Online casino identity verification is the bugbear of the industry and a bit of a pain for everyone really. “Why are you asking for all these details? Can’t I just play the games already?” We get it, it’s another hurdle for us all! Let’s check out what identity verification is, what’s involved, and how it actually benefits everyone.
What is casino verification?
Casino verification is the process by which an online casino confirms certain specific details about you. This process is often referred to by other names, such as casino account verification, casino identity verification, or online casino KYC (which stands for Know Your Customer).
Operators like PlayOJO are required by law to confirm three important details about every player before allowing them to start gambling. These are:
- Your name
- Your address
- Your date of birth
UK online casinos can’t let you start playing their games for real money until they have verified these details.
Why you need to verify your details
UK Gambling Commission licensed online casinos like PlayOJO have to follow strict regulatory rules to keep our licence status, and one of those rules involves verifying the identity of all our players.
The specific rules surrounding verifying player identity are covered in the UKGC’s Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP) under section 17.1.1 Customer Identity Verification. These rules basically mean we have to do four things:
- Verify the identity of all players by obtaining and confirming name, address, and date of birth before allowing the player to gamble
- Verify player identity before the first withdrawal request where reasonably practicable
- Let players know which identity documents are required, when they might be required, and how they should be provided
- Ensure player identity information is kept up to date
There are very legitimate reasons why we need to ask you for your name, address, and date of birth before allowing you to gamble:
- Make sure you’re old enough to gamble: Underage gambling is illegal in the UK, so we need to carry out casino age verification checks to make sure you’re at least 18 years old before we can let you play our games
- Make sure you aren’t self-excluded: We match the details we get from the casino identity verification process to make sure you aren’t on any self-exclusion lists, which would prevent you from gambling
- Check your identity: We have to confirm that you are who you say you are, so we can flag any attempts to steal your identity
In a nutshell, carrying out online casino verification is a legal requirement on our part. We do realise it may be a bit of a pain and perhaps feel a bit nosey, but it’s something we must do as part of our licence agreement with the UKGC.
How does casino account verification work?
Luckily, verifying your account is usually a very simple and straightforward process. Most of the time, the casino KYC procedure will be completed in the background when you open an account at PlayOJO. We’ll match the information you provide during the sign-up process with existing records such as credit referencing agencies and the electoral roll to confirm your details. If everything goes well, you’ll be able to start playing instantly!
However, sometimes we aren’t able to confirm your identity this way. This may be because you’re not on the electoral roll, you don’t have a credit rating, or you’ve just changed address. When this happens, we need to ask you to provide a few documents to help us confirm your name, address, and date of birth. Some of the documents we may ask you to provide include:
- Passport
- Driving licence
- ID card
- Utility bill (eg. phone, electricity, gas, etc.)
You can send us copies of these by following the instructions in the email we sent you or by going to My Account > Upload Documents. Our team will take a look at your documents and once they’re satisfied, you’ll be good to go!
The benefits of casino verification
Yes, it’s a bit of a pain (for us too!), but there are real benefits to verifying your details at PlayOJO:
- Preventing underage gambling: By confirming you’re of legal gambling age, you’re helping us prevent access to gambling by those under 18
- Preventing problem gambling: Keeping self-excluded players off our site means we’re helping them on their path to recovery
- Avoiding duplicate accounts: Confirming your identity via casino address verification means no-one can try to open an account using your details and pose as you
- Stopping criminal behaviour: Our account verification process prevents anti money laundering (AML) activities, ensuring honest customers can play in a safe and protected environment
These verification checks might seem a bit invasive, but the simple fact that we’re carrying them out means we’re following the UKGC’s rules and ensuring PlayOJO and all our players are as safe and secure as possible.
Rest assured that your information is handled discreetly, used in the strictest of confidence, and never passed on to third parties.
Verify and play today
We might find casino account verification to be an inconvenience, but it’s a necessary part of the registration process at respected UK online casinos like PlayOJO. Luckily, it shouldn’t take more than a minute or two to complete the process. Then you can head straight for all our games and rest assured that you’re playing at a safe, secure, and fully compliant site.
