Report
Prohibition of gambling on credit cards
This report focuses on research conducted around the prohibition of gambling on credit cards
Contents
- Executive summary
- Background and approach
- Methodology and limitations
- Operator Implementation and customer behaviour
- Credit cards and digital wallets
- Deposits prior to the introduction of the ban
- Displacement to other high-cost credit sources
- Displacement to illegal sources of funds
- Bypassing the ban through other behaviours
- Displacement to unlicensed gambling sites
- Inconvenience to leisure gamblers
- Conclusions and next steps
- Appendices
Appendix 2: Online Tracker Survey Questions
Online Tracker Survey Questions (December 2018 and March 2019)
Ask all who have gambled on at least one product
Q70. Have you used any of the following methods specifically to fund gambling activity in the last 12 months? (tick all that apply)
- Credit card
- Overdraft facility
- Payday loans
- Other loans
- Family and friends
- Other (Please specify)
- None (Exclusive).
Ask for all options selected at Q70
Q.71. Again, thinking specifically over the last 12 months, and the methods you have used to fund gambling activity, how have you gambled? (one answer per row)
| Gambling in Person | Gambling Online | Both in Person and Online | Can’t remember | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Credit Cards | ||||
| Overdraft Facility | ||||
| Payday Loans | ||||
| Other Loans | ||||
| Family and Friends | ||||
| Other |
Online Tracker Survey Questions (September 2019)
(Ask all who have gambled on at least one product)
Q70. Have you used any of the following methods specifically to fund gambling activity in the last 12 months? (tick all that apply)
- Credit card
- Overdraft facility
- Payday loans
- Other loans
- Family and friends
- None (Exclusive).
(Ask for all options selected at Q70)
Q.71. Again, thinking specifically over the last 12 months, and the methods you have used to fund gambling activity, how have you gambled? (one answer per row).
| Gambling in Person | Gambling Online | Both in Person and Online | Can’t remember | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Credit Cards | ||||
| Overdraft Facility | ||||
| Payday Loans | ||||
| Other Loans | ||||
| Family and Friends | ||||
| Other |
(Ask for all options selected at Q70)
Q72. We are interested in finding out why people use borrowed money for gambling. You have reported that you have used
(Open response - uncoded)
Online Tracker Survey Questions (December 2019)
(Ask all who have gambled on at least one product)
Q70. Have you used any of the following methods specifically to fund gambling activity in the last 12 months? (tick all that apply)
- Credit card
- Overdraft facility
- Payday loans
- Other loans
- Family and friends
- None (Exclusive).
(Ask for all options selected at Q70)
Q.71. Again, thinking specifically over the last 12 months, and the methods you have used to fund gambling activity, how have you gambled? (one answer per row)
| Gambling in Person | Gambling Online | Both in Person and Online | Can’t remember | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Credit Cards | ||||
| Overdraft Facility | ||||
| Payday Loans | ||||
| Other Loans | ||||
| Family and Friends | ||||
| Other |
Online Tracker Survey Questions (March 2020)
(Ask all who have gambled on at least one product)
Q70. Have you used any of the following methods specifically to fund gambling activity in the last 12 months? (tick all that apply)
- Credit card
- Overdraft facility
- Payday loans
- Other loans
- Family and friends
- None (Exclusive).
(Ask for all options selected at Q70)
Q.71. Again, thinking specifically over the last 12 months, and the methods you have used to fund gambling activity, how have you gambled? (one answer per row)
| Gambling in Person | Gambling Online | Both in Person and Online | Can’t remember | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Credit Cards | ||||
| Overdraft Facility | ||||
| Payday Loans | ||||
| Other Loans | ||||
| Family and Friends | ||||
| Other |
Online Tracker Survey Questions (June 2020)
(Ask all who have gambled on at least one product)
Q70. Have you used any of the following methods specifically to fund gambling activity in the last 12 months? (tick all that apply)
- Credit card
- Overdraft facility
- Payday loans
- Other loans
- Family and friends
- Mobile phone account (adding the cost of gambling to your mobile phone bill to pay at a later date)
- None (Exclusive).
(Ask to all who select codes 1-6 on Q70)
On the 14 April 2020 a ban came into force which prevents adults from gambling in Great Britain with a credit card. The ban applies to online and in-person gambling products, with the exception face to face payments for lotteries.
QCREDIT2: To what extent do you agree or disagree that the ban on gambling with a credit card has had an impact on the way that you fund your gambling?
SINGLE CODE: Strongly agree/Tend to agree/Neither/Tend to disagree/Strongly disagree/Don’t know
(Ask to all who strongly agree or tend to agree in QCREDIT2)
QCREDIT3: In your own words, please explain how the ban on gambling with credit cards has impacted how you fund your gambling.
Open ended
Online Tracker Survey Questions (September 2020)
(Ask all who have gambled on at least one product)
On the 14 April 2020 a ban came into force which prevents adults from gambling in Great Britain with a credit card. The ban applies to using a credit card to gamble online and in-persons, with the exception of buying tickets for lottery draws or scratchcards face to face in retail premises.
Q70(New). Have you used any of the following forms of borrowed money specifically to fund gambling activity a) in the last 12 months and b) since April 2020 (i.e. when the credit card ban came into force)? (tick all that apply)
| In the last 12 months | Since April 2020 (when the credit card ban came into force) | |
|---|---|---|
| Credit card to directly fund gambling (e.g. depositing funds into an online account using a credit card or using a credit card in a gambling establishment) | ||
| Credit card to indirectly fund gambling (e.g. withdrawing cash from an ATM using a credit card to pay for gambling) | ||
| Overdraft Facility | ||
| Payday Loans | ||
| Other Loans | ||
| Family and Friends | ||
| Mobile phone account (adding the cost of gambling to your mobile phone bill to pay at a later date) | ||
| Other |
(Ask to all who have gambled on a credit card in the last 12 months (Q70(NEW) Code 1)
QCREDIT4: We are interested in how you have changed the way you fund your gambling since the ban on using a credit card to gamble came into force in April 2020 and whether this is as a result of the ban or because of something else.
Since the ban came into force in April 2020, which of these statements, if any, apply to you?
| Yes – as a result of the credit card ban | Yes – as a result of something else (e.g. saving money, unemployment, furlough etc) | No (Exclusive) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| I have stopped gambling altogether | (Hidden to respondents who have gambled in the last 7 days or 4 weeks) | (Hidden to respondents who have gambled in the last 7 days or 4 weeks) | (Hidden to respondents who have gambled in the last 7 days or 4 weeks) |
| I gamble with money that is available to me (i.e. not with borrowed money) | |||
| I gamble with other types of borrowed money instead of a credit card (e.g. loans, overdraft etc) |
Online Tracker Survey Questions (December 2020 and March 2021)
(Ask all who have gambled on at least one product)
Q70(NEW). Have you used any of the following forms of borrowed money specifically to fund gambling activity in the last 12 months? (tick all that apply)
- Credit card to directly fund gambling (e.g. depositing funds into an online account using a credit card or using a credit card in a gambling establishment)
- Credit card to indirectly fund gambling (e.g. withdrawing cash from an ATM using a credit card to pay for gambling)
- Overdraft facility
- Payday loans
- Other loans
- Family and friends
- Mobile phone account (adding the cost of gambling to your mobile phone bill to pay at a later date)
- None (Exclusive).
(Ask to anyone who has gambled with credit in the last 12 months (Code as at Q70(NEW). Only pull through the forms of credit they have used)
On the 14 April 2020 a ban came into force which prevents adults from gambling in Great Britain with a credit card. The ban applies to using a credit card to gamble online and in-persons, with the exception of buying tickets for lottery draws or scratchcards face to face in retail premises.
QCREDITWHEN: When did you use this form of borrowed money to fund gambling activity?
| Before April 2020 (i.e before the credit card ban came into force) | Since April 2020 (when the credit card ban came into force) | Both before April 2020 and since April 2020 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Credit card to directly fund gambling (e.g. depositing funds into an online account using a credit card or using a credit card in a gambling establishment) | LOGIC – Only applicable for those who have purchased NL tickets or scratchcards | LOGIC – Only applicable for those who have purchased NL tickets or scratchcards | |
| Credit card to indirectly fund gambling (e.g. withdrawing cash from an ATM using a credit card to pay for gambling) | |||
| Overdraft Facility | |||
| Payday Loans | |||
| Other Loans | |||
| Family and Friends | |||
| Mobile phone account (adding the cost of gambling to your mobile phone bill to pay at a later date) | |||
| None (Exclusive) |
(Ask to all who have used a credit card to directly fund gambling before April 2020 (Row 1, code A and C at QCREDITWHEN)
QCREDIT4: We are interested in how you have changed the way you fund your gambling since the ban on using a credit card to gamble came into force in April 2020 and whether this is as a result of the ban or because of something else.
Since the ban came into force in April 2020, which of these statements, if any, apply to you?
| Yes – as a result of the credit card ban | Yes – as a result of something else (e.g. saving money, unemployment, furlough etc) | No (Exclusive) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| I have stopped gambling altogether | (Hidden to respondents who have gambled in the last 7 days or 4 weeks) | (Hidden to respondents who have gambled in the last 7 days or 4 weeks) | (Hidden to respondents who have gambled in the last 7 days or 4 weeks) |
| I gamble with money that is available to me (i.e. not with borrowed money) | |||
| (LOGIC– Only applicable to those who have selected any other form of borrowed money since the ban (QCREDITWHEN row 2-7 codes b/c) I gamble with other types of borrowed money instead of a credit card (e.g. loans, overdraft etc) |
Online Tracker Survey Questions (June 2021)
(Ask all who have gambled on at least one product)
Q70(NEW). Have you used any of the following forms of borrowed money specifically to fund gambling activity in the last 12 months? (tick all that apply)
- Credit card to directly fund gambling (e.g. buying tickets for lottery draws or scratchcards in retail premises) (LOGIC – Only applicable for those who have purchased NL tickets or scratchcards)
- Credit card to indirectly fund gambling (e.g. withdrawing cash from an ATM using a credit card to pay for gambling)
- Overdraft facility
- Payday loans
- Other loans
- Family and friends
- Mobile phone account (adding the cost of gambling to your mobile phone bill to pay at a later date)
- None (Exclusive).
Appendix 1: ToC Participating Organisations Next section
Appendix 3: 2CV Questions
Last updated: 2 November 2021
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