Revolut has opted to prohibit credit card payments to Irish gambling websites.
The decision was made after an investigation revealed that betting businesses in the nation are taking advantage of contactless credit card payments made via Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Revolut.
Direct credit card betting is currently prohibited in Ireland due to industry regulations.
“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,” a spokesperson for the payments firm said.
“This is in addition to the 48-hour gambling block that all users can currently activate themselves.”
Revolut, which has 1.5 million Irish customers, may be funded through credit card, bank transfer, or debit card.
It has created technology that can detect Revolut payments made using credit cards and prevent them from being used to fund gambling sites.
Currently, the corporation employs this approach to segregate debit and credit cards for gaming sites in the United Kingdom, where credit card payments are prohibited by law.
The Irish Bookmakers Association, which is responsible for enforcing Ireland's voluntary Safer Gaming Code, stated that the betting companies had technically not violated credit card gambling regulations.
According to a representative for Junior Justice Minister James Browne, who is in charge of the Government's intentions to establish a gaming authority in Ireland, credit card betting through apps is "beyond the minister's purview."
He stated that the situation should be brought to the attention of the Irish Bookmakers Association. The minister’s spokesperson added that the proposed new gambling regulator will have “discretion to prohibit the use of credit cards where it is of the opinion that the use of that form of payment contributes to problematic gambling and behaviours”.
Paddy Power, Ireland's largest bookmaker, said it was unclear how much money the business will lose as a result of the decision since it does not know whether payments from Revolut are made using credit cards.
By fLEXI tEAM
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