Europe: gambling payment rules by country

European countries regulate gambling payments nationally. Ireland bans credit cards outright, Sweden bars gambling financed by credit, Germany caps deposits across all operators at €1,000 a month, and Spain is introducing joint limits across operators. EU anti-money laundering law sets a common €2,000 due diligence threshold for gambling.

By Clera Dukuk · Published 24 October 2026

Coverage

Ireland, Sweden, Germany, Spain, Netherlands, Italy, Denmark, Belgium and EU law

Sources checked

24 October 2026

Next review

24 January 2027

Country summary

Ireland

Section 165 of the Gambling Regulation Act 2024 says a licensee must not "accept payment for a relevant gambling activity by credit card", extend credit, or arrange credit in connection with gambling. The ban covers e-money or digital payments "which uses money loaded from a credit card", and the regulator may ban other payment forms. Breach is a criminal offence. Section 165 commenced on 5 February 2026 under S.I. No. 31/2026. It binds licensees of the new Gambling Regulatory Authority, so its reach grows as operators move to the new licences.

Sweden

An amendment to chapter 14, section 8 of the Gambling Act (2018:1138), approved by the Riksdag on the basis of committee report 2025/26:KrU3 and in force from 1 May 2026, says licensees and agents may not allow or take part in gambling being financed with credit, and must take suitable measures to prevent it (committee report 2025/26:KrU3). Since 1 July 2023 the government can require payment service providers to supply data and reject payment orders for unlicensed gambling, replacing an older payment-blocking order power.

Germany

Under § 6c of the 2021 State Treaty on Gambling, players set a monthly deposit limit that applies across all licensed providers, and "Das anbieterübergreifende Einzahlungslimit darf grundsätzlich 1000 Euro im Monat nicht übersteigen" (as a rule, may not exceed €1,000 a month). A central limit file tracks it. § 4 bans taking part in payments for unlawful gambling and bans loans to players. Under § 9, the regulator may, after announcing an unlawful offer, prohibit banks and payment firms from processing its payments; for offers in several states the joint authority (GGL) exercises this power. The treaty contains no explicit credit card ban.

Spain

Since 15 March 2024, players classed as intensive or at risk under Royal Decree 176/2023 may not deposit using credit cards, and at-risk players may use only payment methods in their own name. Intensive play means losses over €600 a week (€200 for young players) for three consecutive weeks. There is no general ban for all players. Operators already set per-player deposit limits under Royal Decree 1614/2011, article 36. Royal Decree 520/2026, published on 25 June 2026, adds a joint system across operators with limits of €700 a day, €1,750 a week and €3,300 per four weeks; it generally applies nine months after publication.

Netherlands

Since 1 October 2024, new players have a default monthly deposit limit of €350, or €150 for young adults under 24, which can be raised only after a mandatory personal contact with the operator, according to the Dutch government. Deposits over €700 a month (€300 for under-24s) trigger an affordability check. The government describes them as maximum limits that the player can raise only after that contact. We could not confirm a Dutch credit card rule on an official page.

Italy

Legislative Decree 41/2024 (official text read on a third-party copy) requires gaming account movements only through payment instruments that keep financial flows traceable, and withdrawals of winnings requested by the player to be paid within seven days (article 6(8)(g)). Retail top-ups by cash or untraceable instruments are capped at €100 a week in total, and withdrawals cannot be made at retail points.

Denmark

Denmark's executive order on online casino (BEK 682 of 11 June 2025, in force 1 July 2025) requires a player to set a deposit limit before play can begin, with increases taking effect no earlier than 24 hours later. Payments may only go through payment service providers lawfully offered in Denmark, and cash deposits cannot be accepted. We found no Danish credit card ban.

Belgium

A Royal Decree of 19 June 2022 lowered the maximum weekly online deposit limit from €500 to €200 from autumn 2022, according to a page on the National Bank of Belgium's site. We could not confirm a reported Belgian credit card ban on an official page.

EU law: due diligence and strong authentication

• Anti-money laundering: the AML Directive 2015/849, article 11(d), requires gambling providers to apply customer due diligence on collecting winnings or wagering a stake of €2,000 or more. The new AML Regulation (EU) 2024/1624 keeps the €2,000 threshold in article 19 and applies from 10 July 2027; casinos cannot be exempted.
• Strong customer authentication: PSD2's technical standards (Delegated Regulation 2018/389) have applied since 14 September 2019 to remote electronic payments, gambling included; we saw no gambling-specific provision.

Questions about European gambling payment rules