Credit cards have existed in the UK since 1966. They were initially viewed with suspicion, as the majority of people were used to dealing in cash. This was a generation who simply did not buy things they couldn’t afford.
As time went on attitudes changed, until seemingly everyone had a ‘flexible friend’ in their back pocket, and spending on credit was normalised.
Then along came the internet, and online gambling soon after. This meant that the growing number of online bingo fans could use their credit cards to fund their accounts, just like they would use it to pay for their shopping.
Anyone looking for a bingo site that accepts credit cards today, however, will be disappointed. You won’t find one, and here’s why.
Credit Cards Banned for Gambling
As you should already know, bingo is gambling.
Back in 2020, with problem gambling on the rise and a lot of media attention rightly pointing out that not enough was being done to help vulnerable players, things changed.
In January, the government announced an industry wide ban on gambling with credit. This meant that paying for bingo tickets in clubs or online would no longer be allowed from April 2020.
This gave companies time to change their systems, and gave customers time to arrange a different payment method.
It was a long time coming, and many people were expecting it. As testament to how much the change was needed, the gambling industry barely made a peep. They accepted the rule change and some even publicly welcomed it.
The Betting and Gaming Council even said:
“We will implement a ban on credit cards and indeed our members will go further to study and improve the early identification of those at risk,”
The ban came in smoothly and with no problems or unintended consequences, and was generally accepted to have been a huge success.
It may have caused minor inconvenience to a handful of bingo players, but the greater good makes this one of the most positive gambling regulation changes in history.
Ewallet Funded by Credit Card
Some people pointed out that players could deposit money into an ewallet account via their credit card, then use the ewallet to find their bingo accounts, rendering the ban useless.
This potential loophole had already been considered though.
The Gambling Commission informed license holders that systems should be put in place to stop deposits from any ewallet that allowed gambling deposits by credit card.
They made their stance very clear:
“We explained in the credit cards consultation and in our responses that this would mean that operators could not accept any payment through an MSB (Money Service Business) unless the MSB has prevented the use of credit cards for gambling through their services. ”
Most big ewallets already had the ability to block credit card deposits being spent on gambling products, so this wasn’t too demanding of the bingo operators themselves.
So the loophole was closed before it even opened, and gambling on credit has been banned in the UK ever since.
Unlicensed Sites
The only exception to the ban on credit cards, is if you stumble across an unlicensed site by mistake.
There is a chance you could find a site like that accepting credit cards, but you should avoid these sites at all costs.
In fact, if you see a bingo site that does accept credit cards, this in itself is a massive red flag. An unlicensed site is not operating legally, and therefore does not follow the Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP).
This means you are putting yourself at risk if you choose to deposit money with them (by any means, not just credit cards).
They could refuse to pay out if you win, their games could be rigged, they could steal your information, and there would be little you could do about it.
These sites are unsafe. Do not use them.