Due to the increased rate of crime in the iGaming industry, the UK based operators shall be forced to advise their customers to verify their identity before they gamble or even participate in any gambling-related activity. The regulation which was put in place in March 2019 will ensure that the children and the vulnerable groups are well protected from any gambling-related harm.
This measure by the UKGC has been well received by many terming it as the right measure to reduce the chance of criminal activity occurring. The regulations are set to make Europe a gambling destination for many which are fair and safe to work with as a result of a good gambling environment.
Punters will be required to provide their personal details before they are allowed to gamble at any casino be it on land or online gambling. This shall include the date of birth together with the names and place of birth, all these are saved in a national GamStop database for future use. Just in case the suspicious activity is associated with the identity then a red flag is immediately raised so that the issue is given the required attention.
The User Could do Nothing Before Verification
The verification process which has been put in place by the commission has been enhanced with stricter measures to note any simple malpractice by the registered party. Through the GamStop feature, the database is securely stored and before the verification step, you cannot do any of the activities once you are logged in.
You cannot make a deposit or a withdrawal in the UK casino requiring no verification before the KYC procedure, secondly, you may not as well be able to enjoy the free spins or bonus if any and no single gambling activity can be done on this unverified account or any other gambling website for that matter.
The verification process takes a period of about 72 hours making sure that all the requirements have been met. This is enough time to fully complete the verification process and save the data in a database before the registered party starts to enjoy the gambling experience.
Is it Child and Vulnerable Protection?
Definitely yes and it could as well extend to the protection of the entire industry. Children are the most affected in the society and the rules will definitely shape their gaming culture as they mature. Providing gambling access to the children is a big crime that will result in early gambling problems which could be a challenge to manage in the future.
Few numbers of minors in Europe are experiencing problem gambling as a result of early exposure to these gambling-related activities with limited control. The ever-growing number of problem gambling has necessitated the commission to put in place the KYC policy that shall regulate gambling behavior for many.
The control regulation which works hand in hand with the GamStop software that has good control features that assist problem gamblers who spend more time on gambling machines. The software is able to control the gambling behavior and eventually lock out any criminal related activities on one’s account.
Lastly, the measure protects all parties fairly including the punters who have had malicious sites owed them millions of dollars. In these examples, the commission identified some online operators used their client’s details for their selfish gain in a way the operator is able to withdraw his client’s winnings which is very much disappointing.
Conclusion
Thanks to the UKGC for the safer regulations it has put in place for the better of the iGaming industry. This will greatly reduce the number of gambling malpractices experienced together with reducing the rate of problem gambling among punters.
