Verification May Day

by Glenn Baird - May 3, 2019

Today the UKGC reaffirmed that new verification laws due to come into place on Tuesday the 7th of May would still be coming and expectations are that all online gamblers in the UK will need to have provided the relevant ID to their operator(s) of choice by that date if they want to continue playing there.
The new laws mean that all online gamblers in the UK will need to provide proof of age and identity, something that the UKGC expect to see done “quickly and robustly.”

No operators will be exempt from the laws meaning that “if an operator has not yet verified the name, address and date of birth of any customer” that customer will be unable to gamble there.

It will be expected that all operators prevent unverified customers from using their services and they will be exempt from gambling until they have done so.

The UKGC have also reminded operators that cannot confiscate funds from unverified customers writing on their website that:

“Last year the Competitions and Markets Authority’s action in the remote sector established that consumers are legally entitled to money which they have deposited in their account, to winnings made with money they have deposited and gambled, and winnings made from a bonus where the relevant conditions have been met (subject to AML or other regulatory requirements).”