Verification Procedure at Online Casinos Explained
This is a compulsory procedure so that winnings can be withdrawn without problems. The process aims to fully verify and confirm your identity to combat money laundering, multi-accounts and to check your age and country of residence. In addition, identity verification aims to confirm your solvency and payment details.
Every day the gambling industry receives thousands of new players. This makes sense because, during the heyday of the internet and the emergence of the pandemic, many people switched to a remote lifestyle. At a time when the global economy, the business has suffered fabulous losses gambling has increased its scale. This is only true of the online industry. Bans on non-social venues, and the lack of risk of contracting the coronavirus from contact with live people, meant that virtual casinos began to attract an increasing number of potential customers.
Newly-minted players register with such establishments, fill out a profile, play for money, and receive their winnings. And what is their surprise when they find out that they have to go through a verification procedure in order to withdraw funds? Meanwhile, it is one of the most important procedures. The sooner a customer bothers to go through it, the sooner they can personally count them in their hands. If a player does not take verification seriously, an unpleasant situation can arise.
KYC (Know your customer)
"Know your Customer" is standard procedure for any legitimate casino. With its help, the casino operator has to make sure that the person who wants to withdraw the money really exists, and that the player is not on the black list of players. Besides, it is an important requirement of any regulator, since in this way they are fighting against illegal money laundering through the gaming platform. You should be aware that even if you have successfully completed this procedure in one virtual club, it does not exempt you from it in any other casino, including those belonging to the same group of operators.
What is KYC? It is a specific sequence between the player and the casino administration, with the former documenting the correct completion of personal details when registering, and the latter verifying the documents and allowing a smooth withdrawal of winnings. Since customers are verified on a first-come, first-served basis, the procedure can begin only a few days after their submission. They can then be directly examined for up to another 72 hours. Only then will the financial department initiate a review of your withdrawal request. Long, don't you agree? To save you time, we advise you to take care of this issue before making a withdrawal and even playing for real money.
This procedure is divided into partial and full verification. In partial verification, you will only be required to send in your proof documents:
Identity (passport, driving license, identity card)
Address of residence (utility bill in your name, bank statement). Any of these documents must include your name and address
The customer's payment method (this can be a screenshot of the e-wallet page with your name on it, a photo of the bank card).
As for full verification, it most often involves personal communication via messengers. During the call, the client must hold an identity document in his hands. Also at the request of the operator, it may be other documents that are required in a particular situation. This may happen in case of a large winning or after exceeding the withdrawal amount according to the requirements of the jurisdiction (for example, a casino with a Malta licence will request full verification from you in case of a withdrawal of 2,300 EUR or more in total).
You may have been encouraged when you found out that so few documents were required of you. However, it is not that simple. These documents must comply with certain rules. For example, the photo of your documents must not have cropped edges or overlap any data. Also, your documents proving your residential address must not be more than 3 months old. One more thing - never use Photoshop to make corrections, including minor details! Please note that when you fill in the registration form, your personal details must be truthful and supported by documents when you go through the KYC procedure.
Do you know that there are casinos that does not require kyc? Learn more here!
Proof of address
Quite often players are faced with a registration form that requires them to provide their country of residence and full address. This is such a common practice that those virtual institutions that do not have such a requirement when creating an account, present it as an advantage. But quick registration will not exempt you from providing your data about your place of residence. There are several reasons for this. Firstly, the operator has to make sure that you reside in a country for which there is no ban on playing at their establishment. This is because either player lives in an undesirable country for the casino, or the license does not provide services in that market.
A scan of a utility bill, bank statement, credit card statement, rental agreement or internet service provider agreement is sufficient to confirm your address. If the casino is supposed to give your address when registering, spell it correctly. Otherwise, your account may be blocked.
Source of funds (AML)
Until a few years ago, operators paid little attention to protecting consumer interests and preventing money laundering. Because of operators' careless attitude, billions of dollars flowed through online casinos around the world every day to sponsor terrorism and launder the proceeds of their fraudulent activities. As such, the history of gambling has seen many cases in which regulators have handed down heavy fines to such establishments.
This problem has prompted government authorities in many jurisdictions to analyse the reasons for the use of online casinos as a platform for money laundering and to address the issue of measures to combat the problem. Because of this, any regulator already requires its licensees to pay special attention to AML policies.
What exactly is AML in casinos? It is a system of action to combat illegal money laundering. As part of this policy, casino financial security specialists work hard to monitor all transactions, conduct periodic audits, and maintain records. In addition, most institutions require players to prove that a particular financial instrument belongs to them. This can be a screenshot of an electronic wallet showing its owner. It can also be a picture of a bank card on both sides. You can hide the CVV code in this case. Please note that if you have e.g. used a bank card once and want to use a different payment instrument next time, you will have to verify again. However, any financial instrument you use must be in your name. You are not allowed to use another person's means of payment.
Although AML policies have common concepts for all licensees, regulators allow for improvements in anti-money laundering measures. This has led many operators to adhere to responsible gaming regulations, which exclude customers with gambling addictions from casinos. The first players to fall "under suspicion" are those who play for large sums of money. In such a case, you should be prepared to prove the source of the funds. To do this, you will need a bank statement on the movement of your funds in your account and the nature of their origin.
FAQ
Experienced players never question why they need to go through the verification process. For new gambling players, on the other hand, it's a tricky question that they may not know the answer to. Every day, casino support receives hundreds of questions from players on how they can verify their identity. In order to simplify their work and save time for their customers, the administration of the institution creates a FAQ section. There you can get basic information on many aspects of the establishment, including security compliance and the nuances of verification.
Why do online casinos ask for ID?
This is a standard requirement for any legal casino. This is how the casino administration verifies your age. It must be over 18 years old or in rare cases over 21 years old, if required by the laws of the player's country. It's also necessary to check the customer for self-exclusion. If a player has once excluded himself from a particular gambling establishment, he is not allowed to register on that platform again. Another reason for requiring proof of identity is the misuse of bonuses. Many players try to create multiple accounts to generate income from their wagering. To avoid this, operators require proof of identity. If it turns out that the customer already has an open casino account, the new account will be blocked.
Why do casinos ask for proof of income?
Before players can withdraw money from a casino, they must prove that they are playing responsibly. A legal online casino prohibits the use of other people's financial instruments, even if they belong to someone close to you such as a spouse, child or parent. In addition, you have to prove that all cash infusions into the gambling club have an honest origin and are legally obtained.
What documents are standard for submission to a licensed casino?
As part of the AML and KYC policy, clients must provide basic documents:
Passport (including foreign passport), individual tax card or driving licence
Electricity bill, rental agreement, provision of internet services in your name
A bank card with your own name imprinted on it, a screenshot of a screen showing that the e-wallet belongs to that particular player.
In some situations (most often when large sums of money move both to deposits and withdrawals) additional verification may be required. Players must be prepared to confirm the source of their funds with a bank statement. In some cases, a video conference between the customer and casino security is also required.
What does it mean if a casino does not require verification? Is the casino trustworthy?
I would advise you to be very careful about establishments that do not require proof of player identity. This procedure, although seemingly complicated and unnecessary, plays a significant role in ensuring the safety of all customers of the establishment. It is highly likely that an online casino that does not give a significant role to this procedure exposes its customers to the risk of being scammed.
How will I know if I am successfully verified?
As soon as the institution's administration has reviewed your documents and no irregularities have been found, you will receive an email informing you that you have been successfully verified. The email will tell you that you have been successfully verified, so from now on you can withdraw money from your account without any problems.