Enhanced ID verification checks to be enforced by regulator
iGaming operators who are licenced in Scotland, Wales and England will be obliged to authenticate customer identity before they allow them to gamble, this is the outcome of a series of new controls which will come into force on the 7th of May.
Customer’s details such as date of birth, name and address will need to be verified by the operators, before they are allowed to make a deposit into their account, and claim and use their bonus or free bet. This will also apply to the access of free games on the operator’s websites.
Previously the operators were allowed a 72 hour period to implement the age verification checks, but this is all going to change with stricter procedures put into place.
More protection
The UK government’s Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Jeremy Wright said the changes would add an extra layer of protection for children and young people.
“By extending strong age verification rules to free-to-play games we are creating a much safer online environment for children, helping to shut down a possible gateway to gambling-related harm,” he said.
They will also have to promptly ask for any additional verification information required from individuals. Upon registering, operators will have to inform customers of the types of identity documents or other information that may be required, the circumstances in which such information may be required, and how it should be supplied. Licensees will also be required to take reasonable steps to ensure information pertaining to each customer’s identity remains accurate.
“These changes will protect children and the vulnerable from gambling-related harm, and reduce the risk of crime linked to gambling,” Gambling Commission chief executive Neil McArthur said. “They will also make gambling fairer by helping consumers collect their winnings without unnecessary delay.’’
“Britain’s online gambling market is the largest regulated market in the world and we want to make sure it is the safest and the fairest. Today’s changes follow our review of online gambling and our ongoing widespread regulatory action into the online sector. We will keep using our powers to raise standards for consumers.”
