Revolut blocks credit card payments to Irish gambling websites

Banking app Revolut has announced it will be banning credit card payments to gambling websites in Ireland amid concerns that operators are accepting the payment option to circumvent current restrictions.

With credit card betting being banned in Ireland under industry rules, it was previously possible for customers to fund their Revolut account with a credit card and use it to deposit with an online betting account.

However, just as it has done in the UK already, Revolut is now deploying technology in Ireland that can identify payments drawn from credit cards and stop them from being used on gambling websites.

The move follows an investigation carried out by the Irish Independent which reported betting firms in the country were profiting from credit card payments coming via contactless apps including Apple Pay, Google Pay and Revolut – a situation that operators themselves have described as a “loophole”.

Speaking of the decision, a spokesperson for Revolut told the Irish Independent: “Revolut is planning to block the use of credit card funds on gambling sites in Ireland in the same way that we do in the UK. This is in addition to the 48-hour gambling block that all users can currently activate themselves.”

With Revolut having 1.5 million users in Ireland, it’s not yet clear how much betting firms stand to lose from the move, especially as they can’t identify which Revolut payments are made via credit card.

The Irish Bookmakers Association has also confirmed that betting companies have no visibility over the breakdown of debit and credit card bets placed via Revolut, emphasising that operators in the country have not technically broken any of the current credit card gambling rules by accepting them.

Back in June 2020, the Gambling Commission called on UK banks and operators to prevent customers from making credit card deposits through e-wallet and electronic payment services such as Revolut.