A new investigation has revealed that Mastercard and Visa have been and still could be processing payments from illegal gambling websites. The new report comes as a rise in gambling scams continues to plague the internet.
The investigation has also revealed that over 140 sites link back to one company in particular. Parts of Soft2bet’s portfolio of partners and websites have been banned in Europe due to a lack of license.
Websites like “The FatPirate” have been accused of taking money from bank accounts and then not paying out winnings. Despite this, Mastercard payments are still offered alongside a variety of other payment methods for deposits. Visa and Mastercard are both offered for withdrawals.
“The FatPirate” is an unlicensed casino and gambling site with a variety of games. In a separate Guardian piece, one UK-based individual couldn’t withdraw the £6000 ($7739.25) they’d won after spending £3270 ($4217.89).
Gransino, another unlicensed website, allegedly deleted a user’s account after complaints about withdrawals. This is also still offering Mastercard and Visa methods of payment, despite operating illegally.
It’s unknown how far Mastercard and Visa’s oversight goes. According to The Betting & Gaming Council in the UK, Brits spend nearly £3 billion ($3.8 billion) a year on unlicensed websites.
Illegal gambling sites still in operation
However, despite mounting evidence of an epidemic of fake casino websites, The UK’s Gambling Commission hasn’t taken action quickly enough. The Gambling Commission has previously worked with Google to take down bad actors within the sphere, removing results entirely from the search engine and leaving affected websites effectively dead.
These illegal and scam gambling websites still remain operational in the country, with only a few pointed out in the Investigate Europe report being blocked in the country.
On top of this, part of the reason for this, Soft2bet, has been celebrated by the gambling and iGaming industry. In 2024, the owner, Israeli businessman Uri Poliavich, was dubbed “Leader of the Year” at a summit in Lisbon.
