Payments
Merchant of Record for iGaming Explained
iGamingPayments.AI·27 October 2026·8 min read
News & Insights
iGaming Payments Intelligence
Guides, analysis and news on payment infrastructure for iGaming operators.
Payments
Payment Settlement for iGaming Explained
How iGaming payment settlement works: the gap between instant authorisation and money reaching the operator, why card settlement runs T+1 to T+3 in business-day batches, why net settlement after fees, refunds, chargebacks and reserve is always lower than gross, and how SEPA Instant and UK Faster Payments settle in seconds, 24/7.
iGamingPayments.AI·20 October 2026·8 min read
Payments
Interchange++ vs Blended Pricing for iGaming Explained
How card processing pricing models work for iGaming operators: interchange++ itemises interchange, scheme fees and the acquirer markup as three lines, while blended hides all three in one flat rate. Which is cheaper, how the EEA/UK 0.2% debit and 0.3% credit caps change the maths, why cross-border traffic breaks the cap, and how to read an interchange++ statement.
iGamingPayments.AI·13 October 2026·8 min read
Payments
Card Scheme Fees for iGaming Payments Explained
What card scheme fees are, how they differ from interchange, and why they cost iGaming operators more: the uncapped Visa and Mastercard charges, the core assessment of roughly 0.12-0.15%, the cross-border and per-authorisation fees that bite on gambling traffic, and the UK PSR finding that scheme fees rose over 25% in real terms from 2017 to 2023.
iGamingPayments.AI·6 October 2026·9 min read
Payments
Multi-Currency Payments for iGaming Explained
How multi-currency payments work for iGaming operators: where the conversion sits, dynamic currency conversion (DCC) versus native multi-currency pricing, the FX markup that runs 3-7% with no legal cap, the EU/UK transparency rules under Regulation (EU) 2019/518, and why currency mismatch quietly drags approval rates.
iGamingPayments.AI·29 September 2026·9 min read
Payments
Chargeback Alerts for iGaming: Ethoca & Verifi Explained
How chargeback alerts work for iGaming operators: the near real-time notification that lets you refund a disputed deposit before it becomes a chargeback, the split between Mastercard's Ethoca and Visa's Verifi, why RDR resolutions are excluded from the VAMP ratio, and the friendly-fraud trade-off unique to gambling.
iGamingPayments.AI·22 September 2026·8 min read
Payments
iGaming Payments in the UK: Cards, Rules and Limits
How payments work for GB-licensed iGaming operators: the 2020 credit card ban that also blocks credit-funded e-wallets, financial risk checks now triggered at £150 net deposits, mandatory GAMSTOP self-exclusion, the 1.1% statutory levy live since April 2025, and why open banking is beating cards.
iGamingPayments.AI·20 September 2026·9 min read
Payments
iGaming Payments in the US: Methods and State Rules
How payments work for licensed US online casino operators: the eight states where iGaming is legal, why UIGEA and old bank policies make card deposits fail, the MCC 7801 code that beats generic 7995, and the methods that dodge the issuer block - VIP Preferred, Play+, PayNearMe and ACH.
iGamingPayments.AI·18 September 2026·9 min read
Payments
iGaming Payments in Germany: Rules, Limits and Tax
How payments work for licensed iGaming operators in Germany: the €1,000 LUGAS deposit limit enforced across every site, the 5.3% tax on stakes rather than profit, the named-account rule that bars crypto, and the GGL's power to order payment blocking against unlicensed operators.
iGamingPayments.AI·15 September 2026·9 min read
Payments
iDEAL for iGaming in the Netherlands Explained
How iDEAL works for Dutch gambling operators: the bank-app deposit flow that handles ~70% of online payments, why deposits carry no chargebacks, the withdrawal catch, the KSA rules around CRUKS and deposit limits, and the switch to Wero by 2027.
Christian Hodges·13 September 2026·9 min read
Payments
Paysafecard for iGaming: Prepaid Casino Payments Explained
How Paysafecard works for gambling operators: the cash-bought 16-digit PIN voucher, why prepaid deposits carry no chargebacks, the deposit-only payout catch, the UK credit card ban on credit-funded prepaid, and why it never removes KYC.
Christian Hodges·11 September 2026·9 min read
Payments
Virtual IBANs for iGaming Payments Explained
What a virtual IBAN is, how operators use per-player vIBANs to auto-reconcile bank deposits and collect local currency from one master account, and the AML rules the EBA and the 2027 EU AML Regulation now apply to them.
Christian Hodges·9 September 2026·9 min read
Payments
Apple Pay and Google Pay for iGaming Explained
How Apple Pay and Google Pay work for gambling operators: DPAN tokenisation, the built-in biometric SCA that skips 3-D Secure and lifts approval rates, the UK debit-only rule, App Store guideline 5.3, and why neither wallet charges operators extra.
iGamingPayments.AI·6 September 2026·9 min read
Open Banking
Trustly Pay N Play for iGaming: No-Account Casinos Explained
How Trustly Pay N Play merges casino registration, KYC and the first deposit into a single bank login: the open banking flow, why there are no chargebacks, the payout-speed catch, the 2019 SafeEnt licence revocation, and Pay N Play 2.0.
iGamingPayments.AI·3 September 2026·9 min read
Payments
E-Wallets for iGaming: Skrill and Neteller Explained
How Skrill and Neteller work for gambling operators: why e-wallets still dominate, the deposit and 3.99% currency conversion fees, same-day payouts, why bonuses exclude them, and the Paysafe and FCA framework behind them.
iGamingPayments.AI·31 August 2026·9 min read
Payments
Payment Gateway vs PSP vs Acquirer for iGaming Explained
What a payment gateway, PSP and acquirer each do for a gambling operator, how they differ, why one vendor often sells all three at once, and why the acquirer is the piece iGaming operators fight hardest for.
iGamingPayments.AI·28 August 2026·9 min read
Payments
SEPA and SEPA Instant for iGaming Payments Explained
How SEPA and SEPA Instant work for gambling operators: the sub-10-second euro transfer, the 2025 Instant Payments Regulation deadlines, the removed €100,000 cap, why credit transfers carry no chargebacks, and the direct debit trap.
iGamingPayments.AI·25 August 2026·9 min read
Payments
Instant Payouts for iGaming: Push-to-Card Explained
How instant card payouts work for gambling operators: the Original Credit Transaction, Visa Direct and Fast Funds, why the 30-minute rule depends on the issuer, and how push-to-card compares with bank transfers and e-wallets.
iGamingPayments.AI·22 August 2026·9 min read
Payments
Interac for iGaming in Canada: The Payment Rail Explained
Why Interac e-Transfer now carries Canadian iGaming deposits and withdrawals, why Interac Online was retired in 2024, the bank deposit limits that trip players up, and how AGCO's Ontario rules frame it.
iGamingPayments.AI·19 August 2026·9 min read
Compliance
Mastercard MATCH List Explained for iGaming Operators
What the Mastercard MATCH list is, all 14 reason codes, the five-year retention rule, how to get off it, and why gambling operators land on it - through excessive chargebacks, laundering and illegal transaction codes.
Christian Hodges·16 August 2026·9 min read
Compliance
VAMP: Visa's Acquirer Monitoring Program Explained
What VAMP is, how the combined fraud and dispute ratio works, the 2026 merchant and acquirer thresholds, and why iGaming operators are hit hardest - plus the RDR and CE3.0 levers that keep the ratio down.
iGamingPayments.AI·14 August 2026·9 min read
Payments
Billing Descriptors for iGaming Payments Explained
What a billing descriptor is, the Visa 25-character and Mastercard 22-character limits, the card-not-present contact rule, and why a clear descriptor cuts iGaming chargebacks and friendly fraud.
iGamingPayments.AI·11 August 2026·8 min read
Payments
Payment Decline Codes for iGaming Payments Explained
What payment decline codes mean for gambling operators: soft vs hard declines, what codes 05 and 51 mean, Visa's 15-retry rule and Mastercard's advice codes, and how to recover declined deposits.
iGamingPayments.AI·9 August 2026·9 min read
Payments
Local Acquiring for iGaming Payments Explained
Why processing a card through a domestic acquirer lifts iGaming approval rates: how issuers treat local vs cross-border traffic, the scheme fees local acquiring avoids, and which markets require a local licence to get it.
iGamingPayments.AI·7 August 2026·8 min read
Payments
Rolling Reserves for iGaming Payments Explained
What a rolling reserve is, why gambling acquirers demand one, and how the maths works: the 5-10% held off daily takings, the 90-180 day hold, and how to negotiate it down.
Christian Hodges·5 August 2026·8 min read
Compliance
PCI DSS for iGaming Payments Explained
How PCI DSS applies to gambling operators: the four merchant levels, which SAQ you file, the v4.0.1 payment-page rules live since March 2025, and how hosted fields and tokenisation shrink the whole obligation.
Christian Hodges·3 August 2026·9 min read
Payments
Network Tokens for iGaming Payments Explained
What network tokens are, how Visa Token Service and Mastercard MDES work, and why they lift iGaming approval rates: tokens survive card reissues, cut card-not-present fraud and add no player friction.
Christian Hodges·1 August 2026·8 min read
Payments
Approval Rates for iGaming Payments Explained
What an iGaming payment approval rate is, how it's measured, what a good number looks like, and the levers that move it: local acquiring, orchestration, network tokens and cleaner decline handling.
Christian Hodges·30 July 2026·8 min read
Compliance
KYC and AML for iGaming Payments Explained
How KYC and AML sit inside the iGaming payment flow: what customer due diligence requires, the EUR 2,000 and USD/EUR 3,000 thresholds, source of funds checks, and what the EU AMLR changes in 2027.
Christian Hodges·27 July 2026·9 min read
Payments
Interchange Fees for iGaming Payments Explained
What interchange fees really cost gambling operators: the EU and UK 0.2%/0.3% caps, why there is no gambling exemption, how cross-border cards escape the caps, and how interchange++ pricing exposes the true card bill.
Christian Hodges·24 July 2026·9 min read
Payments
3D Secure and SCA for iGaming Payments Explained
How 3D Secure and Strong Customer Authentication work on iGaming card deposits: the two-factor rule, the exemptions that recover lost conversions, liability shift, and why authentication data moves approval rates.
Christian Hodges·22 July 2026·9 min read
Crypto
Crypto Payment Processing for iGaming Explained
How crypto payment processing works for gambling operators: stablecoins vs Bitcoin, why there are no chargebacks, custodial vs non-custodial models, and where MiCA, the GENIUS Act and the UK Gambling Commission now stand.
Christian Hodges·19 July 2026·9 min read
Payments
High-Risk Merchant Accounts for iGaming Explained
Every gambling operator that accepts cards runs on a high-risk merchant account. Why iGaming is classed high-risk, how rolling reserves and underwriting work, what it costs, and how the MATCH list can shut you out for five years.
Christian Hodges·17 July 2026·9 min read
Payments
Payment Orchestration for iGaming: How It Works
A routing layer above several PSPs that picks the best route for each transaction and retries failures elsewhere. How cascading recovers declines, why iGaming needs it, and where the trade-offs bite.
Christian Hodges·14 July 2026·8 min read
Payments
iGaming Chargebacks: How Operators Cut Disputes
Gambling runs among the highest dispute rates on the card networks, driven by friendly fraud. What a chargeback is, the Visa VAMP and Mastercard ECP thresholds, and the levers that cut the ratio.
Christian Hodges·11 July 2026·9 min read
Payments
Pix for iGaming in Brazil: The Payment Rules Explained
Pix carries almost all regulated betting payments in Brazil. The closed-loop CPF rule, the 120-minute payout limit, and which payment methods operators are banned from using.
Christian Hodges·9 July 2026·9 min read
Compliance
MCC 7995: The Gambling Merchant Category Code Explained
MCC 7995 decides which acquirers take your business and which issuers approve your transactions. What the gambling code covers, why banks decline it, how the US codes 7800-7802 differ, and what miscoding costs operators.
Christian Hodges·6 July 2026·9 min read
Payments
iGaming Withdrawal Processing: What Operators Get Wrong
Withdrawal speed, method coverage, and why the first payout a player makes determines whether they return. The operational mistakes most operators still haven't fixed.
Christian Hodges·20 June 2026·8 min read
Open Banking
Open Banking for iGaming: What UK and EU Operators Need to Know
Open banking payments settle instantly, carry no chargebacks, and achieve approval rates above 90%. How the infrastructure works and where it makes sense for gambling operators.
iGamingPayments.AI·19 June 2026·8 min read
Payments
iGaming Payment Processing in 2026: What Operators Get Wrong
Approval rates, local payment methods, orchestration, and why chasing the cheapest PSP is one of the most expensive mistakes an operator can make.
Christian Hodges·5 June 2026·7 min read