The UKGC Announced that the Credit Card Gambling Ban Came into Force in the UK

The UK Gambling Commission has enforced the credit card gambling ban on the 14^th of April. Live Casino players who used to gamble using a credit card are no longer allowed to.

The widely-publicized ban came into effect three days ago, and the UK Gambling Commission announced its start. This means that all Live Dealer games players would have to look for alternative options for funding their accounts and cashing out their wins. eWallets that function on credit cards are also off-limits.

The UK Gambling Commission Announced the Start of the Credit Card Gambling Ban

The UK gambling regulator issued a statement informing all UK operators and players that as of the 14^th of April, the credit card gambling ban had officially come into force. The UK Gambling Commission, along with the Department of Culture, Media and Sport announced the ban in January 2020, but plans for implementing it have been in the making for a while. In fact, in 2019, between August and November, there was a public consultation on this topic. The Government’s Review of Gaming Machines and Social Responsibility Measures was carried out, too, and all this led to the eventual decision on implementing the ban.

The much-anticipated law applies to all online gambling transactions with a credit card, and any credit card-associated payment methods, such as eWallets. This means that all Live Casino players that used to deposit and withdraw with credit cards, or eWallets that work with credit cards, can no longer do so.

The main reason for the ban was protecting from harm the 10.5 million players in the UK who gamble online. As many studies have shown, more than 800,000 UK players use credit cards for online gambling purposes, and 22% of them are actually suffering from gambling-related harm or are, indeed, problem gamblers.

On that note, the Commission also reminded operators that they could accept eWallets as payment methods, as long as those eWallets did not allow the use of credit cards for gambling purposes.

Noticing that some players were changing their gambling habits while being stuck at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Commission said that it had to remind players of how they should be protected and kept safe by operators when gambling online.

Neil McArthur, the UK Gambling Commission’s Chief Executive said that the credit card gambling ban came at the right time, considering since the lockdown began, an increase in the playing of some online products was noticed. The credit card ban would help with keeping players safe in this aspect, too.

McArthur explained that the ban would further protect players from financial harms, and ultimately reduce the risks of harm to players who were playing with money they did not have.

The Regulator Encouraged Responsible Gambling

While it was highly important for operators to keep their players safe, the Commission also reminded those players that felt the need to seek help, to do so by contacting the National Gambling Helpline.

Calling the number 0808 8020 13 or visiting the gamcare.org.uk website, those players worried about their own or someone else’s behaviour could find advice and support by the National Gambling Helpline, always there to assist anyone affected by gambling-related harms and problems.

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