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 UK gambling with a credit card ban comes into effect 14/04/2020
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• United Kingdom implements a total ban on using credit cards for gambling across all platforms other than physical National Lottery tickets

Originally announced in January by the GC and the government’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), the ban means UK consumers will no longer be able to use credit cards for any form of gambling.

The ban applies to all online and offline gambling products, with the exception of non-remote lotteries, including products such as physical National Lottery tickets and scratchcards purchased in-person at retail outlets.

The long overdue ban also covers credit card gambling through e-wallets such as PayPal, Skrill, while the Commission reminded operators that they can only accept customer payments via e-wallets only if they prevent credit card use for gambling. Of course this can not cover prepaid cards that were funded by credit cards.

The Commission insisted that credit card betting in land-based casinos and gaming halls was already banned but failed to detail how access through onsite cash machines that charge fees for credit card use would be prevented.

“This credit card ban will further protect consumers from financial harm and from today, nobody in Great Britain can use a credit card to gamble,” Gambling Commission chief executive Neil McArthur said. “It is a ban which ultimately reduces the risks of harm to consumers from gambling with money they do not have.

“The ban also comes at a vital time as we are seeing an increase in the use of some online products, such as online slots and virtual sports, and our online search analysis shows an increase in UK consumer interest in gambling products since the lockdown began.

“This is another milestone and we will continue to looking for ways to make gambling safer.”

The decision to implement the ban comes after the Commission’s review of online gambling and the government’s Review of Gaming Machines and Social Responsibility Measures, while a public consultation on the issue ran from August to November 2019.

Just two weeks ago the Gambling Commission's deadline past for all online operators to be part of the self-exclusion scheme known as Gamstop whereby customers simply had to select exclusion and had to be prevented from gambling across all the operator's products.

Soon after the implimentation date of this move, 31st March, the decision to suspend the licences of Dynamic, trading as Prophet, and Sportito was taken for failure to comply.

Neil McArthur, Gambling Commission Chief Executive, said: “We have made it clear to operators that we are ready and willing to use our powers to protect consumers, as this action demonstrates.

“One of the suspensions has now been lifted as the operator is now compliant. Our investigations into both operators continue.”

The suspension of Dynamic’s licence will remain in place until the Commission is satisfied that the operator has fully integrated the GAMSTOP scheme and is fully compliant with their licence conditions.