Revised verification rules enter into force

Operators are reminded that new rules governing operator procedures for age and identity verification enter into force today (7 May 2019).

The rules require that operators must have verified a customer’s age (18+) before permitting that customer to deposit, gamble using their own money or a free bet or bonus, or access demo games.

In addition, operators are now required to verify, as a minimum, a customer’s name, address and date of birth before permitting them to gamble.  Operators are expected to be transparent to customers about the types of information they may need to provide in order to verify their identity.

The revised rules affect all new and existing customers.  The Commission has reminded operators that “if an operator has not yet verified the name, address and date of birth of any customer, they will need to have completed verification before allowing that customer to gamble. Operators will therefore need to prevent any unverified customer from gambling until they have gone through the verification process.

The Commission also reminded operators that they cannot confiscate a customer’s funds on the basis they have not provided ID information by 7 May.

The Commission’s consultation and responses document provide an explanation of the background of these LCCP changes.

The Commission has also published a summary of the key changes here.