One of Ireland’s biggest banks introduces voluntary block on gambling transactions
PTSB will allow customers to block card transactions involving gambling.
Ireland.- The new Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI) has welcomed a move from PTSB, one of Ireland’s biggest retail banks, to provide a voluntary block for customers who wish to stop card transactions involving gambling. It joins the Bank of Ireland, AIB, EBS and Revolut in offering a gambling blocking facility.
The GRAI noted that it has engaged with the Irish Banking Culture Board, the Irish Banking and Payments Federation and individual banks over the past of months to encourage as many financial institutions as possible to offer blocking facilities as a consumer protection measure for customers suffering from gambling harm or who wish to take a break from gambling.
CEO Anne Marie Caulfield said: ‘’We very much welcome PTSB’s introduction of an in-app gambling block, this represents a proactive and valuable Consumer Protection measure, helping to reduce the risk of gambling-related harms.’’
The regulator is currently working on the design and development of a National Gambling Exclusion Register for Ireland. It said it intends for the systemt to be operational as soon as possible following the commencement of the regulator’s licensing function. an obligation on online operators to interact with the register is set out in the Gambling Regulation Act 2024.
The GRAI expects to open an application window for Irish gambling licences in the second half of the year. It released licence application guidelines for both Business-to-Consumer (B2C) and Business-to-Business (B2B) companies earlier this month.
It noted that in the meantime many gambling operators also offer exclusion systems for customers that want to step back from gambling.
