Gambling Commission launches age verification consultation

The Gambling Commission has launched a public consultation on proposed measures to strengthen age and identity verification for egaming sites.

Under the proposed changes operators would be required to verify the age of customers before they can deposit money or gamble and the identity of the customer including their name, address, date of birth and email address.

In addition, egaming businesses would be required to verify that the name associated with the customer’s payment method matches that of the gambling account holder.

Under current requirements, operators have a maximum window of 72 hours to carry out age verification checks. UK licensees cannot allow players to withdraw winnings until age verification checks are complete and must return a player’s funds if it is later revealed that they are underage.

However, despite this restriction, players whose ages have not been verified can still deposit funds and gamble during the 72-hour period.

The commission is soliciting for responses from egaming and online lottery businesses while also requesting submissions from identity verification providers, in the areas of technological and information capabilities.

This latest consultation is part of a series of proposed changes to the Licence conditions and codes of practice. In August, the Commission published a response to its consultation on proposals to revise the Licence conditions and codes of practice (LCCP) to ensure that gambling is fair and open for consumers. The consultation resulted in 130 formal responses, including 81 from consumers.

Addressing this latest consultation, Brad Enright, Gambling Commission programme director, said: “Our aim is to protect children, reduce gambling-related harm and keep gambling fair and crime-free.

“We would encourage anyone with an interest in gambling matters to read our consultation and ensure they have their say on these proposals.”

The consultation closes on 27^th November.