Australian sports bettors’ use of online bookmakers’ reloadable debit cards has risen sixfold in just one year, leading anti-gambling campaigners to warn that the cards make it too easy to wager.

Queensland-based payment processor eMerchants says $90m was loaded onto bookmaker-branded debit cards in the first half of the last financial year, up from $15m in the same period a year earlier.

The surge reflects the number of deals the ASX-listed eMerchants has struck with Aussie-licensed online bookies over the same span. Ladbrokes Australia got the ball rolling in 2014 and eMerchants has gone on to ink deals with Lads’ competitors CrownBet, Bet365 and Sportsbet.

Originally designed for withdrawal purposes, the cards allowed punters easy access to their winnings via cash machines and EFTPOS terminals. eMerchants has since launched its EachWay system, which allows punters to deposit cash to their online betting accounts and have the funds instantly available for wagering purposes.