William Hill announced that it will ban the use of credit cards for online betting in Ireland. The ban starts this week, as reported by the Irish Independent.
“It’s our ambition that nobody is harmed by gambling. We’re getting in touch to let you know that we will be voluntarily removing credit card deposits as a payment option,” the company said.
The giant gambling firm’s decision comes after reports by the Irish Independent stating that several betting companies still accept credit card payments in contravention of the Irish Safer Gambling Code.
Some companies that claim not to accept credit card bets reportedly do so through apps such as Apple Pay and Revolut.
Revolut told the Irish Independent that it would soon introduce new technology. This will allow companies separate credit and debit card gambling deposits.
New Regulations
The Irish Bookmakers Association says that they have no power to sanction credit card gambling. This is because the Irish Government has not formally outlawed it.
The Irish Government plans to introduce a new gambling regulator. The regulator will have the power to sanction betting firms for breaking the law. Reportedly, one of the measures that will be outlawed is credit card betting. The regulator will be introduced by the end of this year, or at the beginning of next.
Both Apple and Google provided Irish betting apps with a measure to stop card gambling through Apple Pay and Google Pay. However, a handful of local betting companies have been ignoring this measure.
In October last year, the Irish Times reported that free bets will be banned in Ireland as part of the new gambling laws. In addition, the regulator will have the power to revoke or suspend gambling licenses. It will also be able to freeze accounts and block incoming payments to providers.
