A large number of prominent UK sports betting and gambling portals are now accepting credit card deposits from their customers, which has led such groups to warn that these websites https://non-gamstop-casinos.co.uk/ can lead to huge player debts. The Guardian recently reported on a troubled gambler who used nine different credit cards and spent hundreds of thousands of pounds at an online casino who seemed to ignore his growing addiction. The losses she suffered included £54,000 during a night of gambling and a website that allowed her to wager over £380,000 in a single session.
The UK Gambling Commission, which controls the country’s gambling industry, has banned gambling companies from accepting credit card deposits on their online platforms from April 14 this year. The move aims to protect vulnerable clients from accumulating huge debts.
Many expected the Gambling Commission to announce this long overdue ban on credit card betting. Based on well-known sources in the industry, this announcement has been made after extensive consultation with all stakeholders. Also, the move comes a couple of years after prominent charitable groups such as Citizens Advice and GambleAware urged the UK government to implement this new policy.
Complete ban on the use of credit cards on online gambling portals in the UK
The Gambling Commission will impose a total ban on the use of credit cards on all online gaming platforms in the UK. As a result, customers will need to use debit cards for any online gambling activity. The consultations that led to this decision included the use of e-wallets, suggesting that services such as PayPal would also be subject to the ban. Last year it emerged that providers accepting credit cards had overlooked instances of gambling problems, with players bypassing bank limits and actually spending up to £150,000 on gambling each day.
Gamstop membership will become mandatory
The UK Gambling Commission not only bans the use of credit cards, but also announces that Gamstop membership will become mandatory for all online casinos in order to obtain a gaming license. Gamstop allows people to voluntarily exclude themselves from gambling sites. It does not allow players to open new accounts on other websites and uses a comprehensive system to detect any attempts to defraud it, for example by using pseudonyms.
Returning to the ban on credit card gambling, it is worth noting that the prevention of credit-based gambling has been a labor policy for more than a year after MPs from various walks of life called on the government to prevent vulnerable customers from becoming addicted to gambling.
These latest regulatory interventions come amid rising expectations from the government that it will soon begin work on a new Gambling Act to replace the one passed in 2005 by Tony Blair’s government. As you may know, the current Gambling Law has been widely criticized for being lenient with gambling regulation in the country.