Gaming Credit Check Companies

Who doesn’t enjoy a night at the casino? Whether you like the lively energy of crowded table games or going it alone amongst the ringing slots, casinos have options that appeal to everyone. What used to be limited to a night in Las Vegas or Atlantic City is now available broadly, with casinos present in most states on public land, tribal land, or both.

When you’re caught up in the thrill of it, you may find yourself wishing that you had more money to gamble with and contemplating a casino loan. While this can be a fine option for some people, it has some implications and potential risks that you should consider before deciding to apply. Most importantly, can gambling affect your credit score? The answer is yes and no.

We’ll take a look at some of the things you should consider when financing your gambling experience, how the process works, what to do if there are background check errors in your casino report, and how a consumer law firm can help you out if things go wrong.

Understanding the Process of Getting a Casino Gaming Loan

If you run out of money at the casino (and decide against calling it a night), you’ll need to find a way to finance the rest of your gambling adventure. One of the options available to consumers in this situation is to apply for a line of credit through the casino, also called a “marker.” A marker is a limited, interest-free line of credit that can only be used for spending in-house (or within the casino that issues it). In addition, the repayment terms are strict, regulated by state law, and typically short-term (for instance, thirty days). If you fail to repay the loan according to the terms and conditions you agreed to or in accordance with the law, then you can face civil or criminal penalties. A schedule for payments is determined at the time the loan is approved.

Credit Checks

Getting access to one of these loans requires an application and approval process that is similar to applying for any other loan. Importantly, this means that your credit history and credit score are fair game and will be assessed to determine whether you’re eligible.

What is the credit score needed for casino credit? Good question! And the answer is that it depends. Just like any lender, a casino or company may differ in terms of what it looks for in a borrower. For instance, some casinos may limit loans to only those with a credit score of 600 or greater, while other casinos will have a higher minimum threshold of 720 or greater. In addition, the other factors that are considered besides a credit score for casino credit are things like overall credit and payment history, debt-to-asset ratio, available funds in active checking or savings accounts, etc.

Background Checks

For access to a loan, the casino is primarily focused on checking your current and past financial history (including credit score), but if you are seeking employment with a casino, it is also very likely that you will be subject to a background check. Reporting of this kind usually includes criminal and employment history, along with financial data, and can also include social security verification and other inquiries.

Impact on Your Credit Score

Does gambling affect your credit score? And, outside of going to a casino, does online gambling affect your credit score? Why would a casino show up on a credit report? These are questions that it is worth taking a closer look at. The answers are a bit more complicated than just a simple black-and-white response.

Gambling Does Not Directly Have an Impact

The most direct answer is that gambling does not affect your credit score. This means that the act of gambling does not affect your credit score. For instance, if you go into a casino and use your own cash to play things like table games (such as blackjack or poker) or slots, get into sports betting, or engage in any of the other available gaming options within the casino, your credit score will not register any impact one way or the other. This is true even if you use a casino membership card to track points, wins, and bets throughout your experience.

Will online gambling show up on a credit report? If you choose to stay home to play, online gambling does not affect your credit score either.

This is because gambling doesn’t get reported to the credit bureaus. So, will gambling show up on a credit report? No. Your credit report will never directly reflect the fact that you spent money at a casino or an online gambling venue. This is because gambling is basically treated like spending money on anything else. If you spend $500 in cash at the mall, it does not get reported on your credit report. If you put $500 on your credit card at the mall, it does not get reported on your credit report.

But, your overall credit balance can end up weighing against you on a credit report, and there are other scenarios in which your spending habits, activities, or events can end up on your credit report and potentially impact your credit score. This is true whether the financial activities result from gambling or spending on anything else.

A Gambling Loan Can Have an Impact

Does a casino line of credit show on your credit report? No, but that’s not the end of our answer.

When looking at whether gambling can affect your credit score, you have to consider the related behaviors and activities. For instance, in the context of talking about casino loans (aka markers), while the loan itself does not show up on your credit report, the act of applying for casino credit can impact your credit score. This primarily happens due to the inquiry that a casino makes against your credit to see if you’re qualified for the loan. Checking someone’s credit in this way is called a hard inquiry. These can lower your credit score, and even though each individual hard inquiry doesn’t have a huge impact on your score, amassing several within a short period of time can have a meaningful impact.

Payment Issues with a Gambling Loan Can Have an Impact

Not only can the very act of looking into whether you qualify for a loan lower your credit score, but issues that arise with repayment can cause even more significant credit problems. Note that, according to Experian, late or missed payments on a casino line of credit are not typically reported to the credit bureaus. 

However, people can sometimes have difficulty making payments toward other accounts if they’ve locked themselves into payments toward a casino loan or taken out high-interest cash advances against a credit card. Late and missed payments on other accounts are regularly reported, and your score can be meaningfully lowered.

Also, if you fail to repay the loan entirely or fail to repay it in accordance with the contractual terms, then you may face civil or criminal penalties, which can impact your credit score.

Gambling Excessively Can Have an Impact

Another way that casino credit on your credit report can have an impact is if you gamble excessively or extravagantly. For instance, if you are online gambling using a credit card, the gambling activities will not be reported to the credit bureaus, per se, but if you begin to hold a high credit card balance due to gambling debts, then this can impact your credit score.

Information on Gaming Credit Check Companies

The companies that complete gaming credit checks or casino background checks for prospective employees are called consumer reporting agencies (CRAs). Though they specialize in producing gaming-related credit check reports, they are the same type of entity as the big three credit bureaus that you’re used to dealing with.

CRAs gather, sort, review, and report data using algorithms. The data is supplied by other companies that are referred to as “data furnishers” because they furnish (or provide) the data that goes into the reports. Depending on the categories that a particular casino or gaming site wants to check, things like credit score, credit history, late payments, debts, assets, accounts, inquiries, and other financial information can show up on your gaming credit check report.

Mistakes in Your Gaming Credit Check or Background Check Report

CRAs are regulated under numerous state and federal laws, including the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). Since the types of reports that CRAs produce have a direct and immediate effect on your ability to access certain financial products (such as a line of credit, credit cards, mortgages, auto loans, etc), the FCRA enforces accuracy.

Despite this obligation of ensuring accuracy, there are all kinds of reporting mistakes that happen for all kinds of reasons. In fact, up to one-third of consumers discover errors in credit reports, and the credit checks requested by casinos and online gaming sites are no different than any other type of credit check.

When mistakes are made in gaming credit reports, you can end up unable to access money that you would otherwise be able to access. Similarly, when mistakes happen in gaming background check reports, you can be denied an employment opportunity with a casino that you may have otherwise qualified for. 

Notably, if your gaming credit report or background check contains errors and you are harmed in some way (financially, emotionally, or otherwise), you have rights. For instance, if you are hosting a group of friends for a reunion weekend in Las Vegas and you counted on having access to a gaming loan (or marker) rather than carrying large amounts of cash, but your loan application is denied due to reporting errors, you may suffer financial consequences, emotional stress, reputational harm, embarrassment, etc.

Main Gaming Credit Reporting Agencies

Though some of the casinos use credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion) to run gaming credit checks, the three main CRAs that are used for gaming credit check inquiries are 

• Central Credit Services
• Certegy Gaming Services
• VIP Preferred

There are several dozen CRAs in total, and others may be used by different casinos or gaming sites. If you don’t see a name you recognize here, check out our comprehensive list of all credit reporting agencies. 

How a Credit Report Attorney Can Help

Gambling can be a fun and exciting experience that has little to no impact on your credit profile or score. However, the nature of financing gambling (particularly combined with potential intoxication) can pose a risk of inadvertently excessive spending at one time or over an extended period of months, which can lead to unwise financial decisions and credit harm. Being smart and well-equipped with knowledge up front is a great approach. And so is knowing who can help you if you need it after the fact. 

The world of consumer protection law is a unique legal space that involves an intricate knowledge of the federal and state laws at play in a given situation. When reporting errors strike, a consumer protection lawyer (also known as a credit report lawyer, background check lawyer, or FCRA attorney) is your best asset for recovering fully. At Consumer Attorneys, we’ve helped thousands of clients come back from devastating credit reporting failures and background check harms, and we can help you, too. 

If you’ve been wrongfully denied access to gaming loans or employment due to errors on a gaming credit check report or background check report, Consumer Attorneys can help. Similarly, if your credit report wrongfully reflects any other information, our team of highly skilled and knowledgeable lawyers knows the complex legal landscape of the Fair Credit Reporting Act and similar state legislation. With a nationwide practice, we’re always right where you need us to be.

And best of all? Working with us costs you nothing out of pocket. Our consultations are free, and the FCRA makes the CRAs pay for your legal costs and fees when you sue them and win. 

Reach out to us today by phone (+1-877-615-1725) or email (info@consumerattorneys.com), or use the online intake form or LIVE chat on our website (consumerattorneys.com). 

We looking forward to talking with you!