In the United Kingdom and the Gambling Commission regulator has reportedly announced that domestic punters are to soon be forbidden from using their credit cards to lodge any type of online and land-based wager.

According to a report from the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), the new restriction is set to come into force from April 14 some two years after the Citizens Advice and GambleAware charities began urging the government to implement policies to further protect people from developing an addiction to gambling.

Lottery loophole:

However, the BBC reported that the coming control will not apply to scratchcards or lottery tickets bought in newsagents and supermarkets as part of a larger purchase as the Gambling Commission declared that doing so would have placed a ‘disproportionate burden on retailers.’

Additional defence:

The BBC reported that the imminent prohibition is to moreover exempt debit card purchases although it will require licensed iGaming operators to sign up to the Gambling Commission’s Gamstop self-exclusion scheme and begin offering the service to players before a March 31 deadline. The broadcaster reported that punters who sign up for this advance at one site are to be automatically prohibited from accessing any other British online gaming service including mobile-friendly domains.

Pervasive problem:

Neil McArthur, Chief Executive for the Gambling Commission, reportedly told the BBC that approximately 24 million adults in the United Kingdom gamble with about 10.5 million of these utilizing online sites. He also purportedly explained that recent research has indicated that around 22% of punters who place wagers online using a credit card have a gambling problem.

Reportedly read a statement from McArthur…

“Credit card gambling can lead to significant financial harm. The ban that we have announced today should minimize the risks of harm to consumers from gambling with money they do not have. We also know that there are examples of consumers who have accumulated tens of thousands of pounds of debt through gambling because of credit card availability. There is also evidence that the fees charged by credit cards can exacerbate the situation because the consumer can try to chase losses to a greater extent.”