Online Gambling Age Verification

The Gambling Commissionhas announced new rules that strengthen the requirements for online gambling operators to verify the age and identity of their customers, with these changes taking effect from 7th May 2019.

Online Gambling Age Verification Requirements
Online Gambling Age Verification Sites
Online Gambling Age Verification Status

By contrast, a report commissioned from Malcolm Sparrow at the Kennedy School of Government around the same time, concluded that at least in relation to preventing minors from gambling online, age verification techniques were an appropriate regulatory tool. For that reason, most online games require age verification prior to playing and many even have set age limits. At the moment, however, this age verification merely depends on the veracity of the player, who is simply required to enter their birthdate. A central authority will be created in Saxony-Anhalt to monitor all aspects of online gaming, but this is expected to take until the end of 2022 to set up. Age verification has been a hot topic in Germany since an investigation by the Bavarian Consumer Centre highlighted the ease at which under-18s could access five major online gambling sites. Best practices suggest that gaming operators need to evolve beyond simple age verification to robust online identity verification. This is done with biometric-based liveness detection that scans a 3D face with a standard 2D camera (built into most smartphones) to ensure the real user is present. It’s the best solution we have at present. The gambling commission has announced new age verification rules which come into effect from 7 May 2019. Under the current guidelines, online gambling operators can take up to 72 hours to carry out age verification checks.

The new rules will ensure operators verify customers’ age and identity details faster, preventing underage gambling and protect vulnerable players.

Under the current guidelines, online gambling operators can take up to 72 hours to carry out age verification checks. Unverified users may gamble during this time period but cannot withdraw any winnings until after their age is verified, which may require further proof of identity checks.

Online Gambling Age Verification Requirements

With the new changes, operators must verify the age of the player before allowing access to their site. Unverified users won’t be able to deposit any funds into their account, use any free-to-play games, or receive free bets or bonuses upon registering. These changes mean a reduction in time to prove identityis required in order to maintain a frictionless onboarding journey, allowing customers the fastest possible access to paid services.

The new legislation also requires licencees who offer online channels to:

• Verify, as a minimum, the name, address and date of birth of a customer before allowing them to gamble or deposit funds;
• Ask for any additional verification information promptly;
• Inform customers, before they can deposit funds, of:

a. the types of identity documents or other information that might be required;
b. the circumstances in which the information might be required;
c. how it should be supplied to the licensee

• Take reasonable steps to ensure that information on their customers’ identities remains accurate.

Experian’s extensive identity and fraud solutionshave the capabilities required to verify the age of a consumer quickly and seamlessly, helping you to adhere to incoming legislation, selling your products to customers of the appropriate age, all without disrupting the onboarding journey for genuine customers.

The new rules come into operation on 7 May and will mean stricter age verification – are you prepared?

Contact usto find out how we can help you.