bet365 Goes Live With TrueLayer’s Pay by Bank: A New Era in iGaming Payments

In a major payments milestone for the global online gaming industry, bet365 — one of the world’s largest online sports betting and gaming operators — has officially launched TrueLayer’s Pay by Bank technology across its UK and German operations, with expansion into additional markets planned for 2026.

The integration transforms the way players fund their accounts and access their winnings by enabling instant bank-to-bank transfers, bypassing legacy card-based systems and offering gamblers a faster, more secure, and frictionless experience at checkout.

This move not only signals bet365’s commitment to innovation in customer experience and safer payments, but also highlights how open banking-enabled payment methods are reshaping transactional flows in regulated entertainment sectors like iGaming.

A More Seamless Payment Experience for Players

Pay by Bank leverages open banking technology to allow customers to initiate payments directly from their personal bank accounts. For bet365 users, this means that:

• Deposits are instant, eliminating the delays often associated with card payments or slower bank transfers
• Winnings can be withdrawn straight back to the player’s bank account with little to no wait time
• Security is enhanced through direct biometric bank authentication and real-time payment confirmation
• Card details and cumbersome data entry are no longer required at checkout

Instead of entering 16-digit card numbers, expiry dates and CVVs, players authenticate via their banking app using fingerprint, facial recognition or banking credentials — a user journey that’s both smoother and more secure.

This kind of real-time, bank-authenticated payment trail not only improves user experience but also reduces fraud risk and operational costs for bookmakers like bet365 — a compelling incentive for payment modernization in the highly competitive iGaming segment.

bet365’s Strategic Choice: Why Pay by Bank Matters

bet365 has a long history of pioneering technology in the online gambling space, from real-time odds feeds to live streaming and personalised customer interfaces. Adding Pay by Bank as a recommended payment method reinforces that reputation.

According to bet365’s Joint Head of Payments, Andy Leydon, the decision to integrate TrueLayer’s solution was driven by a desire to “make the player experience faster, simpler and more streamlined whilst maintaining a safe and secure environment.”

By placing Pay by Bank front and centre at checkout — often as the preferred or recommended option — bet365 is not only reducing friction in critical deposit and withdrawal paths but also leading customer behavioural change toward bank-authenticated instant payments over legacy alternatives.

The Mechanics of TrueLayer’s Pay by Bank

TrueLayer’s Pay by Bank works through the open banking framework, which is designed to give third-party services secure access to consumers’ banking infrastructure (with consent). When a user selects Pay by Bank at checkout:

1. They choose their bank from a list of supported institutions.
2. The system redirects them to their bank’s secure app or portal.
3. The customer verifies the payment via biometric authentication or a secure login.
4. The payment is processed in near real time, and confirmed back to the merchant.

This entire flow can take as little as 30 seconds, and for returning users or repeat bank selections, it’s even faster, providing a high-velocity payment experience that directly competes with card or e-wallet channels.

The method’s fundamental advantage lies in the direct account-to-account settlement — removing clearing delays, reducing dependence on card networks and lowering costs associated with interchange and chargebacks.

What This Means for the Payments Landscape

The adoption of Pay by Bank by a major brand like bet365 carries broader implications for the payments industry at large:

• User behaviour: Customers will increasingly expect payment options that are fast, secure and frictionless — especially in experiences tied to entertainment, gaming or digital commerce.
• Merchant economics: Operators can benefit from lower processing fees, fewer chargebacks and instant settlement, improving cash flows and reducing risk.
• Open banking adoption: This is another significant milestone in the mainstream uptake of open banking-enabled methods beyond traditional ecommerce, reinforcing Pay by Bank’s viability at scale.

Industry research shows that Pay by Bank adoption is accelerating rapidly — for example, TrueLayer’s network surpassed 10 million active users and processes a significant share of all UK Pay by Bank transactions, with merchant adoption growing across sectors from retail to travel.

As the open banking landscape matures, more players — including other gaming operators, ecommerce platforms and subscription services — are likely to adopt similar payment integrations, further driving the shift away from cards in favour of direct bank settlement rails.

Plans for Expansion and Market Evolution

While Pay by Bank is already live for bet365 customers in the UK and Germany, both bet365 and TrueLayer have indicated plans to roll the capability out to additional markets in 2026.

This phased expansion coincides with broader European consumer and merchant appetite for account-to-account payments, where users increasingly prioritise security, simplicity and cost savings over traditional card or wallet alternatives.

The innovation also aligns with the industry trend of embedding payment options directly into user journeys — a strategy where payment becomes a seamless part of the experience rather than a standalone technical hurdle.

User and Market Benefits at a Glance

Players benefit from:

• Instant deposits without card data entry
• Faster winnings withdrawals directly to bank accounts
• Stronger payment security via bank authentication
• A simplified and streamlined payment flow

Bet365 benefits from:

• A modern, low-friction checkout that drives conversion
• Lower fraud risk and reduced operational costs
• Enhanced reputational value as an innovator in payments

The broader market benefits from:

• Increased open banking adoption
• Competitive pressure on legacy payment methods
• A more efficient payment ecosystem with real-time settlement

Conclusion

bet365’s rollout of TrueLayer’s Pay by Bank technology represents a significant leap forward in online payments for the gaming industry. By offering customers instant bank-to-bank payments for both deposits and withdrawals, bet365 is not only simplifying core transactional flows but also championing a broader shift toward secure, real-time, open banking-enabled payments that deliver better experiences for users and merchants alike.

As payment preferences evolve and regulatory frameworks continue to support open banking, integrations like this will likely become more prevalent — rewriting expectations for speed, security and convenience in the digital economy.

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