Published on: 14.01.2020

Credit Card Payment Restrictions for UK Casinos

Today, the gambling regulator of the UK, the UK Gambling Commission, has announced that from April 14th 2020, credit cards will no longer be allowed to be used in UK-licensed online casinos (UK Gambling Commission ↱). Operators of land-based gambling and betting shops, as well as UK online casinos won't be allowed to process credit card payments.

This measure comes after the gambling regulator carried out a review of online gambling ↱ and social responsibility measures covering the last two years, and it aims to protect problem gamblers and people at risk of developing problem gambling by making playing casino games with borrowed money unavailable.

Gambling with credit cards

There are around 800,000 players in the UK who play with funds from their credit card, and 22% of them are classed as problem gamblers, with an even higher share of players who are at risk.

The problem is, that playing with credit card funds can lead to debt, and there are some players who accrued thousands of pounds of gambling debt derived from the use of credit cards for casino gambling.

A measure to improve player protection

Problem gamblers can make use of Gamstop, a program to self-exclude from gambling at UK operators, but players who chose not to self-exclude need further protection. The UKGC aims to improve player protection, and the newly introduced bans on the use of credit cards aims to help players control their spending on gambling activities.

Alternative payment methods

The ban on credit cards for gambling payments in the UK may be an inconvenience to some players, as not everyone who uses a credit card is also a problem gambler. But there are alternatives available…

There are many payment options available to players, which allow you control your spending as well, as you won't be able to spend more on gambling than you have. You can make an instant bank transfer with Trustly, or, if you wish to use a more discreet payment method, you can use an e-wallet option, like Neteller, Skrill or ecoPayz. For smaller amounts you can also use a Paysafecard voucher or a mobile payment with Boku.