Online Casinos: Understanding ID Verification

Gambling has been a legal pursuit in the UK for a very long time, and the popularity of this activity has always been high. Rather than playing physical games, many of today’s biggest gamblers will be found online, with web-based casinos and games dominating this market. While being online makes it easier to reach a wider audience, though, it also presents certain challenges to those running these games.

ID verification is a big part of this. The law in the UK forces all online casinos to verify their users, ensuring that they are who they say they are and that they meet the requirements to be able to make legal bets. But why exactly is ID verification so important and how does this whole thing work? Let’s take a look at the ins and outs of this crucial process.

Why Do Casinos Perform ID Verification?

In essence, an online casino will perform an ID verification check to make sure that you aren’t lying about who you are. As they can’t see your face or talk to you properly, casinos have to use online databases and the ID documents you provide to verify your identity, with tools like the electoral register being instrumental in this process.

Of course, while it is in their interest to make sure that their players are who they say they are, casinos are also legally required to do this. The UK Gambling Commission was set up by the 2005 Gambling Act, aiming to protect under-18s from gambling while also preventing fraud and money laundering.

Protecting Under-18s

UK law required that online casinos verify the age of their users within 72-hours of signing up. If this cannot be achieved, the account must be frozen, with no deposits coming in until the verification is complete. It is illegal to gamble below the age of 18 in the UK, and this law is designed to protect young people. 

Preventing Money Laundering & Fraud

Online casinos can present a promising option for criminals looking to make dirty money clean. ID verification ensures that casinos have a trace of your identity, making it impossible to hide the money that you’ve put through websites like this. This helps to ensure that all of the money that online casinos process has been earned and taxed legally.

Alongside preventing money laundering, ID verification can also help to prevent fraud. Gambling can often lead to theft and fraud, leading many online casinos to flag suspicious activity on the accounts they hold. They have the power to ask where you have sourced your money, making it easier to ensure that the money they handle is clean.

How Does ID Verification Work?

While ID verification laws are quite strict online, casinos don’t all follow the same process. Most will follow a similar template, but each website you visit will have its own quirks that change the way the system works. In most cases, a soft-check will be performed when you first register with an online casino, with your name, address, and age being checked to make sure that you are allowed to gamble. You will always be asked to tick a box to state that you are over-18 when you first register.

The vast majority of online casino users will also have to go through a full ID verification at some stage during their gambling career. This will usually be triggered by an action on your account, and this can be any of the scenarios below:

• Large Withdrawals: Withdrawing a lot of money, either all at once or over time, will usually trigger a full ID check. This will usually occur once you have withdrawn more than £2000, though this can vary from casino to casino.
• Mismatched Details: If your address, name, or other details don’t match between your registered details and your payment details, you will almost certainly have to go through a full ID check.
• Suspicious Activity: Unusual withdrawals or deposits, changes in your payment details, and other suspicious activity can also trigger a full ID check.
• Criminal History: If you have a criminal history that relates to fraud or other financial crimes, you may have to go through an ID check to cover the backs of the casinos you’re using.
• Random Checks: Random checks are performed by online casinos to dissuade criminals from using their platforms and to make it impossible to get around the usual triggers for an ID check.

ID checks can take anywhere from a couple of minutes to several days, with online casinos using a range of online resources to make sure that your ID is accurate. Most online casinos will allow you to voluntarily submit your ID to be checked, and this can be a good way to avoid having to wait if a full check is triggered.

What Can Be Used As ID?

While age is one of the most important parts of the online casino verification process, it’s also crucial that they are able to prove your address and that you own the payment method you’re using. This means that the online casinos you visit may ask for up to three forms of ID, though some ID can be used to prove more than one of these areas. Some examples of acceptable ID can be found below.

• Proof Of Age: Age verification requires ID with your date of birth on it, including your passport, driving license, or national ID card.
• Proof Of Address: Proof of address can come in the form of a utility bill, bank statement, or council tax bill.
• Proof Of Payment Ownership: You can use a bank statement or picture of your bank card to prove that you own the payment method you are using.

Can ID Verification Go Wrong?

Online casinos have to work extremely hard to make sure that they follow the right rules when it comes to ID verification, and this means that the process rarely goes wrong. If you provide accurate documents but your ID is refused, you may have to look at other online casinos to continue the fun.

This can be trickier if you find yourself with your ID refused and money on your account. In this case, making an official complaint will be your best course of action, but this will only be possible if you have registered with a properly licensed online casino.

This highlights the importance of choosing online casinos that have the appropriate licensing to offer games that risk real money. Being locked out of an account on a website that isn’t operating legally will give you very little room to fight back.

As you can see, ID verification is crucial to modern online casinos. This helps to ensure that those under-18 don’t find themselves in trouble gambling online, while also preventing financial crime like laundering and fraud. Thankfully, though, once you’ve gone through this process with a casino, it is highly unlikely that you will have to do it again.