Reasons for Identity Verification on Online Casinos

Image Source

There has been much discussion in the media recently on the topic of cybercrime and money laundering and the online gambling industry has come under some scrutiny in both the UK and the US recently. Indeed, some regulatory bodies such as the UK Gambling Commission are set to put new practices in place that would aim to tackle dubious behavior within the industry. We are going to look at identity verification in particular and why this is required now more than ever by most major gambling platforms.

Verifying Your Identity Online

When you open an account on an online bookmaker or casino site then there is every chance that your activity will be severely restricted until you verify your identity. The process for completing this action has changed massively over the last 20 years or so and you now have to verify yourself online using tools that are provided by companies such as Cognito. These make the process of verification a pretty simple one.

However, before you go to verify yourself online you have the right to know why the company, casino or bookie is asking for your details. Mostly, this will be to comply with legislation so there is no harm in doing so on most reputable platforms. If you’re unsure about doing so then you can always contact the company and they will be able to talk you through the process.

Reasons for Online Gambling Verification

We’ve already touched upon it above but we are going to look at why a company may ask for your ID in more detail. It isn’t just gambling companies that can ask for verification, other businesses such as banks and currency exchanges may also ask for you to verify yourself. On casinos and bookmakers, this process can be known as KYC which stands for Know Your Customer and you will first be asked to present some sort of ID.

This can often just be a photograph of your driving license or passport and this can be instantly uploaded to a computer, laptop, smartphone or tablet using the camera on each device. Then you may be asked to take a photograph of yourself. This is mainly to combat fraud and cybercrime such as money laundering as the company will have a record of your identity including an up to date photo and you will then be permitted to access all of the features on a site.

Many online gambling companies will not allow you to make a withdrawal until the KYC process has been completed. However, you may be able to still place a deposit and bet on certain games or sports without having to verify yourself. As you can see, the reasons for verification are pretty logical and quite simply just legislation that the casino has to adhere to. Yet again, it is all about reading up on why this is required before you begin the process. We hope our post has shed some light on why you may be required to verify your identity when you gamble.