Gambling Commission Publishes Interim Report On The Ban On Gambling With Credit Cards

• Published date: 18 March 2022
• Subject Matter: Media, Telecoms, IT, Entertainment, Gaming
• Law Firm: Herbert Smith Freehills
• Author: Ms Hayley Brady and James Balfour

EU - GAMING, GAMBLING AND ESPORTS

On 2 November 2021, the Gambling Commission published its interim report on the ban on the use of credit cards in UK consumer gambling. This interim report reviews the effectiveness of the ban during the 'monitoring phase' since the ban was introduced in April 2020, and assesses whether it has met its initial objectives.

Key date(s)

• 1 January 2020 - The Department for Culture, Media and Sport ('DCMS') and the Gambling Commission (the 'Commission') announced the ban on the use of credit cards in consumer gambling.
• 14 April 2020 - The ban came into force, preventing individuals in the UK using credit cards to gamble.
• June 2021 - NatCen Social Research began their evaluation of the impact of the credit card ban.
• 2 November 2021 - The report on the prohibition of gambling on credit cards (The 'Report') is published.
• February 2023 - NatCen's evaluation is scheduled to conclude and the final evaluation report published.

Status

• In response to growing concerns surrounding the use of borrowed money in online gambling as expressed in the Commission's March 2018 Review of Online Gambling and the DCMS response to the consultation on proposals for changes to Gaming Machines and Social Responsibility Measures, the DCMS announced in January 2020 that a ban on using credit cards for gambling payments was to be introduced (the 'Ban').
• The Ban extended to any form of consumer gambling, including online gambling, and specifically included gambling through e-wallets. Although support for a similar ban had been growing for some time as the reports outlined above demonstrate, the April 2020 introduction of the Ban was ultimately very timely as Neil McArthur, the Commission's former chief executive, explained in his comments at the Ban's launch. Specifically, McArthur noted that the Commission's 'online search analysis show[ed] an increase in UK consumer interest in gambling products since the lockdown began' and that consequently the Ban would enable gambling operators to increase their ability to keep people safe during the first stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The publication of the Report is designed to provide an overview of the 'monitoring phase' of the Ban and evaluate its initial impact. Looking further ahead, NatCen Social Research ('NatCen') have been appointed to produce a full evaluation of the Ban's performance. NatCen's initial research began in June 2021 and the final evaluation is expected to be published in February...