The Casinoplusbonus EN team examines a research study on how credit card bans in the UK have succeeded and who has been affected by them.. (Image by Alex Vyshnikov from Pixabay)
New research published by the UK’s National Centre for Social Research (NCSR) suggests that credit card bans for online gambling have affected low- to moderate-risk gamblers more than high-risk gamblers.
Now, for some, this might be cause for outrage or a ‘told you it wouldn’t work’ attitude. However, read on before jumping to conclusions because our title may admittedly be a little misleading when considering all the information in the report, despite our title still being factual.
The detailed NCSR report still concludes that banning UK operators from accepting credit cards has been a success in the fight against problem gambling.
However, more than anything, the results show that the ban has been partially successful. Banning the use of credit cards has not had the major effect organisations like the UKGC and Gambleaware would have liked, but all the same the results seem positive.
Either way, no credit cards in UK online casinos are always going to result in fewer people funding gambling using debt.
We support any ban on credit cards to fund online gambling here at Casinoplusbonus EN. We’ve even dedicated a guide to the topic – Warning: Avoid Online Casino Credit Card Deposits!
As a result, as a team, we took our time reading the report and discussing the results before releasing this news report. The idea is to remain completely partial, although the title may suggest otherwise.
Admittedly, it’s clickbait for those who are interested in the topic. Apologies in advance, but please read on as we delve into the nitty-gritty details of the results.
Source: See the results of the full report on the offcial NCSR website under its Evaluation of the Credit Card Ban report.
The Evaluation’s Overall Conclusion
The ban came into action in 2020 and has been the subject of a study by the NCSR for what looks like over three years. The main point made is that the credit ban has been a success, however, building awareness that a credit ban exists could have been better communicated.
In our opinion, as we are all players and we follow the changing laws in iGaming and gambling in the UK overall, we were aware of the credit ban from the day the UKGC forced all casinos to cease accepting credit card transaction.
The NCSR also says that the majority of feedback from gamblers that participated in the survey was positive. Especially from those who are families affected by a member who has had to deal with the negative affects of problem gambling.
Another point made was that the survey found that the credit card ban has not significantly change gambling patterns for all gamblers, which is an interesting point.
Key Stats From the Survey
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Ban Introduction | April 2020, UK-wide ban on credit card use for gambling |
| Awareness | 30-40% of gamblers aware of the ban |
| Main Impact Group | Low- to moderate-risk gamblers |
| Behavior Change | Limited behavior change for most gamblers |
| Ban Impact | Increased friction for all, especially for risky gamblers |
| Feedback | Generally positive from affected groups |
| Reach of Communications | Considered limited by report reviewers |
| Pandemic Influence | Hard to isolate impact during COVID-19 pandemic |
Dissecting the Success of Credit Bans in UK Land-Based and Online Casinos
The report suggests that the credit card ban has been partially successful. It achieved its goal of creating barriers to borrowing money for gambling, which was one of its primary aims. However, its overall impact, especially on gambling behaviours, was more limited than expected.
According to the stats, the credit ban appears to have affected low- to moderate-risk gamblers more than high-risk individuals. However, it is also important to note that it does not specifically state that low-risk gamblers were disproportionately affected.
Instead, it highlights that the ban had a general impact, with those aware of the ban being more likely to have moderate-to-high gambling issues. Low- to moderate-risk gamblers were less likely to be aware of the ban.
With that said, the report also mentioned that the results may be somewhat distorted because the pandemic complicated the survey. During that period, players changed the way they gamble, which could mean some of the survey results include irregular gambling patterns.
With the current results as they stand, the conclusion is that the credit card ban has shown mixed results rather than clear-cut success.
Casinoplusbonsu Building Awareness of UK Credit Card Bans
The Casinoplusbonus English-speaking international version covering the UK market was not online at that time, so naturally, we did not have a chance to communicate this news. However, in the lists on the Casinoplusbonus EN best UK online casinos page, any online casino reviews do mention that credit cards are banned. We’ve hopefully done out job building awareness.
In the UK Player Focused section on the best UK casinos page, we also mention that “Online casino players in the UK are spoilt for choice with numerous options to fund their online casino accounts. However, it is worth noting that you cannot fund any UK online gambling site with a credit card; if you want to play by card, you will need to use a debit card only“.
What are your comments on the matter? We would be interested to hear from any UK gamblers about when you became aware of the UK gambling credit card ban rolled out in April 2020. You can leave a comment or start a discussion in the Casinoplusbonus EN community forum.
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