Every single casino in the world, except those in the UK, will accept a credit card to deposit and withdraw, this makes the method one the most accessible and easiest to use of all banking options.
This convenience does however come with a catch, many credit card transactions to gambling sites are considered cash and therefore will likely carry some fees from your bank.
Credit cards are easy to use and offer players a flexible means to fund casino accounts. Any liability is also shared with your card provider should you be a victim of fraud, offering you more protection than with other funding mechanisms.
Most casinos that accept credit cards however also accept debit cards, if you would like to avoid fees, or you are playing in the UK, then consider using a debit card.
- Credit Card:
- Casinos
- Gambling
- Deposits / Withdrawals
- Verification
Online Casinos That Accept Credit Cards
We no longer recommend any casinos for credit cards following the UK ban on funding betting accounts using the method that came in on 14th April 2020. If you are playing outside the UK with a non-UK account you can still use them, see our debit card page for a list of operators as all will accept credit cards for those betting abroad.
The ban was brought in following recommendations in a government report and UKGC review in 2018. The restriction is in place due to the high percentage of problem gamblers that use credit cards to fund accounts.
This will include using credit cards to fund accounts via payment services providers and eWallets such as Neteller, Skrill and PayPal. Generally the ban has been well recieved, although a few people who use credit for legitiamate reasons could lose out the overall safer environment created should result in a fairer industry as a whole.
To see a full list of credit card betting sites visit our online bookmaker banking section.
How To Use Credit Cards for Gambling
Using credit cards to gamble is completely legal if gambling is legal in the country that you are attempting to play from (other than the UK). If however your credit card provider is based in a country where gambling is not legal or unregulated then there is a possibility they may block you funding and account, irrespective of where you are currently living in.
To stand the best chance of using a credit card seamlessly to deposit use a provider based in the same country from which you playing. Occasionally the credit card provider may block an initial transaction if they believe it could be fraudulent. This can happen if your account is new or you haven’t used your credit card much in the past for these types of payments. This can be overridden easily by phoning your provider, explaining what you are doing and asking them to add a note to your file allow future transactions.
Some US based companies, such as American Express and Discover, do not encourage gambling transactions. Many sites will also not accept them anyway due to higher commission fees. The best providers to use are Visa and MasterCard.
Depositing With a Credit Card
If you have a credit card you will likely have already used it to buy something online, the process of funding a casino or betting site (outside of the UK) is exactly the same.
Enter your billing address, long card number, expiry date, name on the card and security code (CSC) along with a deposit amount and press deposit.
Your funds will instantly be added to your online wallet although the card must be registered in your name and not somebody elses. It will also help if your billing address is the same as the address you use to register with the website.
Credit card payments generally attract the lowest deposit minimums and some of the highest maximums.
Remember however your credit card will have its own a maximum credit amount that you cannot go over.
Credit Card Deposit Fees
Again I must stress that most credit card transactions to gambling sites are classified as cash transfers not purchases. This means that you will generally pay a fee for this service to your card provider. This varies a lot depending on your bank and will either be a flat fee, a percentage of the transaction or a combination of both.
If your credit card is interest or fee free then this will only usually apply to purchases not cash transactions. You may therefore also need to pay interest on the balance paid in cash to the casino, these rates can be very high, up to 30% or more. Credit cards do exist that do not charge fees for cash or interest on cash balances, although these tend to be high end versions not available to most people.
If you want to avoid fees, or you live in the UK, consider using a debit card. If you are using a credit card because you want to keep your transactions separate from your main account then there are other options with less or no fees such as using pre-paid debit cards, digital wallets such as PayPal or cash voucher systems.
There is no reason why the casino or betting site itself should issue a fee on any credit card payment. These payments cost the operator little more to process than a debit card payment and if your casino does charge you to use a card I would recommend using one of the many sites that don’t.
Credit Card Limited Liability
One of the main advantages of using a credit card to deposit is the enhanced fraud protections afforded to you. In the UK the consumer has a limited liability for credit card payments so in the unlikely event that you were a victim of fraud or misselling you can claim against both the supplier and the credit card issuer under the under the consumer credit act 1974 (section 75).
The fact that using a credit card to gamble in the UK is now illegal but other countries have similar rules it is worth checking.
Credit Scores
Your credit score reflects the financial risk group you fall within. A low credit score means you have a higher risk associated with you. This will not only restrict the type of cards you can get it will also increase the level of interest and fees you will need to pay. At the same time those with low credit scores will have lower credit limits extended to them.
A low credit limit can occur if you have a history of defaulting on debt or if you have any financial judgements against you. A low credit score can also happen if you do not use much credit, you can only achieve a higher score by taking and using credit. For this reason younger people have generally lower credit scores than older people.If using a credit card to gamble consider your credit score, if you have a low credit score you may be far better off using a debit card instead and building up your credit score by other means.
Withdrawing With a Credit Card
Withdrawals back onto a credit card will take up to 3 working days (to non-UK accounts), and possibly longer depending on how long your casino takes to process the transaction once your withdrawal request is submitted.
If a casino also has a pending period this will also delay you getting your money back. Pending, or holding periods, are designed to give you chance to reverse your withdrawal, these can often be overridden by manually flushing your cash through into processing. In general give yourself up to five days to get your withdrawal.
Minimum limits are low, usually equivalent to the deposit amount. Maximums also tend to be the highest. There should be no fees charged by either your bank or the casino/betting site to withdraw.
Bear in mind however that if you withdraw cash to a credit card it is more difficult to get it back out. If you withdraw cash from an ATM or transfer it to a bank account you will pay those dreaded credit card cash fees again. If you do withdraw to a credit card it is best to leave the money in the account to use for purchases.
Credit Card Types
Visa, MasterCard and AmEx
The clear majority of credit card providers use either Visa or MasterCard to power payments. You can see which one your provider uses by looking at the logo on your card. American Express is also a common credit card provider but cannot usually be used for gambling transactions, although you may be able to use AmEx through an intermediary digital wallet system.
There are no particular benefits to using either Visa or MasterCard. Occasionally minimum and maximum limits can vary slightly depending on your casino operator however fees, processing times and security are all equivalent. All casinos that accept credit cards will take payments powered by both providers.
Many credit cards have reward schemes that offer cash back, points, prizes and other incentives for using them. Beware however the incentives will rarely outweigh the fee costs for cash transactions and should not be a reason on their own for you to use a credit card instead of a debit card, or other payment form.
Digital Credit Cards
If you only use a credit card to make online purchases then there is no actual need to hold a physical card. Many providers now offer digital credit cards, these operate on the exact same principles with the same rules and protections, and can often be more competitive in terms and conditions than conventional credit accounts.
Pre-paid credit cards are a contradiction in terms, although you will see these products advertised they are not true credit cards as no credit is actually extended.
Account Verification Using Credit Cards
If you do decide to use a credit card to deposit to your casino then providing your registered addresses are the same and within the country you are trying to gamble, this can actually make verifying your casino account a very easy process.
This is because many casinos use soft credit checking to confirm your name, date of birth and address without you ever knowing. These checks are perfectly legal and do not affect your credit score. Of course not every site used this form of verification and quite often additional checks need to be made any way, especially if you have different billing addresses. You can read more about how to verify an account in our betting guides section.
It is a legal requirement in the United Kingdom for casino operators to know their customers and so they are required to perform identification checks. These ensure you are of legal gambling age, are residing in the country where you want to play and you are not trying to commit fraud. Largely these verification steps are there to protect you and the casino site.
Security
Credit card payments, from the consumer and merchant point of view, are one of the most secure payment means. The fact that payments are guaranteed immediately following authourisation means they are highly trusted by casino sites and the limited liability to the consumer makes them safer to use too.
From a payment provider point of view however a credit card carries a risk, extending credit depends on trust. This is one reason why limits, fees and interest rates range so much as your own credit line depends on your previous credit history.
As with any form of card payment the more sites you have your card details registered with the more opportunity there is for those details to be stolen. Many therefore prefer to use digital eWallets such as PayPal as an intermediary for a credit card payment (again only outside the UK). This way you only need to store your details once, reducing the risk of them being stolen while also giving the convenience of easy updating when your card does expire.