What Is the MCC Code for Online Gambling?

MCC 7995 is the merchant category code for online gambling. It describes the business category associated with your payment activity. For an operator seeking card processing, identifying this code is a starting point—not a substitute for explaining the gambling offering, the jurisdictions served, and the controls used to restrict access.

A merchant category code does not make gambling legal in a location or replace a gaming license. Gambling is legal only where licensed, and regulation operates at the state level. Your application should make clear where you intend to accept players and provide the gaming license for each jurisdiction served.

HighRiskMerchantProcessors.com matches merchants with high-risk payment processors in the MerchantCardLeads partner network. The site is not a processor, acquiring bank, or underwriter. For an online gambling business, the purpose of matching is to identify partner processors for consideration; underwriting decisions remain with the acquiring bank reviewing the merchant application itself.

Online gambling combines licensing restrictions with elevated chargeback and fraud exposure. That combination makes the payment application more involved than simply selecting MCC 7995. Partner processors need a clear picture of the business, while underwriters at the acquiring bank assess the application and supporting evidence before deciding whether to offer processing.

Geolocation and age-verification controls are central to presenting an online gambling business for review. Describe how those controls operate and provide supporting documentation. Keep the explanation tied to the actual player experience, so the reviewer can understand how access restrictions relate to the jurisdictions covered by your gaming licenses and application.

Your website also needs refund, terms, and privacy policies. Make these easy to locate and consistent with the operation described in your application. Clear policies do not eliminate gambling-related chargebacks or fraud, but they help reviewers understand what players are told and how the business presents its payment terms online.

According to their published policies, Stripe, Square, PayPal, and Shopify Payments prohibit online gambling. A familiar checkout platform should therefore not be treated as a processing option for this category. Review the relevant company's published policy directly rather than assuming that a working integration means the underlying gambling activity is permitted.

For Authorize.net, the listed prohibition concerns its default acquirer. Keep that distinction in mind when discussing payment arrangements: the default acquiring relationship is the restriction identified here. Do not assume that selecting a gateway settles eligibility; ask the prospective partner processor to clarify the acquiring arrangement for your online gambling business.

Disclose the gambling activity accurately when seeking a match. Describing the business as something else does not resolve licensing obligations or platform restrictions. A useful inquiry identifies MCC 7995, explains the offering, lists the jurisdictions served, and asks whether a partner processor can consider the business through its acquiring relationship.

Prepare a merchant application, government ID for owners holding 25% or more, a voided business check, and your EIN letter or formation documents. Include 3–6 months of business bank statements and 3–6 months of prior processing statements, if any. These materials support review alongside your gambling-specific licensing and control documentation.

The typical market rate range for online gambling is 4.0%–8.0% plus $0.25–$0.30 per transaction. This is market guidance, not a quote or promised offer. Ask the partner processor to explain the proposed pricing for your business and review the written terms rather than budgeting solely from the published typical market range.

The typical market reserve is a 10% rolling reserve or higher, set by the acquiring bank. A reserve should be considered separately from processing rates when assessing available funds. Ask for a clear explanation of the proposed reserve arrangement and review it with the rest of the account terms before proceeding.