Hard Rock Bet is the latest online gambling operator continuing the trend of blocking the use of credit cards for sports betting and casino gaming.
A representative for the Seminole-owned brand told SBC Americas that Hard Rock Bet no longer accepts credit card deposits for its U.S. sportsbook and online casino. It phased out credit cards across its American operating markets in a process that ended this week, and also does not accept them in the Canadian province of Ontario, where Hard Rock Bet first began taking bets last week.
“The move reflects a broader industry shift toward promoting responsible gaming and encouraging the use of alternative payment methods, such as debit cards, bank transfers, and digital wallets,” said a spokesperson.
Indirect credit card use also banned
Hard Rock Bet continues to accept a range of payment methods for deposits, including:
- Various types of debit cards
- Online bank transfers
- PayPal
- Venmo
However, as well as the direct use of credit cards for depositing and withdrawing, a note on the Hard Rock Bet website states that linked credit cards may not be used on third-party payment platforms like PayPal and Venmo.
Hard Rock received letter from Sen. Elizabeth Warren
Hard Rock Digital was one of numerous U.S. online gambling operators that received a letter from Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs ranking member Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) in February urging them to stop accepting credit cards.
“While Americans who gamble in states where it is legal should remain free to do so, they should not have to deal with undisclosed credit card fees that rig the odds against them,” wrote Sen. Warren. “Credit card transactions on sports gambling platforms to fund wagers are almost always classified as a ‘cash advance.’ With ‘cash advance’ transactions, the user is charged higher fees and interest, and that interest can start accruing immediately, rather than only after the cardholder carries a balance past their due date …
“Americans may be prepared to lose money on a bet they make – but most are not prepared to lose an extra 50% in credit card junk fees on top of their bet. Many users are unaware of the costs and fees associated with this type of credit card use, which can push them into financial trouble when gambling. Specifically, users are reporting that they did not realize that using their credit card to place a bet on a sports gambling website would be treated as a cash advance and accrue additional fees and interest.”
Warren noted in her letters that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) found that “sportsbooks provide limited or no disclosure on the potential for cash advance fees”. She added that the CFPB also identified preliminary data suggesting that when a state legalizes sports betting, there is a corresponding spike in cash advance transactions.
Warren joined other public figures and organizations urging the online gambling industry to stop allowing credit cards. The National Council of Legislators from Gaming States (NCLGS) published draft model iGaming legislation at the end of 2024 that suggested credit cards should not be included among permissible funding methods, and also recommended that any digital wallets or prepaid cards should not be funded or bought via credit card.
Which US online gambling platforms accept credit cards?
At the time that Warren wrote those letters to gambling operators in early February, only DraftKings had announced that it would stop accepting credit cards for real-money gaming across the U.S. DraftKings made that change in August 2025.
Days after the senator sent her call-to-arms, FanDuel confirmed that it would ban credit card deposits and withdrawals for its online sportsbook and casino operations across the country. Since then, other big-name online gambling platforms have followed the lead, including:
Another operator, Fanatics Betting and Gaming, told SBC Americas that it never accepted credit cards for online sports betting or casino since it began operating in the U.S.
Some other online sportsbooks and casinos, including PENN Entertainment’s theScore Bet, Rush Street Interactive’s BetRivers, and BallyBet state that they still accept credit card deposits in the U.S., except in states where that source of account funding is banned.
Operators make changes as states reassess credit cards
Speaking of state bans, even as many big-name brands in U.S. online gambling make internal changes to block credit cards, legislators and regulators across the U.S. continue to push for blanket prohibitions.
Numerous states already prevent their use for online sports betting. Some, such as Warren’s Massachusetts as well as Iowa and Tennessee, have had bans in place for years. This year alone, several others have joined the list, including:
Others including Maryland and Pennsylvania have heard similar recommendations in recent months, and the Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC) is working on finalizing a sports betting credit card ban at the regulatory level.
Meanwhile, some gambling-related bills in Congress, such as Rep. Paul Tonko (D-NY) and Sen. Richard Blumenthal’s (D-CT) SAFE BET Act, have pushed for the change at the federal level.
