Why do you need online casino player identity verification?

Gambling, including online casinos, sports betting in bookmaker services and betting offices, is under striGambling, including online casinos, sports betting in bookmaker services and betting offices, is under strict government control in many countries. The main purpose of this regulation is to prevent the spread of gambling among minors as well as persons with limited legal capacity. For such offenders, a unique check as identity verification has been created.

In addition, online casinos and gaming platforms use specific customer verification protocols (such as KYC – “know your customer”) for security purposes. This also relates to the issue of combating the laundering of the proceeds of crime.

What does it look like?

The following set of personal information is used as the information used to verify identity:

• Primary personal information – name, year and date of birth, place of birth
• Scanned pages of your passport or driving licence (international format); in some countries the ID card number is sufficient
• Roof of client’s actual geographical location; for instance it may be a scanned copy of rental agreement, copy of utility bill, local bank statement, medical insurance policy.
• An electronic photograph of the client, sometimes geo-referenced (through the use of a smartphone geolocation option)
• Various biometric data such as fingerprints, iris scans, etc.

Collection of such data by online casinos and other gambling services requires that they in turn undertake not to disclose any personal information to third parties. In Europe or the US this kind of data breach can be prosecuted severely.

Purposes of identity verification at online casinos

All purposes aimed at accurately authenticating the identity of the user of online casino services are related to security. Namely:

1. To limit and / or completely prohibit access to gambling services to persons under the full age of majority. It is known that it is in adolescence when the strongest attachment to gambling is formed. Therefore, in almost all countries of the world there is a strict ban on the involvement of adolescents in gambling.
2. Apart from adolescents, problems of personal safety and its accurate identification are related to people with limited capacity or persistent gambling addiction. It is up to psychologists to define contraindications to gambling, but online casinos try to protect themselves from lawsuits in advance. Therefore casinos use precise identification to cut off this category of citizens from gambling.
3. An issue of financial transactions security in gaming services system. Such methods as 2-factor authentication and biometrics do not guarantee 100% hacking of a customer account or an entire online casino platform. But it makes it much more difficult for fraudsters and hackers to use stolen data to steal money.

Application

In the last year or two online casinos and other online gambling services have been actively implementing AI (Artificial Intelligence) and video authentication systems. They use data from video surveillance cameras. Such systems are already operating in casinos in Portugal and Spain, in Macao, China, and Las Vegas. Such digital systems make it possible to identify with almost 99.99% accuracy the identity of a bona fide user, customer and distinguish him from fraudsters.