Why did the Commission ban credit cards?
To stop people gambling with money they do not have. Announcing the ban on 14 January 2020, after a consultation between August and November 2019, the Commission gave its evidence:
- 24 million adults in Great Britain gambled, 10.5 million of them online;
- UK Finance estimated that 800,000 consumers used credit cards to gamble;
- the Commission's research found 22% of online gamblers using credit cards were problem gamblers;
- card fees could make chasing losses worse.
The chief executive at the time accepted that responsible users would be inconvenienced but judged the risk to others too high.
What does the ban cover?
| Payment | Allowed? |
|---|---|
| Credit card at an online casino, bingo site or bookmaker | No |
| E-wallet such as PayPal or Skrill loaded from a credit card | No; the casino must check |
| Credit card at a high street bookmaker, casino, bingo hall or arcade | No |
| Lottery tickets or scratchcards bought in a shop with other goods | Yes |
| Lottery tickets paid by post | Yes |
The shop exception exists because the Commission thought it unfair to expect retailers to spot a lottery ticket within a wider purchase.
What does it mean if a site still takes my credit card?
That it is very probably not licensed in Great Britain, since the ban is a condition of every remote licence. In the Commission's 2025 survey of 1,007 gamblers, 15% said they had paid a gambling website by credit card in the past year, and 42% of those with the highest problem-gambling scores did. Check the site with our licence guide. Your debit card can be locked against gambling too: see bank blocks. Where large deposits trigger checks, see affordability checks.
