Why payments matter more than most people realise.
When we talk about online gambling, we often focus on flashy games, licences, or the never-ending debate around regulation. But truth is, none of it works without the financial rails underneath, especially ones like Swift and European Payments Council (EPC), the body behind SEPA.
I've recently spent time digging into how these two systems underpin cross-border transactions in the gambling world. While they’re not perfect, they do a lot of heavy lifting. SEPA helps operators across Europe move euros without jumping through a million hoops. SWIFT, on the other hand, connects the dots globally, linking over 11,000 financial institutions across 200+ countries. That’s no small feat.
In practice? This means a player in Spain can deposit funds to a Malta-based platform using SEPA Direct Debit without friction. Or an operator in Cyprus can pay out a jackpot to a German customer via a Commerzbank AG account using SWIFT without the transfer falling into a compliance black hole.
What I’ve found genuinely interesting is how these systems also support compliance efforts. A lot of operators, like @Kindred Group plc or even fintech providers like Worldline, use SEPA and SWIFT rails to help fulfil their anti-money laundering (AML) and Know Your Customer (KYC) obligations. Not because they want to, necessarily, but because they have to.
Sure, there are challenges. Intermediary fees, transfer delays, regulatory red tape. But all in all, if you’re in the business of cross-border gambling payments, understanding these networks is a must. And for anyone who's quick to criticise the industry (myself included, from time to time), it’s worth acknowledging the role infrastructure plays in keeping things moving.
Would love to hear how others in the sector, whether from Paysafe Group, Trustly, Skrill, a Paysafe Experience or even Bank of Valletta plc, are tackling payment complexity in 2025. Especially as crypto and instant payments continue to pressure the old guard.
