Northern Ireland needs to also ban gambling with credit cards, says Armstrong

Northern Ireland needs to follow suit in banning gambling with credit cards, Alliance Communities spokesperson Kellie Armstrong MLA has said.

Ms Armstrong was speaking as regulations came into force in Britain outlawing the practice, which extends to credit card gambling through e-wallets. Recent statistics showed up to 800,000 people in the UK used credit cards to gamble.

“I welcome the regulations which have come into place today in Britain, as they will help curb problem gambling,” said the Strangford MLA.

“Gambling with credit cards allows people to use money they don’t have. For addicts, this can be too tempting a proposition to ignore, particularly at a time when online and virtual gambling is more popular than ever before. The coronavirus lockdown may also lead to an increase in people using these outlets, so this legislation is more important than ever.

“We now need a similar law for Northern Ireland. Understandably, most resources are targeted towards combating COVID-19, however, we need to tackle the problem of addiction and helping gamblers stay safe. Alliance is committed to doing that.”