99% on most products) and a flat fee of 3-4% of the transaction.
Our test results (Feb 2025): Spin Casino deposit confirmed via Mastercard from BMO account on February 11, 2025. Withdrawal received February 15 (4 days). High success rate across all tested casinos.
Tip: BMO’s cash advance fee is on the higher end among the Big 5. If you’re depositing regularly, compare the fee structure with CIBC, which has similar acceptance rates but slightly different fee tiers depending on the card product.
CIBC — High Acceptance
Visa acceptance: ✓ High | Mastercard acceptance: ✓ High
CIBC recently became more permissive for casino transactions. Their current cardholder agreement (January 2025 revision) no longer contains gambling-related restrictions that were present in earlier versions. This makes CIBC one of the best Big 5 options for credit card casino deposits.
Policy source: CIBC Visa Cardholder Agreement (January 2025 revision). Gambling-related restrictions removed from current version. [Source 2]
Cash advance coding: Yes — despite the permissive acceptance, CIBC still codes MCC 7995 as a cash advance. Standard cash advance rates and fees apply.
Our test results (Feb 2025): Royal Vegas Casino deposit confirmed via Visa from CIBC account on February 9, 2025. Withdrawal received February 14 (5 days). High success rate across tested casinos.
Tip: CIBC’s policy change in January 2025 is recent. If you tried depositing with a CIBC card previously and were declined, it’s worth trying again — the restrictions have been removed from the current terms.
National Bank — Medium Acceptance
Visa acceptance: ~ Medium | Mastercard acceptance: ~ Medium
National Bank occupies a middle ground. There’s no explicit gambling restriction in their published terms and conditions, but acceptance is inconsistent across casino processors. Some deposits go through without issue; others are declined without clear explanation. This inconsistency makes National Bank harder to predict than BMO or CIBC.
Policy source: No explicit restriction in current T&Cs. Less documented than the Big 5.
Cash advance coding: Yes, when deposits are approved. Standard cash advance treatment applies.
Our test results (Feb 2025): 888 Casino deposit confirmed via Mastercard from National Bank account on February 8, 2025. Withdrawal received February 15 (7 days). Acceptance varies by casino processor — we estimate a 60-75% success rate across sites.
Tip: If your National Bank card is declined at one casino, try another — the issue is often on the processor side rather than a blanket bank block. Alternatively, Interac e-Transfer from your National Bank account works at every site we list.
Desjardins — Medium Acceptance
Visa acceptance: ~ Medium | Mastercard acceptance: ~ Medium
Desjardins, Quebec’s largest financial cooperative, has variable acceptance depending on the card product. Their general approach is more permissive than the blocking banks (TD, Scotia, RBC) but less reliable than BMO or CIBC. Some Desjardins card products have stricter transaction monitoring that can flag casino deposits.
Policy source: Varies by card product. Generally more permissive than the Big 5 blocking banks.
Cash advance coding: Yes, when deposits are approved. Cash advance rates and fees apply per the specific card’s terms.
Our test results (Feb 2025): LeoVegas deposit confirmed via Visa from Desjardins account on February 7, 2025. Withdrawal received February 11 (4 days). Estimated 55-70% success rate across sites.
Tip: Desjardins members in Quebec should also consider Loto-Québec’s Espacejeux platform, which accepts Desjardins cards as regular purchases (not cash advances) since it’s a provincially operated site.
RBC (Royal Bank of Canada) — Low Acceptance
Visa acceptance: ✗ Low | Mastercard acceptance: ✗ Low
RBC restricts gambling transactions per their cardholder agreement. However, their block is not as absolute as TD or Scotiabank — approximately 20-30% of transactions slip through, likely due to inconsistencies in how different casino processors present the MCC code. This makes RBC unpredictable: your deposit might work once and fail the next time.
Policy source: RBC Royal Bank Personal Account Agreement, Section 14(c) — Restricted Transaction Types. [Source 3]
Cash advance coding: When deposits do go through, they are coded as cash advances with RBC’s standard cash advance rate and fees.
Our test results (Feb 2025): Jackpot City Casino deposit confirmed via Visa from RBC account on February 14, 2025. This was notable because Jackpot City was the only site where our RBC test card was accepted — contributing to their #1 ranking. Estimated 20-30% success rate across sites.
Tip: Don’t rely on RBC cards for casino deposits. The inconsistency means you can’t predict whether a deposit will work. If you’re an RBC customer, Interac e-Transfer is your best option — it bypasses the card-level block entirely.
TD Bank (Toronto-Dominion) — Low Acceptance
Visa acceptance: ✗ Low | Mastercard acceptance: ✗ Low
TD Bank has actively blocked gambling-coded transactions since 2013 — the longest-standing block among the Big 5. Their cardholder agreement explicitly addresses this in Section 4.2, and their system-level blocks on MCC 7995 are among the most comprehensive in Canadian banking. Success rates with TD cards are near zero for international (non-provincial) casinos.
Policy source: TD Canada Trust Visa Cardholder Agreement, Section 4.2. TD has maintained gambling transaction blocks since 2013 per publicly reported policy. [Source 4]
Cash advance coding: Moot — transactions are declined before they reach the cash advance coding stage.
Our test results (Feb 2025): Zero successful deposits across all 34 tested casino sites using TD Visa. TD’s block is the most effective of any Canadian bank we test.
Tip: Do not attempt to deposit with a TD credit card — it will be declined, and repeated failed attempts can trigger fraud alerts on your account. Use Interac e-Transfer instead, which works perfectly from TD accounts. TD’s Interac implementation is actually one of the fastest among the Big 5.
Scotiabank — Low Acceptance
Visa acceptance: ✗ Low | Mastercard acceptance: ✗ Low
Scotiabank explicitly blocks non-provincial casino transactions in their cardholder agreement. Their policy is more specific than most banks — they allow transactions at provincially or territorially run casino sites (like PlayNow BC or OLG) but block transactions to private/offshore operators. This means even some iGaming Ontario registered sites may be blocked, depending on how the processor presents the transaction.
Policy source: Scotiabank Visa Cardholder Agreement (2024), Section 5.1 — “only online gambling transactions at provincially or territorially run casino sites are permitted.” [Source 5]
Cash advance coding: Moot for offshore casinos — transactions are declined. For permitted provincial casino sites, standard cash advance coding applies.
Our test results (Feb 2025): Near-zero success rate across tested casino sites. Scotiabank’s block is explicit and well-enforced.
Tip: Scotiabank customers should use Interac e-Transfer for casino deposits. If you specifically want to play at a provincial site (OLG, PlayNow, Espacejeux), your Scotiabank card may work there — but verify with your specific card product first.
Summary Table
| Bank | Visa | Mastercard | Policy source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Credit Unions | ✓ High | ✓ High | No system-wide gambling MCC block |
| BMO | ✓ High | ✓ High | Classified as “cash-like transaction” per cardholder agreement [1] |
| CIBC | ✓ High | ✓ High | No gambling restriction in current T&Cs [2] |
| National Bank | ~ Medium | ~ Medium | No explicit restriction; less documented than Big 5 |
| Desjardins | ~ Medium | ~ Medium | Varies by card product; generally more permissive |
| RBC | ✗ Low | ✗ Low | T&Cs restrict gambling transactions [3] |
| TD Bank | ✗ Low | ✗ Low | Actively blocks since 2013 [4] |
| Scotiabank | ✗ Low | ✗ Low | Explicitly blocks non-provincial casinos [5] |
What to Do If Your Card Is Declined
Most credit card declines at online casinos are caused by your bank’s MCC 7995 block, not by the casino itself. Here’s a step-by-step approach:
- Check your bank’s policy above. If you’re with TD, Scotia, or RBC, a decline is expected and calling your bank won’t change the system-level block.
- Try calling your bank. For BMO, CIBC, National Bank, and Desjardins, occasional declines may be triggered by fraud monitoring rather than a gambling block. Calling and authorising the transaction can help.
- Switch to Interac e-Transfer. This bypasses all bank-level card blocks and is accepted at every casino we list. It’s free, instant, and doesn’t trigger cash advance fees.
- Try a different card. If you hold cards from multiple banks, a BMO or CIBC card is most likely to work.
- Consider a credit union. Credit union cards have the highest acceptance rates of any banking category we test.
Bank policies verified against current cardholder agreements as of February 2025. Test results from real deposits across 34 casinos, 9 banks, February 7–14, 2025. Full source references on our Sources & Data page.