Mastercard and Visa accepted on illegal 'scam' gambling sites

Fears payment firms could lend credibility to operators accused of withholding winnings

- Shanti Das & Maxence Peigné

Mastercard and Visa are processing payments for illegal gambling websites accused of scamming UK customers out of thousands of pounds.

An investigation has found that the payment giants are failing to stop their networks being used to make transactions on unlicensed sites despite a previous pledge to do so.

Last week, Mastercard was offered alongside cryptocurrency as a payment method on nine websites targeting UK customers with deals for casino games and live sports betting.

Visa was also offered on two of those sites. Both companies are understood to profit from the arrangements, earning a small fee each time a transaction is made.

The card companies' links to the unlicensed sites are revealed in the wake of an investigation coordinated by Investigate Europe into a network of gambling sites operating in parts of Europe despite being banned.

One customer said they were left suicidal after losing about £60,000 unwittingly gambling on an unlicensed site. In another case, a man successfully pursued an operator in the German courts after losing more than £200,000. "Those who run these casinos have stolen my life," he said.