Online Gambling With Visa No Longer An Option In Germany

• Visa credit card company has banned German gamblers from using their credit cards on internet gambling sites.
• Credit cards and online gambling have always been an issue worldwide, with the United States implementing the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA) in 2006.

BERLIN, Germany – The people of Germany will no longer be allowed to use their Visa credit cards to gamble online as the credit card company has put a stop to their services in the country regarding such operations.

Germany has strict laws about gambling with internet casinos, forbidding it by law, but gamblers still do it with the use of sportsbooks in other countries.

Germany cannot regulate operators that are outside of their borders allowing a loophole for how German bettors are capable of accessing these sites.

The country does allow for online sports betting but most platforms offer both casino games and sports betting to their customers. There is no way to stop members from playing casino games because they are given access to the entire list of gaming options on the website.

To get people to abide by the law, Visa has stepped in to cut off their financial services so that members may no longer engage in these illegal activities.

Online Gambling And The Credit Card Conundrum

While Visa has completely banned the use of their cards by people in Germany wanting to gamble online, some payments are still going through.

Not many, but a few.

This is something that plagues internet gambling enthusiasts all over the world and is quite prevalent in the United States. Although credit card companies haven’t specifically stopped funding with these platforms in the U.S. like Visa did in Germany, using credit cards is one of the most difficult methods of payment for Americans that are members of these websites,

The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA) is what causes problems for people in the United States trying to use their credit cards to gamble on the internet.

“The Act prohibits gambling businesses from knowingly accepting payments in connection with the participation of another person in a bet or wager that involves the use of the Internet and that is unlawful under any federal or state law (termed “restricted transactions” in the Act).”

Although the Act is nearly 14 years old, it’s pretty hit and miss with internet gambling platforms.

As more and more states are allowing for legal sports betting and online gambling to be legal forms of gaming, the Act becomes more obsolete.

Gamblers and lawmakers that are gaming advocates have asked countless times for it to be repealed as it no longer makes sense in today’s society,

But because of its existence, it still red flags players on these gambling sites in the United States every now and then.

Members have the funds but their payments are declined. There is nothing wrong with the card or being without money, it’s simply a side effect of the UIGEA.

Gamblers in the U.S. still use their credit cards on these platforms daily to make transactions. Others worldwide do the same, and according to German players, some of their Visa payments are still making it through.

Internet gambling and credit cards have had a rocky relationship history but they seem to somehow always work it out.

The UIGEA is a nuisance yet it does not completely halt a gambler from using their credit cards to bet on the internet. As the U.S. embraces the once taboo topic of gambling and online gambling at that, people will find it easier to use their credit cards to place bets.

Those living in Germany may have to find alternate forms of payment like cryptocurrency to gamble online due to the Visa company’s personalized ban though.

News tags: Germany | online gambling | UIGEA | Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 | Visa