The age of using credit cards to pay for online sports betting is coming to a close in the U.S.
- Regulators and lawmakers across the U.S., including in Ohio, are moving to ban credit cards for funding online sports betting accounts.
- Major sportsbook operators like bet365, DraftKings, and FanDuel have already been phasing out credit card use, citing responsible gaming and financial concerns.
- Several states already prohibit credit card deposits and more are likely to follow, as part of broader efforts to reduce gambling risks and regulatory issues.
On Monday, the Ohio Casino Control Commission became the latest entity to propose outlawing credit card funding of online sportsbook accounts.
The Ohio sports betting regulator announced it was proposing to amend its rules to remove credit cards from the permitted forms of payment. Bettors would still be able to use debit cards and wire transfers, among other methods.
Interested parties have until May 15 to submit comments on the proposed rule change. However, it’s possible the commission will get little objection from the major names in online sports betting in the U.S.
The Ohio Casino Control Commission is proposing to ban the use of credit cards to fund online sports betting accounts: pic.twitter.com/wPYUOlzYIE
— Geoff Zochodne (@GeoffZochodne) May 6, 2026
That’s because those operators have steadily been phasing out the usage of credit cards on their own. Major mobile bookmakers, such as bet365, DraftKings, and FanDuel, have announced as much over the past year.
Those new payment restrictions come amid ongoing concerns about gambling addiction and the financial health of bettors. Ensuring players are wagering with money they have may sit better with regulators, lawmakers, and the general public.
The additional credit card restrictions also come as state gambling regulators seek to differentiate their licensees from the federally regulated prediction markets that offer a sports betting-like product. Some prediction markets accept credit card deposits.
“We view that limiting credit card funding for wagering accounts is a sensible and worthwhile policy to encourage responsible gambling and mitigate the potential harms of compulsive gambling,” Illinois Gaming Board administrator Marcus Fruchter said last year. “Problem gamblers are at particular risk, and studies have shown a willingness for compulsive gamblers to use credit cards to place bets.”
U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren wrote in an April 28 letter that “around 80% of the sports gambling market no longer accepts credit card transactions.”
“The gambling sites have cited a variety of reasons for their decision, including, ‘to improve the deposit experience for our customers,’ ‘in light of evolving industry standards and responsible gaming considerations,’ and ‘to help customers avoid cash advance fees and higher interest rates associated with credit card funding,’” Warren wrote.
Another reason for prohibiting credit card usage is that it may just cause fewer regulatory headaches for sportsbook operators. Banning credit cards outright could help operators avoid missteps, like the fine DraftKings received last year in Massachusetts in connection with credit card-funded wagers.
State your business
Several states already prohibit their sports betting licensees from accepting credit card deposits: Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Vermont, Illinois, and, soon, Virginia. It seems likely that more state lawmakers will aim to take the funding option off the table as well.
Some Ohio lawmakers even introduced restrictive sports betting-related legislation in April that would ban credit card funding (among other things). While that legislation may be unlikely to pass, the state's gambling regulator is at least taking one suggestion.
“We do understand that people want some form of legalized sports gambling, we’re not removing that,” Rep. Gary Click said at a press conference. “But we also know that people want consumer protections; that they want to be protected from predatory advertisements and predatory gambling in Ohio, because the house always wins.”
