Chargeback

Chargebacks are a structural cost in any card-accepting business but they hit gambling operators particularly hard for two reasons. First, gambling MCCs (Merchant Category Codes) carry elevated chargeback ratios in card scheme reporting because some players use chargebacks as a backdoor way to reverse gambling losses, especially when affordability or responsible gambling friction is involved. Second, card networks set chargeback thresholds (typically 1%) above which operators face additional fees, monitoring programs, and at extremes, loss of card acquiring entirely. Operator chargeback management combines fraud prevention (catching stolen card use before settlement), KYC and SOF documentation (defending chargeback disputes), 3D Secure enforcement (shifting liability to the issuer), and friendly-fraud handling (working with the cardholder bilaterally before the chargeback formally lands). Acquirer relationships are a critical commercial dependency; loss of acquiring is an existential risk for an operator.