Flutter to ban credit card betting in Ireland from April
Paddy Power operator will also adopt whistle-to-whistle style ad blackout in Irish market from 1 May
Flutter Entertainment will ban credit card betting in Ireland from the beginning of April as part of a wider focus on responsible gambling.
The operator’s Paddy Power, Betfair and Sky Bet brands will cease to accept credit card payments from customers on all online accounts and in shops.
Customers who use a credit card as their active payment method will need to replace that method with an available alternative. The implementation process is expected to take up to six weeks, with the ban taking effect from 6 April.
EGR understands the percentage of Flutter’s Irish customer base using credit cards to gamble online stands at single digits. A similar ban came into force in the UK in April 2020.
Flutter revealed that more than 8,227 Irish customers receive safer gambling messaging per month, with 157 customers targeted for safer gambling interactions following reviews of factors including spending.
The firm uses a predictive model based on behavioural analytics to predict the likelihood of players experiencing gambling-related harm.
It also confirmed that on average, 85 user accounts are restricted each month in Ireland where users do not engage with safer gambling interactions, such as applying obligatory deposit limits.
During 2020, Flutter also conducted a full impact analysis of the Covid-19 pandemic on gambling behaviours, with no increase in the number of customers identified as being at-risk. The operator has also cancelled its ‘cancel pending withdrawal’ facility for Irish customers.
Elsewhere, as Ireland considers tougher restrictions on gambling advertising, Flutter will adopt a UK-style whistle-to-whistle ban on ads during any sporting event aired before 9pm.
This removal of advertising will include GAA, soccer, rugby, golf, tennis, boxing, basketball, athletics, American football, darts and motor sports and will run from five minutes before the event begins until five minutes after it has finished.
However, this will not include Irish horseracing or greyhound racing.
In addition, Flutter will increase its total contribution to charitable organisations targeting gambling-related harm to 1% of total net gambling revenue in Ireland by 2023.
The FTSE 100 firm is expected to make donations totalling €1.25m (£1m) this year, rising to an estimated €3m annually by 2023.
“There is an extensive range of safer gambling measures already in place in our Irish business,” Flutter UK & Ireland CEO Conor Grant said. “There are clear benefits if these or similar measures were to be adopted market-wide in Ireland.
“We have not always got it right as an industry and we must ensure collectively that we are doing all we can to prevent problem gambling.
“The reality is that protection and promotion measures will continue to evolve over time and new measures will need to be considered to promote moderation, safety and enjoyment in this era of digital gambling.”
Grant added: “The influence of the smartphone, social media and on-demand streaming has been profound. We understand that legislating for these developments is complex and may take some time.
“We have decided to introduce several measures, well in advance of the legislation, to enhance the effectiveness of our safer gambling policies in Ireland.”