The ban on credit card gambling
The Gambling Commission's ban on gambling with credit cards came into effect on 14 April 2020 [1]. It followed the Commission's review of online gambling, and a public consultation carried out between August and November 2019 [1].
The Commission said the ban applies to all online and offline gambling products, with the exception of non-remote lotteries [1]. Its player guide lists online betting, high street bookmakers and track bookmakers among the businesses covered [2]. Licence condition 6.1.2 says licensees must not accept payment for gambling by credit card [3].
The Commission says gambling businesses must reduce gambling-related harm, and that an important part of this is not allowing people to gamble with money that they may not have [4].
Research cited in the Commission's announcement found that 22% of online gamblers using credit cards to gamble were classed as problem gamblers [1]. The announcement also referred to consumers who had accumulated tens of thousands of pounds of debt through gambling [1].
How the ban applies to e-wallets
An e-wallet, or electronic wallet, allows you to combine multiple payment methods [5]. The Commission gives PayPal and Skrill as examples of e-wallet providers [5].
The credit card ban includes using a credit card through an e-wallet, or to deposit money into your e-wallet [5]. Licence condition 6.1.2 adds that the ban includes payments to the licensee made by credit card through a money service business [3].
Gambling companies must make sure an e-wallet provider does not let customers fund their wallet with a credit card and then gamble with those funds [5]. They will need to reject all payments made through an e-wallet provider that does not block this [5].
In its 2021 evaluation of the ban, the Commission said it was satisfied that digital wallets loaded with credit cards cannot be used for gambling [6].
Debit cards and other payment methods
The ban is on credit cards. The Commission's 2021 evaluation of the ban says the vast majority of remote gambling deposits are made by debit cards [6]. Some betting sites may also allow digital payment services such as Apple Pay [5].
Licence condition 5.1.2 says remote betting licensees must only accept payment from customers using their gambling facilities in Great Britain by a method involving payment services provided by a payment service provider, as defined in regulation 2 of the Payment Services Regulations 2017 [7].
| Payment method | Position | What the Commission says |
|---|---|---|
| Credit cards | Banned | Licensees must not accept payment for gambling by credit card [3]. |
| E-wallets | Accepted only if credit card funding is blocked | Companies need to reject all payments made through an e-wallet provider that does not block credit card funds [5]. |
| Debit cards | Used for most remote deposits | The vast majority of remote gambling deposits are made by debit cards [6]. |
| Digital payment services such as Apple Pay | Some betting sites may allow them | Some betting sites may also allow you to use digital payment services such as Apple Pay [5]. |
Source: Gambling Commission licence conditions and player guides, read on 16 October 2026.
Deposit and withdrawal fees and conditions
Licence condition 7.1.1 says the terms on which gambling is offered must not be unfair, must be transparent, and must be made available to customers in an easily accessible way [8]. The Commission's e-wallet guide says the company should tell you if there are minimum deposit limits or fees [5].
Fees on dormant accounts, meaning accounts unused for at least 12 months, must be reasonable and clearly set out in the company's terms and conditions [9].
You can withdraw your money at any time without unreasonable delay or restriction, and you do not have to withdraw it in instalments [10]. The Commission's guidance to operators says players must be informed that they are allowed to withdraw their deposit balance at any time [11].
That guidance says no term may set any maximum limit on the amount a consumer may withdraw from their deposit balance [12]. Its example of what not to do is a term allowing you to withdraw up to £50 per day and up to £500 per week [12]. Operators may still limit the size or number of withdrawals, but any such limit must be reasonable [12].
Operators are not prevented from deducting a cost-reflective processing fee for withdrawals, but this must be made clear to players before they deposit [12]. Any fee should not exceed a reasonable estimate of the costs incurred directly by the operator [11]. Players must not be charged if they wish to withdraw the entirety of their deposit balance [12].
Remote Technical Standard 14B says consumers must not be given the option to cancel their withdrawal request [13]. Its implementation guidance adds that once a customer requests a withdrawal, they should not be given the option to deposit using those funds [13].
How withdrawals relate to identity checks
Licence condition 17.1.1 says licensees must establish a customer's identity before that customer is permitted to gamble, using information that includes the customer's name, address and date of birth [14]. Before permitting a deposit, licensees should tell customers what types of identity documents may be needed [14]. Our guide to age and identity checks and withdrawals covers the checks themselves.
The same condition says a withdrawal request must not result in a requirement for additional information as a condition of withdrawal if the licensee could reasonably have asked for it earlier [14]. It does not stop a licensee seeking information it must obtain because of any other legal obligation [14].
The Commission also says you may be stopped from withdrawing if unusual activity has been spotted in your account, but a business should not hold on to your money unnecessarily [10]. A business cannot confiscate your money if you do not log in or prove your identity within a certain timeframe [10].
How your money is protected
Any gambling business you make a bet with must tell you whether your money has any protection if the business goes bust [15]. It must make clear in its terms and conditions which of three ratings applies to customer funds: not protected, medium protection or high protection [16].
- Not protected. Your money would be classed as part of the gambling company's assets if it becomes insolvent, and you would likely lose any money in your account [17].
- Medium protection. The business has made arrangements to protect your money if it becomes insolvent, with insurance given as one example, but it is not absolutely guaranteed that you will get your money back [18].
- High protection. Your money is held in a separate account that is legally recognised as separate from the business, controlled by an independent trustee and checked by an external auditor [19].
Money staked on open bets, where the customer has paid for a bet and the event has not happened yet, is not considered to be customer funds, so the business's arrangements to protect customer funds do not cover it [16].
Check the business's licence first
The licence conditions in this guide bind businesses that hold a Gambling Commission licence. Before opening an account or depositing funds, check the business's licence on the regulator's public register. Some brands have their own page with their register entry, such as BoyleSports or BetVictor.
If gambling is a problem
Safer gambling and help lists the National Gambling Helpline and other support. Managing payment methods and setting deposit limits can help you control spending, but if gambling is causing harm you can talk to someone today.
Sources
The numbers in the text point to these pages. Each was opened on the date shown.
- Gambling Commission, Gambling on credit cards to be banned from April 2020 (14 January 2020). Read 16 October 2026.
- Gambling Commission, Gambling using a credit card (page last updated 23 November 2021). Read 16 October 2026.
- Gambling Commission, LCCP Condition 6.1.2: Use of credit cards. Read 16 October 2026.
- Gambling Commission, Why we banned gambling with credit cards (page last updated 12 November 2024). Read 16 October 2026.
- Gambling Commission, Using e-wallets to bet online (page last updated 11 June 2021). Read 16 October 2026.
- Gambling Commission, Prohibition of gambling on credit cards: Credit cards and digital wallets (2 November 2021). Read 16 October 2026.
- Gambling Commission, LCCP Condition 5.1.2: Payment methods and services. Read 16 October 2026.
- Gambling Commission, LCCP Condition 7.1.1: Fair and transparent terms and practices. Read 16 October 2026.
- Gambling Commission, Information companies must give you about your account (page last updated 25 February 2025). Read 16 October 2026.
- Gambling Commission, I can't withdraw my winnings (page last updated 11 June 2021). Read 16 October 2026.
- Gambling Commission, Restrictions on withdrawing deposit and deposit winnings (page last updated 28 May 2024). Read 16 October 2026.
- Gambling Commission, Maximum withdrawal limits (page last updated 15 February 2022). Read 16 October 2026.
- Gambling Commission, Online games design and reverse withdrawals: prohibition of reverse withdrawals for all remote operators (page last updated 1 February 2021). Read 16 October 2026.
- Gambling Commission, LCCP Condition 17.1.1: Customer identity verification. Read 16 October 2026.
- Gambling Commission, What happens to your money if a gambling business goes bust (page last updated 10 September 2025). Read 16 October 2026.
- Gambling Commission, Information on customer funds (your money) (page last updated 10 September 2025). Read 16 October 2026.
- Gambling Commission, If your money is not protected (page last updated 10 September 2025). Read 16 October 2026.
- Gambling Commission, If your money has medium protection (page last updated 10 September 2025). Read 16 October 2026.
- Gambling Commission, If your money has high protection (page last updated 10 September 2025). Read 16 October 2026.
About this guide
Published by Avenmark Media. A separate pass re-opened every source above and checked each claim against it, on . A second, independent check compared a sample of the claims with the same sources. How we research and correct our pages.
Found a mistake? Email [email protected]. We correct the page, change its updated date and say what changed.