Starting from April 6 on in, Flutter Entertainment will no longer accept credit card payments in Ireland.
Credit Cards to Go from Flutter Entertainment’s Brands in Ireland
Flutter Entertainment is taking another step towards reining in problem gambling by introducing a ban on credit card payments and betting across the group’s brands in Ireland. Starting on April 6, Flutter is restricting all credit card transactions in a bid to bolster responsible gambling measures.
This means that customers who have been carrying out payments via a credit card at any of Flutter’s brands, including Sky, Betfair, or Paddy Power would need to switch to another method moving forward.
Flutter has historically promoted alternative payment methods, keeping the number of players using credit cards very low. The company’s efforts to bolster safer gambling have been well-documented, too.
Staying in Touch with Gamblers
Flutter sends an estimated 8,300 safer gambling recommendations a month in Ireland with other 160-odd customers targeted a little closer to make sure they stay safe and out of harm’s way. The company has confirmed that it is not hesitating to restrict accounts in cases where the company thinks consumers are gambling excessively.
Some 85 accounts per month need to be suspended from play as Flutter Entertainment’s analysts detect aberrant gambling behavior or consumers’ refusal to stick to responsible gambling measures in the first place.
Flutter has been keen on knowing everything about its customer base. Conducting a study on gambling interactions during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the company determined that its customer base has not developed a riskier behavior as a result.
Doing More to Make Gambling Safer
To bolster measures further, Flutter also removed a previously disputed feature that allowed customers to stop the withdrawal process. Faced with a tough choice moving forward, Flutter has to navigate the increasingly hostile Irish gambling regulation. Lawmakers want to see gambling become more limited in the country.
In light of a recent push by the country’s soccer bodies, Flutter is restricting the advertisement aired before the watershed, which is 9 pm. The company is also boosting its contributions to charities to help offset the potential gambling-related harm the industry causes.
As Flutter has decided to roll with the punches, the Irish Labor Party has voiced greater concerns about the safety of gamblers in the country. Not everyone is knives-out against gambling, though, with MPs acknowledging that trying to curtail regulated gambling too quickly would result in significant losses for the state coffers, sports and potentially lead to an exodus in the offshore market.
However, those in favor of stricter gambling measures argue that the “offshore market scarecrow” doesn’t lie in fact. Despite its own motivation, Flutter Entertainment is on the right path to making gambling in Ireland safer.