Gambling businesses are to be banned from allowing consumers in Britain to use credit cards to bet from 14 April, the Gambling Commission has announced.

The move comes two years after charity groups including GambleAware and Citizens Advice urged the government to implement the policy to protect people from sliding into addiction.

Major betting websites including PokerStars, Betfair, 888 and Bet365 all allow their customers to make deposits online using credit cards, which has led to warnings from campaigners that gamblers risk racking up huge debts.

Estimates from UK Finance, the trade body for banks and the finance industry, suggest that 800,000 consumers use credit cards to gamble. According to the commission, 22% of people paying for online bets with credit cards are classed as problem gamblers.

Last year, the Guardian reported on the case of a problem gambler who used nine credit cards to spend hundreds of thousands of pounds with online casinos, who she claimed ignored her obvious signs of a spiralling addiction. Her losses included £54,000 in an overnight spree when she was allowed to place bets worth more than £380,000 on one website in a single session.

Neil McArthur, the Gambling Commission’s chief executive, said: “Credit card gambling can lead to significant financial harm. The ban that we have announced today should minimise the risks of harm to consumers from gambling with money they do not have.”

The consultation that led to the commission’s decision included e-wallets, indicating that payment services such as PayPal will probably be included in the ban. The Guardian revealed last year that such providers had allowed problem gamblers to circumvent banking limits and spend up to £150,000 a day.

The culture minister, Helen Whately, said: “There is clear evidence of harm from consumers betting with money they do not have, so it is absolutely right that we act decisively to protect them.

“In the past year we have introduced a wave of tougher measures, including cutting the maximum stake on fixed odds betting terminals, bringing in tighter age and identity checks for online gambling and expanding national specialist support through the NHS Long Term Plan.

“We have also secured a series of commitments from five leading gambling operators that will include £100m funding towards treatment for problem gamblers.

“But there is more to do. We will be carrying out a review of the Gambling Act to ensure it is fit for the digital age and we will be launching a new nationwide addiction strategy in 2020.”

Eytan Alexander, the managing director of the addiction treatment firm UKAT and a former gambling addict, welcomed the move to ban credit cards, but said other measures were needed to protect consumers.

He said: “It’s a relief to hear that positive steps are being taken and I truly believe it will help current and future problem gamblers who are gambling with money they don’t necessarily have.

“However, at UKAT, what we’re keen to see are steps being taken to target the VIP schemes which reward gamblers with celebrity-lifestyle perks for their high and regular bets. This could encourage younger, more vulnerable gamblers to gamble to excess in order to reach VIP status. We’d encourage the Gambling Commission to take a hard and fast line on this.”

Brigid Simmonds, the head of the Betting and Gaming Council, which represents the industry, said: “We will implement a ban on credit cards and indeed our members will go further to study and improve the early identification of those at risk.

“The use of credit cards were previously used as a potential marker of harm which might lead to further intervention with customers.”