Neil McArthur, Gambling Commission chief executive, said: "Credit card gambling can lead to significant financial harm. The ban that we have announced today should minimise the risks of harm to consumers from gambling with money they do not have.”
Culture Minister Helen Whately commented: "Whilst millions gamble responsibly, I have also met people whose lives have been turned upside down by gambling addiction. There is clear evidence of harm from consumers betting with money they do not have, so it is absolutely right that we act decisively to protect them."
The ban will apply to all online and offline gambling products except lotteries that are run for good causes. These lotteries will have to provide a significant layer of additional protection to vulnerable people.
The commission said that tickets for these lotteries, as well as for the National Lottery, can be bought using credit cards in supermarkets and newsagents as long as they are purchased with other products.
Under the new regulations, all online gambling operators will have to participate in the Gamstop self-exclusion scheme and offer it to all customers from 31 March. People who sign up for Gamstop are prevented from using British gambling websites and apps for a chosen period of time.
Brigid Simmonds, chairwoman of the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), said the industry body "strongly" welcomed the requirement for all companies to join GamStop.
Adam Bradford, co-founder of the Safer Online Gambling Group, said that while the credit card ban was "welcome", it was "not a silver bullet to solve the problem as the gambling industry still needs to improve in many areas - for instance, performing better affordability checks on players and being more careful with its advertising".
Source: GMB / BBC News
