Casino operators look set to lose access to Visa for German customers, after the payments company requested partner banks to stop processing transactions.

Reports from German online casino players suggest Visa cards are no longer being accepted by operators, and some sites have confirmed “temporary” suspensions. 

Major German facing operator Tipico has removed all references to Visa from its casino website, and Bwin has said Visa can only be used to make deposits and withdrawals for sports betting. 

The move by Visa is just the latest payments headache for operators; in June 2019 German authorities asked PayPal to stop handling German resident’s transactions with international casinos, and in January authorities warned banks to stop processing payments to offshore casinos. 

As we’ve previously reported, Germany is planning to have a regulated national online gambling market up and running by 1 July 2021, complete with strict limitations on stakes and a ban on affiliate marketing. However, the legislation process has been subject to delay after delay, with the latest caused by an Austrian bookmaker contesting the process in court. 

Last week Germany submitted a revised framework for the fourth edition of “State Treaty on Gambling” to the European Union. 

AYO.NEWS says:

With payment bans in Germany, the Swedish market turning into a nightmare, Norway banning all online and satellite TV gambling advertising, emergency restrictions in Spain, Portugal and Belgium, extra taxes in Italy, and ever-tightening regulations in the UK, Europe is nothing if not challenging for operators these days! 

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