Which Countries Prohibit Credit Card Gambling

Digital payment methods have become part and parcel of online gambling, allowing players to effortlessly transfer funds to and from their real-money accounts. Online gamblers now face a cornucopia of convenient, swift, and cost-effective banking solutions that facilitate highly secure casino deposits and withdrawals.

Online banking, e-wallets, prepaid solutions, and credit cards are the most common ways to bank at online casinos. With that said, the number of countries that enforce restrictions on credit card gambling has been consistently on the rise in recent years.

Credit cards have started to fall into disfavor with gambling regulators and several jurisdictions have already vetoed their use for gambling purposes in an effort to protect players, curb problem gambling, and prevent overspending with borrowed funds.

In this article, we look at the jurisdictions that currently prohibit credit card gambling, the reasoning behind the bans, and the alternative payment methods available to online players from said countries.

No Credit Card Gambling for UK Players

As many as 24 million people in Great Britain gamble and 10.5 million of them prefer to do it over the internet. Credit cards were the preferred method of funding for hundreds of thousands of British players but their use for gambling purposes is no longer possible.

Following an extensive consultation, the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) enforced a blanket ban on gambling with credit cards in 2020. The prohibition extends to nearly all forms of gambling one can think of, including:

• Online sports wagering
• Online casino gaming and bingo games
• Online lotteries
• Lotteries that facilitate purchases over the telephone
• On-course wagering
• Retail sports wagering at high-street betting shops
• Landbased casinos, arcade halls, and bingo rooms

The British gambling watchdog conducted research during the consultation period, establishing that more than 22% of the local online players who funded their casino accounts with credit cards were problem gamblers. The percentage of those at risk of experiencing gambling-related harm was even greater.

These disconcerting findings prompted the local regulator to ban credit card gambling in an attempt to curb addiction and promote more responsible play. The blanket prohibition was announced in mid-January 2020 and came into effect in mid-April of the same year.

Impact of the Credit Card Ban in the UK

It appears the ban has been largely effective in reducing gambling with borrowed money, according to survey figures released by the UK Gambling Commission in late 2021.

Around 76% of the players who reported to have previously gambled with credit cards have ceased using borrowed capital for betting. Only 15% reported they started borrowing from other sources as a result of the prohibition.

Those who continued to use borrowed money did so to a smaller degree for the most part.

*The use of loan money from other sources continues to be tracked due to the smaller sample sizes at the time of the survey.

Credit Card Gambling Strongly Discouraged in Ireland

In late August 2021, sportsbook operators in Ireland unanimously agreed to enforce a prohibition of credit card wagering as part of a new Code of Practice proposed by the Irish Bookmakers’ Association (IBA). As a result, local punters can no longer fund their betting activities with this method at both online and retail bookmaking shops operated by members of the IBA.

Most Irish Bookies Have Already Adopted the Measure

Revolut Blocked Credit Card Transfers for Irish Gamblers

Irish Legislators Could Fully Outlaw Credit Card Gambling

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Most Irish Bookies Have Already Adopted the Measure

Some bookmakers adopted the measure right away, while others were given a deadline by the end of 2021 to enforce the voluntary ban. The IBA was established in the spring of 2005 as the official representative body of the country’s bookmaking sector. It comprises more than 750 major retail and independent sports wagering operators.

Below are some of the online betting companies that have adopted the credit card ban.

• Bet365
• Betway
• Casumo
• William Hill
• Boylesports
• QuinnBet
• SBOBet
• All Entain (formerly GVC Holdings) brands, including Sportingbet, Bwin, Ladbrokes, and Coral
• All Flutter Entertainment brands, including Betfair, Sportsbet, and Paddy Power
• Tote Ireland

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Revolut Blocked Credit Card Transfers for Irish Gamblers

The popular payment app Revolut jumped on the bandwagon in early 2022, announcing it would no longer process credit card-related money transfers to gambling sites that service the Irish market. Users of the app can typically fund it via debit and credit cards or regular bank transfers.

However, Revolut devised a technology that allowed it to detect transfers drawn from credit cards and block them from being used for online gambling transactions. The decision was largely prompted by IBA members’ statement that some Irish gamblers used apps like Revolut to circumvent the credit card restrictions.

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Irish Legislators Could Fully Outlaw Credit Card Gambling

Local lawmakers are currently preparing a major overhaul of Irish gambling regulation, and a blanket ban on credit card gambling is on the agenda, along with the prohibition of free bets and similar initiatives.

Members of the Sinn Féin Party already penned legislation that aims to fully prohibit gambling transactions via credit cards. Aptly titled the Betting (Prohibition on Use of Credit Cards) Act 2021, the bill proposes to add the credit card ban as a condition for obtaining a gambling license in the country.

Operators that already service the local market would be given three months to comply with the new requirement and enforce the ban, that is if the bill gains the approval of Seanad Éireann, the upper chamber of the Irish Parliament.

The Betting (Prohibition on Use of Credit Cards) Act 2021 is presently before Dáil Éireann, the lower parliament chamber, and has reached the second stage of discussions. The bill must go through the Committee, Report, and Final Dáil stages before it heads for discussion in the Seanad. SuperCasinoSites will keep you updated on its progress.

In the meantime, we recommend Irish online gamblers go for some of the following payment solutions when funding their betting accounts – Visa Electron, Maestro, Payforit, Click to Pay, Paysafecard, and Wire Transfers.

Electronic wallets like PayPal, Skrill, and Neteller are also viable alternatives for the time being. However, if Betting Act 2021 passes into law, Irish gamblers will not be able to use such wallets if the funds in their balance are derived from credit cards.

Belgium Banned Credit Card Deposits in 2019

Online gambling has been regulated in Belgium since 2011 but local legislators introduced stricter measures to curb gambling-related harm nine years later, in 2019.

The restrictions in question came as a result of an overhaul of the Gambling Act of 7 May 1999 okayed by the Belgian Parliament in early April 1999. The new tougher curbs include:

Article 58 of the amended 1999 Gambling Act clearly states transactions with credit cards are fully prohibited in Class II, III, and IV gambling establishments as well as in gambling sites offering chance-based games.

Licensees of the Belgium Gaming Commission must conspicuously inform their customers about the prohibition. The ban extends to automatic teller machines in gambling establishments that hold Class I, II, III, and IV licenses.

Germany Outlawed Credit Card Gambling in 2020

Germany took the same path as Belgium and Great Britain and unleashed a wave of stricter regulations and player protection measures a couple of years ago. German legislators approved the ban on credit card gambling in the summer of 2020 and effectively prohibited online casinos that target local players from facilitating any transactions via Visa and Mastercard-branded credit cards.

In turn, banking institutions across the country were instructed to block all credit card payments to and from gambling sites that serve local bettors. Gambling operators themselves also had to remove any references to this form of payment from their Belgium-facing websites.

Heavy Taxation and Severe Restrictions Drive Operators Away

As a result of these measures, German players were left with very few payment methods to rely on. Some industry experts cautioned the clamp-down on credit cards could have an adverse effect, driving local gamblers to gaming sites that are not properly regulated.

The stricter regulations indeed caused many reputable brands to flee the German market in droves, further limiting the choice of adequately regulated options for local players. Several of the most recent departees include:

Unibet

Betfair Exchange

William Hill

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Unibet

Kindred Group’s flagship brand Unibet recently announced its decision to exit the local market, citing the severe restrictions and the burden of heavy taxation as the reason.

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Betfair Exchange

Betfair Exchange withdrew from Germany in late June 2021. The renowned brand operates in over forty countries but was not thrilled by the 5.3% tax on turnover Germany imposes on sports betting operators.

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William Hill

William Hill also said ‘auf Wiedersehen’ to Germany and shut down the operations of its Mr Green sportsbook in the country due to the burden of high taxes. The company decided to focus on expanding its reach in other markets like Italy, Sweden, and Spain.