The Open Banking Implementation Entity's Q1 2026 sector report, published on 24 April, confirms a tipping point for UK casino payments. Open-banking initiated deposits reached 42% of all pay-ins across licensed gambling operators in the first three months of the year, up from 31% a year ago and now ahead of debit cards at several top-ten brands. For UK <a href="/online-casinos/">online casinos</a>, the shift is both a cost win and a compliance tailwind.
What the OBIE data shows
The OBIE sector tracker uses direct reporting from participating payment initiation service providers (PISPs) including TrueLayer, Tink and Volt, which between them handle the bulk of UK gambling-adjacent open-banking volume. The Q1 headline: 42% deposit share, versus 38% for debit cards, 11% for e-wallets and 9% for other methods (pre-paid vouchers, bank transfers, mobile billing).
Average deposit size via e-wallet intermediary.">open banking was £48, broadly in line with debit cards at £52, suggesting the shift is not concentrated in higher-staking cohorts. Under-30 players showed the fastest adoption, with open banking now representing 56% of deposits in that demographic. Older customers are still more likely to use debit cards, but even the 50+ bracket has climbed to 34% open-banking share.
Fee dynamics help explain the operator push. A typical open-banking pay-in costs 20–35p per transaction, compared with 1.0–1.4% plus fixed fees for a debit-card deposit. Across a £3bn+ UK casino deposit base, even modest mix shifts translate into meaningful P&L savings.
Growth drivers on the operator side
Three forces are behind the acceleration. First, UX has meaningfully improved: the best PISP flows now complete in under 12 seconds from tap to reels, thanks to Strong Customer Authentication exemptions and persistent bank tokens. Second, every major UK brand now promotes e-wallet intermediary.">open banking above cards on the cashier page, Bet365, Sky Vegas and PaddyPower all made the switch between September and December 2025.
Third, e-wallet intermediary.">open banking can support affordability work. The Gambling Commission names it as one fallback for Financial Risk Assessments, for the rare customers who cannot be assessed through credit reference agencies. It plays no part in the light-touch financial vulnerability checks, which since 28 February 2025 have used public records, such as bankruptcies and county court judgments, once a customer's net deposits pass £150 in a rolling 30 days. Our player guides cover both in more depth.
The debit-card decline has been mirrored by a near-flat e-wallet line. PayPal, Skrill and Neteller collectively moved from 13% to 11% deposit share year-on-year, as their price premium became harder to justify against fast, free open-banking alternatives.
What this means for players
For players, the benefits are tangible. Deposits clear in under 15 seconds, withdrawals via open-banking-linked rails are increasingly offered as same-day or under-two-hour options, and there are no card fees or third-party wallet funding charges to layer in. The authentication flow also means fewer failed transactions, PISPs report a 97%+ success rate versus 88% for card deposits on UK casino sites.
Not every brand supports e-wallet intermediary.">open banking yet, however. A small number of mid-tier operators still rely on older card-first cashiers, although most have roadmaps to migrate before the end of 2026. Our news desk will continue tracking cashier updates from each brand as they roll through.
Security-wise, e-wallet intermediary.">open banking remains the most tightly regulated deposit rail available. Every transaction is SCA-authenticated by the customer's own bank, which also materially reduces chargeback and fraud exposure, another reason operators have been so quick to promote the channel.
