The world has evolved from land-based casino gambling to fully digital online casinos. While the introduction of online casinos has ushered in an era of comfortable casino gambling, it hasn’t come without some downsides.
One of the problems online casinos encounter is identity fraud; a fraudulent actor attempts to register multiple accounts or sneak into the platform under a fake ID to access sensitive data that could compromise the security and safety of the casino provider and other gamers.
The crux of this problem is that such actors may sometimes tamper with people’s financial information; unsuspecting players may be tricked into revealing more personal data or breaching the casino servers.
To forestall situations like these, online casinos have adopted a series of security measures; foremost among such efforts is the KYC feature. Fully spelt as “Know Your Customer,” KYC is part of a broader identity verification process.
Identity verification ensures that the casinos know precisely whom they are dealing with and helps to quickly flag, identify, and seclude users with questionable data. However, the KYC process usually requires that users release sensitive personal information; how is this information processed and stored?
This post will answer why online casinos request this information and other questions relevant to online casino identity.
Why is Verification of ID Necessary in a Casino
One of the first questions that comes to mind is why do online casinos verify the identity of users? It is interesting to note that, according to estimates, the online casino market is worth over 20 billion dollars; with an estimated 1Billion-Plus users globally, it is reasonable to expect that the industry that is booming so much has become one of the most critical targets for bad actors.
In previous years, the online casino industry has witnessed sophisticated attempts by criminal groups to target innocent gamblers, access users’ data, and launder money.
These bad actors are increasingly attempting to try their luck by opening new accounts or gaining access to existing ones using stolen identities or fraudulent identification documents. In many instances, fraudsters use these accounts to siphon money from the bank accounts of their unsuspecting victims before withdrawing it elsewhere.
Online casinos verify users’ identities as part of their adherence to anti-fraud laws because, by law, online casino providers are meant to identify and verify the data of each user.
It is also important to note that by collecting and verifying users’ data, online casinos will be better placed to identify players with gambling problems such as addictions, risky gambling appetites, and other mental health conditions.
This will ensure that users who need help are given the same; it will also make it easier to identify and punish any player in contravention of casino rules or legal provisions. For instance, the betting age permitted by law is 18; by collecting and verifying users’ data, casinos can ensure that underage gamblers are easily fished out and removed as required.
Age Verification in Online Casinos
Remember that laws and regulatory agencies strictly guide online casinos. This ensures compliance; where they are found wanting, their gambling licence may be withdrawn or sanctioned in one way or another; one of the points on which the law is strict with casino providers is gamblers’ age.
The reason for this is that the government wants to protect minors from exposure to gambling at their tender age; they may not fully understand what they are getting into and often lack money management skills.
In land-based casinos, gamers must present their identity cards to prove they have attained legal age; in some jurisdictions, the legal age is 21, while 18 is the most common standard age worldwide. In online casinos, the process is almost identical, and you must submit a recognized means of identification, which is often a government-issued identity card, as proof of your age.
Online casinos will require details such as your place of birth, address, and name, among other things. The system will then compare the information you provided with similar information you have used on another database to which the casino site is connected. Some online casino providers have an advanced system to detect age fraud, which means if you are not of legal age but attempt to register, you will be caught and blocked immediately.
All of this happens very fast, and you may not know; if this information doesn’t match, you may be required to provide further information for your identity verification. There are three cards online casinos might need to verify players’ ages; they include:
- Driving licence
- Latest bank statement or
- Statement of household utility bills
Online casinos typically accept email-delivered color scans of the documents they need to verify the players’ age. Depending on the verification, you might have to wait several days for a response. You can also use regular posts if you’d like, but keep in mind that it might take longer
Online Casino Problem Gambling
Problem gambling is gambling behavior that affects a gambler’s personal life, mental health, or financial state. Many have restricted the meaning of problem gambling to addiction, but habits like relying on drugs or alcohol to boost your betting performance, spending above the amount you budget for gambling, or gambling despite any negative repercussions, all form part of problem gambling. It is, therefore, correct to say all gambling addicts are problem gamblers, while not all problem gamblers have a gambling addiction.
Problem gambling can affect any gambler, both literate and illiterate, and it takes gaming from a fun, healthy distraction to a toxic obsession. Whether a gambler bets on baccarat, roulette, bingo, scratch cards or loves to leverage casino slot bonus- problem gambling can interfere with their professional life, strain their interpersonal relationships, and have substantial financial implications.
Problem gambling has led gamers to take loans or steal money to satisfy their betting needs.
As explained earlier, addiction is not the only form of problem gambling, but it is the most critical. Also called compulsive gambling disorder, an addicted gambler will find it difficult to control the urge to gamble, even when they may be at risk of some harmful consequences from gambling.
For instance, an addicted gambler may bet with their last money; even if there are medications or food they ought to prioritize, they would rather gamble than prioritize their health and medications.
Also, when they can’t afford a loss or the game odds are obviously against them, an addicted gambler will still go ahead and gamble. Another form of gambling problem does not relate to money, but rather time.
When a gambler spends more time gambling, they may begin to withdraw from their relationships with others, or they may start to experience lapses in their professional duties. With time, this will lead to conflicts between them and their colleagues or loved ones.
Loss chasing involves increasing the betting price to win a considerable amount that can offset past losses. A loss chaser will continue to increase their betting stake, hoping each time that a single win will reverse all their recurrent losses; in the end, they end up losing far more than they ever imagined or could bear. Chasing losses is also gambling addiction, an opposing logic that sinks a gambler into deeper ruin.
Problem gambling is usually connected to order mental health situations; this could be anxiety, panic, stress, or problems with substance abuse. Therefore, these underlying causes must be identified and addressed to overcome problem gambling.
Usually, victims look hopeless in the face of problem gambling, but there’s always a solution to this dangerous condition.
Gambling problems don’t just start in a day; there are usually warning signs that gamblers should watch out for. One of these is the urge for secrecy. If you suddenly start thinking that you need to keep track of the details of your gambling, like how much money you spend, how much time you use, or how much risk you are willing to take while gambling at online casinos,
Another symptom is having trouble cutting back on gambling. A gambler facing this situation cannot stop gambling until they have nothing more to stake. Does your money finish before you stop gambling? If so, it might be a warning sign of a gambling problem.
Fortunately, due to the data provided by gamblers during online casino verification and the input of AI technology used by casino providers, they may be able to identify some of these traits and gambling patterns and help a gamer who needs help with gambling problems.
Anti-money Laundering
Some criminals explore the vulnerability of online casinos for money laundering purposes. This is why government regulators ensure that anti-money laundering (AML) forms part of the responsibilities of online casinos.
By verifying the identity of online casino users, casino providers can identify shady people, reduce the risk of fraud and make the casino gaming atmosphere generally more secure.
AML also allows online casinos to discourage illegal activity such as drug financing and human trafficking and prevent fraudsters from engaging in money laundering or terrorist financing.
Fraud and Other Crimes
Casino online verification protects gamblers’ accounts from fraud and other cybercrimes. The online gaming market has had phenomenal growth over the years and is still expanding. By 2021, global trade is expected to reach $1 trillion. With such a high volume of transactions, there is a significant chance for online scammers to take advantage of casino sites.
A variety of frauds plague the internet gambling industry; the most prevalent ones include;
- Credit card fraud:
Credit card fraud attempts are widespread in online casinos. The fraudsters use stolen or false credit card credentials to deposit money into their casino accounts.
This may get the casino or provider in trouble once the bank or credit card provider learns about the fraud. This is because they subject the casino provider to sanctions and cashback for failing to identify and verify the fraudster’s identity correctly.
- Multiple Accounts:
Some online fraudsters usually create various accounts to exploit gambling sites. These accounts are created using forged information.
They sometimes use this method to claim casino bonus on multiple accounts, which is unsustainable and could make the casino run at a loss. To forestall situations like this, identity verification of casino players is essential.
- Money laundering:
Certain criminals whose businesses cannot be handled by regular banks may seek to exploit online casinos by funnelling funds through their casino accounts. Some groups likely to attempt this include terrorists, drug/weapon smugglers, and human traffickers.
Online casinos must therefore ensure that their services aren’t being utilised by criminals to wash money obtained illegally or dishonestly. Due to the massive amounts of money casino providers handle, it is simpler for money launderers to use the platform to conceal illicit payments.
But identity verification once again could help casinos verify the true identity of their customers and easily flag accounts with suspicious financial activities.
Problems with KYC
Know Your Customer (KYC) simultaneously serves a double function in online casino security. The first is that KYC is an integral part of Anti-money laundering, which casinos are bound by law to implement. The second function is that it allows casinos to obtain personal information to recognize the identity of casino users.
“Enhanced Due Diligence” is a required account verification process, generally used in online gaming operations. Its goal is to identify questionable casino gamers from the start and report them in extreme cases.
The uses of KYC go beyond forestalling financial crimes; it might even help to identify users who have previously committed fraud. KYC comes during the user registration onboarding stage and can help prevent fraud, economic crimes, and money laundering through online casinos.
While KYC procedures can be beneficial, there are some drawbacks for online gaming providers. The first one is that it makes the onboarding of new gamers slow. This is because verifying ID data and documents can take a while.
If the casino has the necessary technology, the verification procedure can be completed instantly. However, the verification procedure can take weeks without an automated solution. Online casinos frequently have entire compliance teams on staff to handle players’ paperwork. Some casinos ask players to transmit a selfie with their ID or payment card to verify their identity or payment method to expedite the process and add an extra layer of protection.
You should know that some of the highest fines against online casino providers result from KYC procedure violations. So, errors arising from KYC issues can cost casino providers millions of dollars and result in the suspension or revocation of their licenses.
Player patience is yet another issue. When players win and want to withdraw their earnings in that situation, the system tells them to hold on till their KYC procedure is completed. This becomes more challenging for casinos that allow players to play but suspend their payment processing until they have completed their KYC procedure.
Players may gravitate toward platforms that have minimized the time between sign-up and withdrawal due to KYC delays. Yet, these delays are necessary if the casino wants to avoid issues with government regulators. This runs the risk of getting players impatient, and any challenge to players’ patience runs the danger of losing their attention.
We should also note that, at times, there are manual processes in the KYC procedure, which means casino staff are reviewing the documents and information submitted by users.
This does not mean some KYC procedures are not automated; there is a lot of automation thanks to Arterial intelligence, but there may also be a need for manual inputs.
Online Casino Verification FAQ
Here are some answers you need about online casino easy verification:
How do I know if it’s legitimate?
To verify your identity at online casinos, you will be revealing sensitive personal information about yourself; it is wise to ask yourself whether you can trust the platform requiring that information.
During your initial registration, you will be asked to input information such as your name, date of birth, home address, phone number, user name, and email.
During a later stage, which is the KYC verification phase, you may be asked to upload a valid government-issued ID card or some additional documentation to verify your identity. Also, at this latter stage, you will likely be required to link your payment methods and reveal sensitive payment information such as credit/debit card details.
One of the most innovative ways to identify a legit casino is to check what other players say about it. Every online casino provider promises many goodies, which might distract you from adequately verifying their legitimacy.
Fortunately, other gamblers who have registered and verified their accounts will have one or two things to say about the casino. The best part is that people readily share their experiences on online casino review platforms. As such, it will be easy for you to spot the comments made by people who have had a bad experience with their verification at your desired casino.
If you don’t readily find the information you need, you can create a trend, which means you can ask about the verification experience of other gamers, and they will answer you in real-time.
Note that all casinos may require users to submit their identity information once; if they ever ask for it again, they might not be legit. Also, casinos use security encryption on their platform, so they receive your data over a secured channel, and if any of the information you gave them gets leaked, this is a red flag.
Finally, the best way to ensure that you are dealing with a legitimate casino provider is to check whether the government licenses them. Most casinos will mention their license somewhere on their platform. If you find one and cannot find any information about their license, this could be a potentially illegitimate platform. You should also note that online casino no verification sites are potential scams, ID verification is very important.
Which documents do I need to send?
Before we talk about the documents you need to send for your casino KYC verification, let’s talk about the goal of the casinos when they require your documents.
There are four things they have in mind. The first is to confirm your identity and photo; the second is to ensure your place of residence; the next is to verify your banking details; and lastly, they want to confirm your ownership and control over the account.
The relevant paperwork and documentation required for identifying and verifying players are not regulated. Nonetheless, a list of the authorized means of identification paperwork is provided by the majority of regulatory authorities around the world.
Below is the list of documents you might be required to send;
- Utility bills such as water or electricity bills:
Online casinos might require your utility bill for the past three months. This is used to confirm your place of residence (address)
- Credit card, Debit card, or Bank statement
This might be used to verify your banking methods or how you wish to fund your casino account and withdraw your earnings
- Valid ID Card, Driver’s License, or Passport
This is usually used to determine a player’s identity with photos, names, and other information that can be seen on the card
- Selfie photo
Players might be required to take a clear selfie while holding a passport, which is used to confirm their ownership and control of the account.
How Do I Send Through the Documents?
Different casino providers may adopt different approaches to receiving your verification documents. So, you send the documents in accordance with the requirements of your casino’s provider. There are generally two primary ways to send your documents: one is to send them to an email the casino provides, and the other is to use a dedicated verification portal on the casino website.
The second option is usually faster and more innovative, and you will be required to log in to the casino website, visit the verification section, and upload the necessary documents.
Apart from being faster, it is also safer than the email option because your documents are protected with the same security encryption that the casino provider uses and generally could be said to provide an online casino easy verification.
When should I send the documents?
This, again, will be determined by the policy of your casino provider. Some providers will request your documents during your initial registration, while others will request them post-registration before you can withdraw your earnings.
How Are My Documents Being Handled
Thanks to SSL technology, data is delivered in encrypted form and stored on secure servers that prevent data leakage and interception. Even if the scammers gain access to your information, they will only receive a random string of characters that cannot be utilized for money transfers or other transactions.
How do I Verify Payment Methods?
Online casinos need to verify their payment methods to ensure that they receive players’ earnings and fund their accounts securely. Their preferred banking option will determine the verification method.
For instance, if you choose an e-wallet, log in to it and take a screenshot showing your name and account ID; if you choose a card, you need to take a picture of the card, showing the last six and the first four digits only, with your name and the expiry date. And finally, for bank transfers, you may be required to provide a statement of account for a specific period.
