Methodology

How we research payment rules

Every rule on iGamingPayScope traces back to a document published by the body that made it. This page explains how we find those documents, how we decide what a rule says, and what we do when we cannot confirm something.

Which sources count

We rank sources in this order:

  1. The rule itself: the statute, regulation, licence condition or regulator standard, read on the official site (for example the Gambling Commission's Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice, legislation.gov.uk, a US state code or the AGCO's Registrar's Standards).
  2. The regulator's own explanation: guidance, consultation responses and news releases.
  3. Payment scheme and standards documents: card scheme rules and payment glossaries published by the schemes, central banks or the Bank for International Settlements.
  4. Peer-reviewed research for questions about payment methods and gambling harm.
  5. Trade press, used only to find documents. A fact we could only find in trade press is labelled as secondary.

Law, licence condition or guidance

For each rule we record whether it is law, a licence condition, a regulator standard or guidance, because they carry different weight. We also record the effective date and whether the rule is in force, announced, proposed or superseded. A consultation is never presented as a rule.

Dates and reviews

Each page shows when its sources were checked and when it is next due for review. Rules pages are reviewed at least every three months and when a regulator announces a change. If a rule changes, we update the page and log the change on the corrections page.

What we do not do

  • We do not estimate figures, market shares, approval rates or processing times.
  • We do not say a payment method or provider is approved, licensed or permitted for gambling unless an official register or document says so.
  • We do not give legal advice. Rules apply to specific licences and facts; take qualified advice before relying on a summary.

Use of AI tools

We use AI tools to help search for sources, draft summaries and check consistency between pages. An AI draft is never published without each fact being checked against its source. Diagrams on the site are drawn by us and show general concepts, not any company's actual systems.