Can you still gamble using a credit card in the UK?
Over the course of its relatively short history, many aspects that make up an online casino have undergone significant evolution. Graphics of modern-day online slots games are incomparable to the simplistic animations created decades ago while soundtracks have been enhanced to produce realistic atmospheres to accompany the games’ theme and game play.
However, one of the most essential domains of an online casino has witnessed much change over the years. Choosing a payment method is one of the first hurdles to negotiate before attacking the virtual gaming floor. But while one might expect to be able to select from the full range of payment methods that exist in the world, the rules are slightly different in the UK.
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No to Borrowing
On 14th April 2020, the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) announced a regulation that brought an immediate halt to using credit cards on online gambling websites and in land-based establishments. The move was one of the first stages in the tackling of problem gambling and although the problem is nowhere near being solved, the ban helped raise awareness of overspending and debt.
The notion that borrowed money should not be spent on gambling was also echoed by Sweden’s Finance Minister Niklas Wykman, who is pushing to follow in the footsteps of the UK and ban credit cards on online gambling platforms. And Sweden is not the only market to adopt this approach.
Australia has already banned the use of credit cards for all gambling in the country, while the Netherlands, who also tend to adopt a stricter approach to gambling, is currently discussing a potential ban. There are however markets that take a different approach to the topic, such as Italy, where credit cards are still permitted in gambling environments. Spain sits somewhere in the middle by banning players from using credit cards if they incur a €600 loss in a three-week period.
Alternative Avenues
While the UKGC has achieved a respectable amount of success with their credit card initiative, there are still ways UK-based players can access credit card casinos. Offshore online casinos and online bookmakers with licensing from other regulatory bodies are still available to UK players with the aid of a VPN. These alternative avenues to access online casino play pose another issue to the UKGC, but one that is out of their jurisdiction. Therefore, the responsibility lies squarely on the individual.
Wide choice of payment methods
Since 2020, credit cards have been well and truly chalked off the list of payment methods on UK-licensed gambling operators. But with debit cards, e-wallets, prepaid cards, and potentially cryptocurrency providing a wide pallet of payment options, there is choice. However, the objective to prevent borrowed money being spent and to raise awareness of gambling issues was achieved. Gambling with credit cards is still possible around the world, and while there are some less regulated pathways to such casinos in the UK, credit card payments on gambling websites have officially been out of fashion for a good few years now.
