German Government bans Visa and Mastercard for online gambling

The German Government alongside gaming authorities have introduced a new set of measures that ban German players from using payment services, such as Visa and MasterCard when gambling online.

Pressure from the government and gaming authorities

The increasing number of unlicensed operators has pushed the country’s government and gaming authorities to weed out all these crimes with several measures. It is obvious that the decision by Visa and MasterCard to distance themselves from German online casino sites is due to the pressure from the government and gaming authorities.

German gamblers on a number of sites are already no longer able to make deposits or withdraw funds using Visa and MasterCard. However, Bwin, a popular iGaming developer, is still accepting Visa as a payment method but only when it comes to sports betting.

Lower Saxony‘s Minister of Interior and Recreation, Boris Pistorius, commented on the matter, saying:
 

Payment service providers are legally obliged to refrain from making payments in connexion with illegal gambling and if necessary immediately stop working with companies that practice illegal gambling.

The current situation of gambling in Germany

Since the country’s federal states have been in a raging battle pertaining to the ban on casinos, gambling in Germany has been a controversial topic for years. However, the states released a new state treaty on gambling and this will allow for the operation of licenses online casinos throughout the country. The authorities plan to implement the treaty next year.