iGaming Payment Solutions
Updated Mar 25, 2026
Open Banking for iGaming
The fastest-growing payment method in iGaming. 50% of Nordic deposits. 40% UK growth year-over-year. Cheaper than cards, zero chargebacks, instant payouts. Trustly vs Brite: the independent comparison.
Open Banking is the fastest-growing payment method in iGaming. In the Nordics it handles 50% of deposits. In the UK it's growing 40% year-over-year. The SEPA Instant mandate (2025) is about to accelerate adoption across all of the EU. For operators: cheaper than cards, zero chargebacks, higher approval rates, instant payouts.
Two providers dominate: Trustly (12,000+ banks, 30+ markets) and Brite (3,800+ banks, 20+ markets, challenger pricing). Every page about Open Banking in iGaming is written by one of them. This is the independent comparison.
50%
Nordic deposit share
0.5-2%
Transaction cost
0
Chargebacks
<6 sec
Deposit speed
Trustly is the open banking payment method that every major European casino already offers. Bet365, Flutter, Kindred, Betsson, Entain, LeoVegas. If your players are in Europe, they expect to see Trustly on the deposit page. Pay N Play lets players register and deposit in a single step through bank authentication, which changed how Nordic casinos operate. $239 million in revenue, $87 billion processed in 2024, connected to 6,300+ European banks. The downsides are real too: 2.6/5 on Trustpilot from 3,163 reviews, a SEK 130 million AML fine from the Swedish regulator in 2022, and a $300k minimum volume requirement with 12-month contracts.
Brite is the Stockholm-built open banking challenger going after Trustly's territory. Founded in 2019 by a former Klarna director, backed by $60 million from Dawn Capital, the same firm that backed iZettle and Tink. The pitch is simple: faster than Trustly, built on modern infrastructure, with same-day settlement and median payout times of 4 seconds. Brite Play combines payment and KYC for iGaming operators, similar to Trustly's Pay N Play but newer. The trade-off: smaller bank network at 3,800 versus Trustly's 12,000+, no US coverage, and still limited casino adoption. Lower barriers to entry with $200k minimum and 6-month contracts versus Trustly's $300k and 12 months.
Why Open Banking Is Beating Cards
| Metric | Cards | Open Banking | Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operator cost | 3-7% | 0.5-2% | Save 2-5% per tx |
| Chargeback risk | 2-4% ratio | 0%. irrevocable | Eliminates chargebacks |
| Decline rate | 20-40% | 5-8% | 2-5x more deposits |
| Deposit speed | Instant (auth) | Instant (actual transfer) | Tie |
| Payout speed | 1-5 days or $1-3 push | Instant-1 hour | Dramatically faster |
| Settlement | T+2-7 | T+0-1 | Faster cash flow |
| Compliance data | Limited | Rich (income, spending) | Enables affordability checks |
| Regulatory trend | Credit bans expanding | Mandated (PSD2, SEPA) | OB is the direction |
Before: Card-Heavy ($1M/mo)
70% cards, 30% e-wallets
Cards: $700K × 5% = $35,000
E-wallets: $300K × 2% = $6,000
Chargeback losses: ~$7,000
Total: $48,000/mo
After: OB-Optimized ($1M/mo)
40% cards, 30% OB, 30% e-wallets
Cards: $400K × 5% = $20,000
Open Banking: $300K × 1% = $3,000
E-wallets: $300K × 2% = $6,000
OB chargebacks: $0
Total: $29,000/mo
Savings: $19,000/mo = $228,000/year
Why Cards Still Matter (Honest Take)
Optimal: OB as primary for EU/UK, cards as secondary + global coverage.
Trustly vs Brite: Head-to-Head
| Trustly | Brite | |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2008 | 2019 |
| Markets | 30+ European | 20+ European |
| Bank Connections | 12,000+ | 3,800+ |
| Users Processed | 112M+ | Growing |
| Deposit Speed | Instant | Instant |
| Payout Speed | Instant (most markets) | Instant (most markets) |
| Data Engine | Azura. 1.2B data points | Standard OB data |
| Pay N Play | ✓ Pioneer | ⚠ Supports similar |
| Affordability (UK) | ✓ Income/spending data | ✓ Available |
| API Quality | Mature, documented | Modern, lean |
| Integration | 2-4 weeks | 1-3 weeks |
| Pricing | Premium | Competitive |
| Clients | Betsson, Kindred, LeoVegas | Growing (newer operators) |
| Score |
Trustly
Top PickBest for: Medium-to-large EU operators, Nordics-focused, UK affordability needs
Brite
RecommendedBest for: Smaller/newer operators, cost-sensitive, fast integration
Choosing between Trustly and Brite comes down to two questions. First: do you need Pay N Play (deposit + register in one step)? If yes, Trustly is the only real option. They invented it, they have the deepest integration, and it delivers measurable conversion uplift in Nordics. Second: is budget a constraint? Brite undercuts Trustly on pricing because they're in market-capture mode. For a mid-size operator launching in Nordics, that pricing difference compounds. The smart move for larger operators: use both. Trustly for Nordics (Pay N Play, deepest bank coverage), Brite for expanding EU markets (competitive rates, modern API). If one has downtime, the other catches deposits. Dual-provider only makes sense above $500K/month in OB volume.
Market Coverage: Where OB Works
SEPA Instant mandate (2025) will push OB from 10-20% to 30-50% across most EU markets in 2-3 years. If you're not on OB by end 2026 in EU, you're leaving money on the table.
| Market | OB Adoption | Bank Coverage | Payout Speed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sweden | 50%+ | Excellent | Instant | Mature |
| Finland | 40-50% | Excellent | Instant | Mature |
| Norway | 35-45% | Excellent | Instant | Mature |
| Denmark | 30-40% | Good | Instant-1hr | Mature |
| UK | 15-20% | Excellent | Instant-min | Growing fast |
| Germany | 15-20% | Good | 1-24hr | Growing |
| Netherlands | 10-15% | Good | 1-24hr | Emerging |
| Poland | 10-15% | Good | 1-24hr | Growing |
| Baltics | 15-25% | Good | Instant-1hr | Growing |
| Spain/Italy | 5-10% | Medium | 1-24hr | Early |
| Brazil | <5% | Emerging | Instant (PIX) | PIX = de facto OB |
| US | <3% | Limited | 1-3 days | Very early |
| Asia/Africa | <2% | Minimal | N/A | Not viable |
OB as a Compliance Tool
UK Affordability
UKGC requires affordability checks at £125/mo net loss. With OB: player consents → bank data pulled in seconds → automated assessment → instant decision. Without OB: manual document request → payslips → 24-48h delay.
Zero Chargebacks
Shift 30% from cards to OB → chargeback ratio drops 25-35%. Example: 0.9% ratio (danger zone) → 0.63% (safe). No fraud tool purchase needed for that portion.
KYC Enhancement
OB payment = bank-verified identity. Player logged into bank = confirmed identity holder. Some providers pass verified name, address, DOB. Strong first KYC layer.
Other Open Banking Providers
Trustly and Brite cover 90% of EU/UK use cases. These are niche or regional alternatives.
| Provider | Focus | Markets | iGaming | Notable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Volt | A2A payments | EU, UK, Brazil | Partial | Brazil Open Banking: rare |
| Noda | OB gateway | EU, UK | Partial | UK-focused, competitive |
| TrueLayer | OB infrastructure | UK, EU | Partial | Strong UK, compliance tools |
| Yaspa | Pay by bank | UK | Yes | 20% deposit share within 3 months at some operators |
| Zimpler | OB + wallet hybrid | Nordics, EU | Yes | Popular in Sweden |
| Aeropay | Pay by bank | US | Yes. US focus | Only in-house A2A for US iGaming |
How to Add Open Banking
Integration Timeline (4-8 weeks)
Choose provider
1-2 weeksEvaluate based on market coverage, pricing, features
Contract + onboarding
1-2 weeksKYC on your company, compliance review
Deposit integration
1-2 weeksRedirect flow → bank login → confirmation → webhook
Payout integration
1 weekInitiate payout → confirmation → webhook
Testing
3-5 daysReal bank accounts in sandbox/production
Cashier UX
1 week"Pay by Bank" placement, bank logos, mobile optimization
Go live
Same daySoft launch → monitor → full rollout
Cashier UX Best Practices
FAQ
Direct bank-to-bank payments for casino deposits and withdrawals. Players authenticate with their bank, funds transfer instantly. No card data, no e-wallet needed. Enabled by PSD2 regulation in the EU.
Cheaper (0.5-2% vs 3-7%), zero chargebacks (irrevocable transfers), higher approval rate (5-8% vs 20-40% declines), and instant payouts. Cards are still needed for non-EU markets and as fallback.
Trustly: market leader, 12,000+ banks, Azura data engine, Pay N Play, proven at scale. Premium pricing. Brite: challenger, competitive pricing, modern API, fast integration. Smaller network (3,800 banks). Large operators or Nordics-focus: Trustly. Cost-sensitive or newer operators: Brite.
Limited. Strong in EU/UK (PSD2). Brazil has PIX (similar concept). US emerging with Aeropay. Asia and Africa: not viable. Open Banking is primarily an EU/UK solution.
Yes: core advantage. With player consent, OB data provides income and spending patterns. Automated light-touch affordability assessment instead of manual document checks. Trustly's Azura engine and Yaspa offer this specifically.
Not globally. In Nordics it already has (50%+ OB). In the rest of the EU it will reach 30-50% with SEPA Instant. Globally, cards are still necessary for non-EU markets. OB reduces card dependency but doesn't eliminate it.
4-8 weeks total: 1-2 weeks evaluation and contract, 2-3 weeks integration, 1 week testing. Faster than adding a new PSP (6-14 weeks).
A Trustly innovation: the player deposits and registers simultaneously via bank login. The bank provides verified identity, enabling auto-registration and instant play. No forms, no waiting. Massive conversion uplift. Primarily in Nordics, expanding across the EU.
Compare Open Banking Providers
Read the full Trustly and Brite reviews with scoring across 6 criteria.
Trustly Review
Brite Review