Mastercard and Visa accused of being available on illegal gambling platforms

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Debit cards, Mastercard and Visa have been accused of allowing customers to use their cards on unlicensed gambling websites. 

According to an investigation by Investigate Europe, the two companies are allowing players to make transactions on nine websites that are targeting and scamming UK customers. 

The nine websites in question appear on search engines and are heavily advertised on social media sites, with the five most popular websites having around four million site visits from UK players between October and December last year.

Customers have made several complaints about these websites, including FatPirate. An unlicensed UK website and that advertises a welcome bonus of up to £425 – has been accused of rejecting withdrawal attempts. 

One customer claimed they couldn’t withdraw their £6,000 winnings after spending over £3,000 in deposits using the banking cards.

Iain Duncan-Smith, who is the chair of the all-parliamentary group on gambling reform, said: “These companies must immediately up their game and start blocking all unlicensed gambling site transactions.” 

According to the Betting & Gaming Council, an industry lobby that represents licensed operators, said that UK customers spend more than £2.7bn on unlicensed websites each year. They claim that the “illegal and growing gambling black market” posed a “significant threat” to players. 

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) chief executive Andrew Rhodes added what the threats are for using an unlicensed website. He claimed: “Your financial data could be stolen, harvested or misused and you may not even be paid out if you win.”

As part of a Freedom of Information request from the report, there were over 900 complaints about unlicensed websites in 2023 and 2024. Several of these complaints mention using Mastercard and Visa as a method to deposit money. 

Many of the websites named were still offering UK specific welcome bonuses, one of which was a welcome bonus of up to £1,800. Mastercard and Visa are both listed as deposit options on these platforms. 

It’s understood that both companies profit a small percentage of every transaction that customers make using their card. The two companies, alongside PayPal, had agreed to block payments to unlicensed websites back in 2014. 

In a statement acknowledging the accusations, Mastercard said it had “zero tolerance for illegal activity” on its network and that when issues were identified, it investigated them so it could “work with partners to take the appropriate action.” 

“We will now do that with the sites you noted,” a spokesperson said.

Visa added in a separate response that illegal activity on its network was “explicitly and unequivocally” prohibited. “We take this very seriously and investigate all reports of illegal activity.”

They added that the company has “no direct relationship with merchants” but works with partners to terminate those selling illegal services, and “constantly invests” in “best-in-class technology” to enforce compliance.

To learn more, visit our responsible gambling at casinos page which also offers resources and advice on where to seek help if needed.