Cracking down on underage gambling with new age checks

The Gambling Commission has just introduced plans to force all gambling companies to incorporate stricter age checks on their websites to protect children. The key issue in the Commission’s recent update is access to free-to-play games, which until now has been relatively unrestricted.

According to the Gambling Commission itself, around 25,000 children have already developed gambling problems, with another 36,000 at risk of becoming addicted. In fact, experts warn that children are more susceptible to gambling addictions than adults, particularly as they don’t understand the risks in the same way, or may perceive chance differently.

Clearly, action has been needed for a while to protect the most vulnerable members of society from developing addictions. Age checks have been called for by parents and child protection organisations for a number of years.

Why are mandatory age checks now being introduced?

The move to force gambling sites to age-verify all their customers follows plans to enforce the same rules on the adult content industry. Under the Digital Economy Act, which is set to come into play later this year, all websites containing adult-only content will have to check the age of every user by law. The Government is also looking at banning the sale of acid products, such as bleach, to minors following a rise in acid attacks.

Evidently, the UK is taking a leading role when it comes to online child protection, and is now taking the necessary steps to enforce age verification. Introducing gambling age checks for free-to-play games is a really positive move for online child protection, especially given that some gambling operators are using cartoon characters in games that are likely to appeal to children. This is despite there being strict rules in place to prevent the promotion of gambling to young people.

Many gambling sites currently allow users to access free-to-play games without carrying out age checks, allowing teenagers and children to use gambling apps on their smart phones or even on social media sites. The increased exposure to these ‘games’, which include casino-styled slot games and roulette machines, is making gambling seem ‘normal’, and increasing the risk of children developing a gambling addiction.

How can the gambling sector abide by the new rules?

The rise of online age verification technology has been a major talking point for the adult content industry, since the new Digital Economy Act was announced. The gambling sector should now start looking at getting even more involved in the conversation too.

Age verification tools allow customers to verify their age on a secure site by providing them with a username and password. So, each time they visit an age-restricted site, they can simply log on using these details, without having to re-verify themselves every time. This enables age checks to be incorporated onto restricted sites without causing undue disruption to the customer’s journey.

The age verification itself can be done through a choice of methods, for example, by using a credit card, driving licence, passport or details of the user’s mobile network provider.

Unlike identity systems, these age verification tools never store information on users – only whether the age has been verified or not – the accounts themselves are completely anonymised. Websites that use the service to verify their customers will only receive a ‘pass’ or ‘fail’ notification when customers attempt to access their site. Users who do not meet the age requirements will be denied entry to the restricted content or products.

Every initiative to enforce stricter online checks for age restricted products and services makes a significant step towards having the same protections online as the ones that have been established in the real world. We wouldn’t let our children access these type of products and services in the physical world, but for too long, it’s been all too easy to by-pass age limits online.

Alastair Graham, CEO of AgeChecked