PayPal Partners with Gamban in Effort to Reduce Problem Gambling

Nick Makowitz Sports Betting Expert

3 minute read

PayPal has reached a deal with Gamban that will allow users to have more control over their online gambling. Gamban, a UK-based software company, specializes in helping users exclude themselves from making online gambling transactions.

The addition of Gamban will provide PayPal users assistance in practicing responsible gambling or help them quit altogether. That doesn't mean PayPal and Gamban are anti-gambling, but rather pro-responsible-gambling.

With the growing legalization of online gambling in the US, PayPal has become one of the most popular deposit and withdrawal tools for sportsbooks and casinos alike. Now, those struggling with gambling addiction will be able to block their online gambling transactions.

Online sportsbooks and casinos typically offer customers a spot on a self-exclusion list, which forbids players from gambling on that particular site.

While self-exclusion lists are a great resource for those battling addiction or those attempting to get out in front of it, there hasn't been a technologically sound way for users to restrict their online gambling across platforms.

The PayPal-Gamban partnership is an attempt to do just that.

Without an allegiance to any specific online gambling site, PayPal and Gamban will be able to block all gambling transactions. The self-induced gambling ban will help users prevent themselves from transacting on the following forms of gambling:

• Sports Betting
• Casino Gaming
• Peer-to-Peer Betting
• Games of Chance and Skill
• Lottery Tickets
• Horse Racing
• Paid Handicapping Subscriptions

Gamban's software will also help PayPal block the self-excluded users from paying others to make bets on their behalf.

The Responsibility to Promote Responsibility

A clean sweep of payment-blocking related to online gambling could go a long way in aiding the recovery process for gambling addicts.

During the rapid expansion of legal online gambling and betting, the headlines most often consist of record-high revenues, increased state-tax income, and good ol' fashioned recreational fun.

Typically buried below the flashy numbers and percentages is one or two sentences about the need for responsible gambling. Most readers don't click on and scan through articles to ensure companies mention gambling addiction, but it is important nonetheless.

As the legal gambling and sports betting industries branch out to all corners of the world, it's important that addiction-recovery efforts keep pace.

Offering a similar sentiment, a statement on Gamban's website iterates that "PayPal offering its users the option to block gambling transactions is a welcome addition to the gambling recovery toolkit.”

The deal between PayPal and Gamban is the latest effort from the industry to promote safe gambling, and it will undoubtedly have a positive impact on the gambling community.

Written by Nick Makowitz, our US Sports Betting Industry Expert. You can learn more about our author's expertise here.

The featured image for this post is a promotional logo released by the company Gamban. This image is not being used to monetize this page.

Nick Makowitz

In his spare time, Nick likes digging into NFL and NCAAB betting data, going to breweries with friends, and trying out any and every Mexican restaurant in Pittsburgh. More from Nick Makowitz