Credit card ban in Irish gambling
The credit card ban is the rule in section 165 of the Gambling Regulation Act 2024 that forbids a licensee from accepting payment for gambling by credit card, from extending credit to a player, or from arranging credit in connection with a bet or game. It also reaches further than the card itself, because subsection (2) brings in any electronic or digital payment funded with money loaded from a credit card.
What section 165 actually covers
The prohibition binds the operator, not the player, and it applies to licensees holding a licence from the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland.
A licensee that breaks it commits an offence under section 165(4), with a class A fine or up to 12 months in prison on summary conviction, and up to 5 years on indictment. Section 165(3) also lets the GRAI prescribe further payment forms or account features as off-limits where it is satisfied they may contribute to compulsive gambling.
Where players meet the ban
You meet the ban at the deposit screen, where an Irish-licensed operator should offer debit cards and e-wallets but no credit card option.
The point most often misread is the e-wallet. Topping up a wallet with a credit card and then paying the bookmaker from that wallet is still caught, since subsection (2) looks at where the money came from rather than at the last step in the chain. Practice on how operators detect this varies, and the Act does not set out a method.
A site offering Irish customers a credit card deposit is a signal to check who issued its licence. A Curaçao or Malta licence does not bring section 165 with it, and the GRAI’s register is the place to confirm whether an operator holds an Irish licence at all.
