KOHO Banking Casinos for Canadian Gamers: Block Lifted in 2026

KOHO cards work on online gambling sites now. KOHO’s own help page says so, a KOHO support account confirmed it on Reddit, and the change dates to March 2026. Game stores were never blocked, so PlayStation Store, Steam and the rest are business as usual. Whether a casino deposit actually clears is now up to the operator’s payment processor. No guarantees even with the block lifted, since some deposits need 3D Secure and some merchants filter out prepaid card ranges.

For years a KOHO card at an online casino cashier meant one thing: declined. KOHO’s help centre said the card didn’t work on gambling sites, and support told anyone who asked to use a different card. In March 2026 that changed. The help page now says yes, with a 3D Secure check on some deposits and no cash back on any of them. There was no announcement. The page just changed, and KOHO support confirmed it on Reddit when people asked. In this PSU.com piece, we retrace the recent developments, and study where the card is most likely to be accepted.

Best Casinos for KOHO Users in Canada

For prepaid Mastercard deposits, the Canadian cashiers most likely to take KOHO are Jackpot City, Spin Casino and Royal Vegas (Kahnawake licensed, and registered in Ontario and Alberta). They’ve been taking Canadian card payments for decades, so a prepaid Mastercard is nothing new to their processors. All three offer responsible gambling tools and links to help. In Ontario, where you need to be 19+, that’s ConnexOntario.ca. In Alberta, where it’s 18+, it’s GameSenseAB.ca. More resources are at the end of this article.

Nobody has published a KOHO-specific test at a Canadian cashier yet. So this list is about which cashiers already handle prepaid Mastercards and have done so for a long time. All three brands mentioned are from the same group, and they’ve been taking Canadian card deposits since before the PS2 existed. Jackpot City launched in 1998, the year Metal Gear Solid came out on PS1. Royal Vegas went live in 2000, same year as the PS2. Spin Casino started as Spin Palace in 2001 and got its current name in 2019.

Jackpot City is also the brand people were asking KOHO about by name back when the answer was still no. All three are on the Alberta iGaming Corporation list as of this month, Jackpot City since October 8. Click through from Ontario or Alberta and you land on the registered site for your province.

To be clear, none of the three name KOHO in their cashier. They list Mastercard and prepaid cards, plus a few other logos of brands like Amex and eCheck. KOHO is a prepaid Mastercard, and their processors have handled Canadian cards for 25 years. That’s the whole argument for “most likely” to work at these iGaming brands, and we’ll update this page when someone posts a confirmed deposit.

If you’re reading PSU, there’s a fair chance that the card is already saved on your PSN account. The Canadian PS Store takes Visa, Mastercard, American Express, PayPal and Apple Pay, plus gift cards from the rack at Best Buy or Walmart. No Interac. That gap is why so many Canadian players keep a reloadable Mastercard around, and KOHO is the one that comes up most. It’s a Toronto fintech with more than 2.5 million users. You load it by Interac e-Transfer and it spends like any prepaid Mastercard. It’s prepaid, so a sale only gets what you loaded. That helps when a PS5 Slim is $819.99, PS Plus Essential is $109.99 a year and the PS Store Halloween sale is knocking half off PS5 games.

Gaming Was Never the Problem, Though

The URL says gaming block, so let’s be clear about what was and wasn’t blocked. KOHO never blocked games. Its help centre says the card works anywhere Mastercard is accepted, online and in store. It names Netflix, Spotify, Amazon and DoorDash as everyday examples. The virtual card handles subscriptions and in-app purchases and sits in Apple Pay, Google Pay or Samsung Pay. Online gambling and adult entertainment were the only things it said no to.

So all of this was always fine on a KOHO card:

• PlayStation Store wallet top-ups and game purchases

• PS Plus Essential, Extra and Premium renewals

• Steam, the Nintendo eShop, Xbox and the Epic Games Store

• PlayStation gift cards at Shoppers Drug Mart, GameStop or Best Buy

• Game pre-orders at Amazon.ca or Walmart

KOHO has never published a store-by-store list and we haven’t tested every one of these. So please treat it as KOHO’s own policy plus each store’s published card list.

The one thing that trips people up on PSN is the billing address. Adding a card to your PlayStation account asks for an address, and it needs to match what’s in the KOHO app. Sony’s troubleshooting page says to enter details exactly as they appear on your statement, and to strip accents and apostrophes from your name and address. KOHO also runs transaction alerts. The first time you buy from a merchant it hasn’t seen you use, it might decline and ping the app. Just confirm it was you within 24 hours and the retry goes through. That one feature explains most of the “declined once, worked the second time” posts on Reddit. If you’d rather skip cards on PSN entirely, our wallet funding guide covers the gift card route.

That gambling no is what came off in March. The rest of this piece covers what changed, what can still get a deposit declined, and which cashiers are the best bet for a prepaid card.

What Changed in March 2026 was for iGaming only

KOHO’s help article Can I use KOHO on gambling sites? now reads, in full:

Yes, you can use your KOHO card for online gambling sites. Please note that some transactions may be subject to 3D Secure (3DS) verification for added security. Also, purchases made on online gambling sites are not eligible for cash back rewards.

The page shows a last update of March 18, 2026. The first public sign was a thread in r/KohoCanada. A user got an in-app notice that gambling sites were no longer blocked, and a KOHO support account confirmed it in the replies. Not everyone in that thread got the same result on their first try, which brings us to the processor problem below.

The before and after is kind of funny. In 2025 someone asked the same subreddit whether KOHO worked with Jackpot City. The KOHO account told them gambling sites weren’t allowed and to use a different card. A year later the same support team is confirming the opposite.

KOHO’s help centre hasn’t fully caught up either. The “Why is my card being declined ?” article, updated September 23 2026, still lists online gambling as something the card won’t do. That’s likely lag though, and not a hidden policy. Because it seems to us that the gambling-specific article and the Reddit confirmation are the current answer.

One odd one out. Canada Post sells a KOHO-powered card called the MyMoney Account, and its page still says that card can’t be used for gambling sites. If yours came through Canada Post, don’t assume the March change applies to you.

A bit of context on why KOHO’s policy carries more weight than a typical prepaid card. KOHO is registered with FINTRAC and with the Bank of Canada as a payment service provider. In January 2026 Payments Canada admitted it as a member, alongside Wise, Float, Brim and Paramount Commerce. A KOHO subsidiary also ran notices in the Canada Gazette in March 2026. They give notice of an application to continue that subsidiary as a Schedule I bank under the name KOHO Bank. In June the CEO told the Globe and Mail approval could come as early as this year. Nothing has been granted as of late October, so KOHO isn’t a bank yet, and its own job ads still describe KOHO Bank as “letters patent pending”. In the meantime your balance sits with KOHO’s partner, Peoples Trust Company, a federally regulated trust company.

Why a Deposit Can Still Get Declined

KOHO saying yes is step one of three. KOHO is the issuer. Mastercard is the network, and it tags the payment with merchant category code 7995, the code for gambling. The third step is the casino’s payment processor, and KOHO has no say there. Some processors filter out prepaid card ranges. Some force every 7995 transaction through 3D Secure. A few decline anything that isn’t a bank-issued credit card.

Sony’s store is a decent comparison. It doesn’t single out prepaid cards, but it tells you to match your statement exactly and use a card registered in your store’s region. A casino cashier behaves the same way. Use the card number that’s registered in the KOHO app with a current address. Physical and virtual KOHO cards have different numbers, so make sure you enter the one that matches.

Prepaid does have one real advantage over a credit card here. Several major Canadian issuers treat gambling on a credit card as a cash advance, as The Durham Post notes in its breakdown of Canadian gambling sites that still take credit cards. Interest from day one, no grace period. A prepaid balance has no credit attached, so there’s nothing to charge interest on. Pick Canadian dollars at the cashier too, since KOHO charges a foreign exchange fee on some plans when a merchant bills in another currency.

Before You Load the Card

Stuff that saves you a support chat later.

1. Move money into Spendable first. Cash sitting in a KOHO Vault, a Goal or RoundUps can’t be spent at checkout. A low Spendable balance is the top decline reason on KOHO’s own list.

2. Pick Mastercard in the cashier, not Interac. The card is what KOHO’s policy covers. Casino Interac deposits run through online banking, and nobody has shown that working from a KOHO balance.

3. Enter your name, CVC, expiry and address exactly as they appear in the KOHO app. KOHO lists mismatched card details as a decline reason, and PlayStation gives the same advice for the PS Store.

4. Expect a 3D Secure prompt. KOHO says some gambling transactions get one, so keep your phone handy and approve it before the cashier page times out.

5. Bill in CAD. KOHO adds a 1.5% foreign exchange fee on non-Canadian transactions unless your plan waives it.

6. Decide how you’ll withdraw before you deposit. Cards are mostly deposit-only at these brands. Interac e-Transfer to a bank account is how money comes back at Jackpot City and Spin Casino. Royal Vegas doesn’t list Interac at all, so plan on iDebit, INSTADEBIT or ecoPayz there.

7. If the deposit declines, open the KOHO app and check Transaction Alerts under Activity. Confirm it was you, which clears that merchant for 24 hours, then retry.

KOHO Does Not Run a Casino

KOHO is a payments company, not a casino operator. It’s also a fintech company and not a bank. If you run into a gambling site using KOHO’s name, treat it as unrelated to KOHO until a regulator’s list says otherwise. One thing to watch for: a casino page claiming it’s “regulated by FINTRAC.” FINTRAC registers money services businesses for anti-money-laundering reporting. It doesn’t license gambling, so that line on a casino site is a red flag, not a credential.

Checking an operator takes two minutes. Ontario players can search iGaming Ontario’s operator list. Alberta players have the AiGC registered sites directory. Everyone else can look up the Kahnawake Gaming Commission’s permit holders. If something looks off, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre takes reports from witnesses as well as victims. If a site posing as KOHO got your details, KOHO’s [email protected] inbox is where to send it.

Where That Leaves PS5 Players

One card now covers a PS Store wallet top-up and a licensed casino deposit. Two things to remember. Casino deposits earn zero KOHO cash back, and whether the deposit clears is the processor’s call, not KOHO’s. On the PlayStation side nothing changed. The card behaves like any other Mastercard. If PSN ever rejects it for a prepaid reason, a PS Store gift card bought with the same card at retail gets you there.

The block lift looks real. KOHO’s help page says it, KOHO’s support team said it on Reddit, and the old wording is gone except for one stale troubleshooting page. What’s missing is volume. We’ve seen one confirmation and one decline in the same thread, which is exactly what you’d expect when the processor makes the final call. The three brands above are the sensible place to try first. If a processor still blocks the card, Interac e-Transfer from your main bank works. You can also use a prepaid PIN such as Neosurf or Flexepin. Our Canadian casino vouchers guide covers how those work.

FAQ

Does KOHO work at online casinos in Canada?
Yes, according to KOHO’s own help centre since March 2026. Some transactions trigger 3D Secure, gambling earns no cash back, and individual operators can still decline prepaid cards through their processors.

Can I withdraw casino winnings to my KOHO card?
Usually not. Mastercard is listed as deposit-only at Spin Casino and Royal Vegas, and payouts to prepaid cards are rare in general. Withdrawals go by Interac e-Transfer to a bank account or by e-wallet, depending on the operator.

Does KOHO pay cash back on casino deposits?
No. The card works there, but gambling purchases don’t earn cash back on any KOHO plan. Same rule as ATM withdrawals, e-Transfers and crypto buys.

Is there a real KOHO casino?
No. KOHO is a payments company and doesn’t run or sponsor a casino. Verify any operator on the iGaming Ontario, AiGC or Kahnawake Gaming Commission lists before depositing.

Does KOHO work on the PlayStation Store, Steam and other game stores?
Yes. Game purchases were never restricted, only gambling was. Match the billing address to the KOHO app. If a first purchase at a new store declines, check the app for a transaction alert and retry.

Disclaimers

Eligibility

This article is intended for Canadian audiences. Players must be at least 19 years old to wager in most Canadian provinces and territories, or at least 18 in Alberta, Manitoba and Quebec. Eligibility and platform availability vary by province, so check the rules that apply where you live before registering or playing.

Resources for Help

Casino games are not skill-based. Please play responsibly. If you or someone you know is struggling with problem gambling, free and confidential support is available:

• Responsible Gambling Council (national): https://responsiblegambling.org
• GA: https://gamblersanonymous.org/
• Alberta: Call GameSense at 1-833-447-7523 or visit https://gamesenseab.ca
• Alberta Health Services Addiction Helpline: 1-866-332-2322
• 211 Alberta: dial 2-1-1 or ab.211.ca
• Quebec: Help and Referral 1-800-461-0140
• Manitoba: 1-800-463-1554
• ConnexOntario: https://connexontario.ca or 1-866-531-2600