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Preventing credit card use

On 14 April 2020 the Gambling Commission announced a ban on gambling operators allowing consumers in Great Britain to use credit cards to gamble. The ban aims to reduce the risks of harm to consumers from gambling with money they do not have.

The ban introduced Licence condition 6.1.2 to LCCP which requires that operators in the following sectors must not accept credit card payments for gambling:

  • online betting, casino and bingo  
  • high street bookmakers and track bookmakers 
  • lotteries who accept online payments or payments over the telephone.  

Operators should also make sure that if they are accepting payments from an e-wallet, that the money was not loaded from a credit card.

In addition, the following non-remote operators must not participate in, arrange, permit or knowingly facilitate the giving of credit in connection with gambling:

  • casino
  • bingo
  • adult gaming centre
  • family entertainment centre.

The credit card ban does not extend to non-remote lottery operating licences, meaning that credit cards can still be used to buy lottery tickets and scratchcards from a shop alongside non-gambling products. This is because it would be unreasonable to expect retailers to identify and prevent credit card payments for lottery tickets if they form part of a wider shop.

Credit cards can also be used to buy lottery tickets and scratchcards where payment is sent by post, for example, card details are sent to the lottery operator in the post.

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Credit cards and cashback

Last updated: 17 May 2024

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