൲ By law, online bookmakers need to have a betting verification process in place, whereby you must verify your identity, address, and source of funds. Our guide below answers all the questions you have on this topic.
- 1 Why Online Betting Verification Is Important
- 2 The New Age Verification Rules (May 2019)
- 3 Know Your Customer (KYC)
- 4 How To Verify Your Sports Betting Account
- 5 What To Do If Your Verification Is Refused
- 6 ꦡWhat If Your Bookie Has Not Asked for Verification?
- 7 ThePuntersPage Final Say
- 8 Betting Verification FAQs
Why Online Betting Verification Is Important
💛 The internet can be a superfluous place, anyone can create a virtual identity for themselves on social media or pretend to be somebody else. While this may seem like all fun and games, it becomes very real as soon as real money is involved.
Regulated and licenced gambling sites have a duty to protect players’ funds and identity, while adhering to .
Age verification: To make sure you are old enough to gamble
The first reason betting sites ask you to verify your account is to make sure you are old enough to gamble legally. This is the same as walking into a betting shop or casino and showing your ID to prove you are old enough. While your wrinkled face or grey hair can make it clear face to face, betting sites cannot see your face to know you are clearly over 18, so they have to ask you to upload a copy of a drivers’ licence, passport, ID card, or any other document which shows your age.
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In the UK and most other countries with regulated gambling, you must be at least 18 in order to deposit, wager and withdraw winnings. In some cases, the bookie can tell your age from the electoral roll at the address you provided, otherwise you will have to upload or email a proof of ID.
Safe gambling: To make sure you are not self-excluded from gambling
In order to protect problem gamblers from themselves, the UK gambling Commission makes sure that players can permanently self-exclude൩ from any licenced gambling site. Once a player has been self-excluded, the betting site may no longer accept any deposits or wagers and must return any remaining balance. Betting sites and online casinos need to verify whether a player has an existing account and if the player is self-excluded before they can make payouts or accept deposits.
Anti money laundering: To prevent money laundering
Money laundering means taking illegally gained funds and finding a way to bring them back into the legal economy. Many people try to use online casinos or bookie for this as players could place multiple wagers on various bets and could potentially recuperate most of the original funds as winnings. Suddenly these illegal funds are now legal casino winnings. Of course, it is not that simple. Betting sites have identity checks and often require you to prove you own the used payment method for your deposits and withdrawals.
Security: To keep your funds and data safe
While many of the reasons betting sites require verification are for the sake of regulations, players should be glad that bookies are doing everything necessary to keep your funds safe. Withdrawals are only allowed to bank accounts or e-wallets in your name🦩. Confirming your identity and payment method means nobody can steal your bankroll. At the same time, your bookie account may contain personal information, which you want kept safe.
Speed: To get fast payouts
If you deposited and won a few bets at an online bookie, you of course want your funds as soon as possible. Nothing can be as frustrating as having to wait for all your documents to be verified while your money is still waiting for you on your bookie account. An unverified account is the main reason a bookie cannot process your payment. We recommend verifying all necessary documents as soon as you make a deposit🍌, so the bookie will have no choice but to process your payment immediately.
The New Age Verification Rules (May 2019)
In the beginning of 2019, the for age verification. Before that, operators were required to verify the age of any player within 3 days, and could not let players withdraw funds unless they first verify. Now, operators (betting sites or online casinos) need to verify your age before you can deposit, wager or even get a free bet or deposit bonus.
✨ The reason for this is obvious and simple. This is to stop children from gambling. Before that, someone under 18 could gamble online, even if making a withdrawal was impossible. Now, all players will be vetted before they can access any gambling related content. The rule even extends to free games, such as demos of slot games. Even though these are not real gambling, the Gambling Commission believes they could encourage children to gamble.
As a player, these new rules should not affect you too much. If the betting site can’t see your age from the electoral roll, you will need to verify your age before you can play. Most major UK betting sites🐽 have a fast process, verifying your account in a matter of hours.
Know Your Customer (KYC)
KYC stands for Know Your Customer.🐲 This phrase covers everything to do with betting verification, including, age, address, ownership of used payment method any other relevant documents or information. The KYC check means getting a basic idea of whom you are, though there may be additional information needed later. Usually, this term is used by people in the betting industry, rather than punters.
How To Verify Your Sports Betting Account
ꦦ To verify your betting account, follow these simple steps:
Login to your account.
Open “My Account”.
Click on “Start Verification”.
Upload the Documents on the necessary fields.
While the exact process differs between different bookies, most follow a similar procedure. Some bookies also give you the option to send documents by email𓆉. Make sure you give the exact document the site is asking for.
bet365 Verification
𝐆 Just like all other UK bookies, bet365 requires you to verify age and ID before you can wager, even with a free bet.
To verify your bet365 account, head the Know Your Customer (KYC) section in your account and upload the necessary documents.
💛 In some cases, bet365 may send you a Postal Verification Code (PVC). This will be sent by post to the address registered on your account. After you receive the code, head to the KYC section of the site and fill it in.
Ladbrokes Verification
♍ If Ladbrokes does not verify your account automatically, head to the site and follow these steps:
Log in to your account.
Navigate to “My Account” section.
Select Verification Centre.
Select Verify.
Upload the requested documents.
William Hill Verification
🎶 William Hill offers three ways to verify your account. If your account is not automatically verified, choose one of these three options.
1.Send your documents via Direct Secure Upload.
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Head to the upload section
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Click on choose file to upload.
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✤Enter the email address registered to your account and confirm.
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You will receive a unique confirmation number.
2.Upload your documents through the Live Chat.
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Open the live chat.
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Tell the agent you wish to verify.
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Use the paperclip icon to upload your documents.
3. You can also send a copy of your ID to [email protected]
Paddy Power Verification
ꦰ Players must be 18 or older to play at Paddy Power. To verify your Paddy Power account:
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Log in to your account.
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Select “My account”, then “My details”, then “Verification”.
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Upload your documents in the requested boxes.
♛ You can also click on “Message Us” to upload with the chat box.
Betfair Verification
Betfair has two types of verification:
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Automatic verification:💝 Betfair will usually try to verify your account automatically. This can take up to 24 hours, but is usually done much faster.
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Personal identification:🔥 If automatic verification does not work, Betfair will ask you to send/upload documents, such as Passport, Driving Licence, National Identification Card, or Citizenship Certificate.
Betfred Verification
😼 As of May 2019, you cannot wager at Betfred or any other bookie if your account is under review. To verify your account:
Login to your Betfred account.
Select “Submit My Documents”.
Upload a copy of your ID as requested.
Typical Documents Required for Betting Verification
♐ Usually, a betting site will ask you for these three documents:
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Photo ID: ꩲA photo ID confirms your age and name. Acceptable documents include driving licence (front and back), passport (photo and cover page), or a national ID card (front and back).
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Proof of Address:꧒ A proof of address proves that you live at the address you have provided. Acceptable documents include utility bills, rental contracts, bank statements as well as numerous others listed in the below FAQs.
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Payment ID:🔴 A payment ID proves that you own the payment method you used for deposits or withdrawals. This can be a bank statement, a photo of your credit card with essential numbers and CVV blocked, e-wallet screenshots or others.
ꦛ Sometimes betting sites will also ask you for a selfie with an image of your ID document next to your face.
Betting Account Verification Tips
🐟 Here are a few tips to make your betting account verification as easy as possible:
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🌟Make sure you get both sides of ID card or driving licence.
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🐼Make sure all corners of the document are visible.
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Make sure everything is perfectly readable.
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💃You can use your phone camera to take perfectly acceptable pictures.
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🍸Scanners often work too, as long as they scan in detail and colour.
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🧸Pay attention to the size of the images, images in JPEG are usually smaller than PNG.
How to upload a photo of your credit card
🍬 While bookies can be trusted not to steal your credit card information, they all recommend not to email your full credit card number and CVV. If someone hacks your email account, they could access your sent images and use your credit card details.
𓄧 Make sure only the last four and first six digits are visible: for example, 123456******1234. You can use a piece of paper to cover the middle digits and CVV. Alternatively, you can edit the photo to cover these numbers using your pc or smartphone.
Remember that embossed digits are still visible if you turn the card around, so if your card is embossed (numbers are raised), cover the middle digits when you make a photo of the back of the card as well.
Postal Verification Code
꧒ In some cases, bookies will send a verification code by post to your registered address. This is in case there are any doubts about information you provided when signing up. Simply open the letter and fill in the code on your bookie account.
Source of Wealth Checks
💯 While this is rare, some withdrawals require bookies to make additional source of wealth checks. This is usually for large withdrawals, large deposits or large cumulative deposits. As preventing money laundering is one of the main conditions for bookies to get a licence, they need to make sure the funds you deposited were obtained by legal means.
🅠 If the bookie asks for a source of wealth proof, you may have to provide bank statements, payslips, etc., which prove where you got the funds used for your online wagers.
What To Do If Your Verification Is Refused
🔜 In most cases, your verification will only be rejected if:
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Your photos are unclear.
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You provided the wrong documents.
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You provided fake documents.
Simply take better photos or provide the documents requested. This will solve most problems. If you feel like the bookie is treating you unfairly despite providing valid documents, you can make a claim with the Independent Betting Adjudication Service (IBAS)💖 which provides legally binding rulings for sums up to £10,000.
What If Your Bookie Has Not Asked for Verification?
🦩 If the reputable bookie you are using has not asked for verification and you can still withdraw and wager, you have nothing to worry about.
𝓀 The bookie may have verified your identity from the details you provided in combination with the payment method you used. In that case, no further steps are needed.
⛄ In some cases, you may have been age verified, already, but have not reached the withdrawal threshold for further KYC enquiries. Many betting sites let you withdraw up to £2,000 before extra identity and payment ID checks. If the bookie starts asking for the necessary documents, simply provide them to keep using their services and get your funds as soon as possible.
ThePuntersPage Final Say
While you may not enjoy having to upload your personal documents, this is an important part of legal online betting and keeping your funds and details safe. Betting sites must comply with legal regulations. That includes protection of minors and problem gamblers. The faster you verify your account, the faster you can place wagers or withdraw winnings. You can easily grasp the concept of betting online by reading our article on How to Bet Online.
Betting Verification FAQs
ꦓIn most cases, all you need to do is upload proof of ID, proof of address and proof of ownership of the payment method you used. In most cases, bookies have a dedicated section on their site where you can upload documents.
♛The most commonly requested documents are a proof of ID, such as a driving licence, ID card or passport, and a recent utility bill to prove your address.
ꦰYou will always have to provide a valid ID document. Other types of ID documents include: Confirmation from an electoral register Recent original mortgage statement Solicitor’s letter Rent card or tenancy agreement HMRC self-assessment statement Insurance certificate EEA member state identity card Electoral ID card
🌊You will always have to prove your address. Other documents accepted include: Council tax bill Certificate from a utilities supplier Bank, building society or credit union statement Confirmation from an electoral register Recent original mortgage statement Solicitor’s letter Rent card or tenancy agreement Benefit book or original notification letter from the Department of Works and Pensions HMRC self-assessment statement or tax demand
Bookies know that the faster you verify, the faster you can make a deposit. That is why they usually verify your account in a matter of hours. Most bookies promise to verify within 72 hours, waiting times are usually the longest during major event, such as the World Cup, the Grand National events or Cheltenham.
☂Betting sites must follow the regulations of the UK Gambling Commission to keep minors safe, prevent money laundering and keep your funds secure.
ℱIn most cases, you will get an email confirmation as soon as the betting site has verified your account. You can also see the your account’s status when you log in.
🌄Irish players at UK bookies are subject to the same rules as UK players. You will also need to upload proof of ID and address.
🐼In some cases, usually when you are depositing and withdrawing large sums, a betting site may need to perform extra checks in order to adhere to anti-money laundering and anti-fraud regulations. This may be copy of your bank statement or payslip. This is to make sure you are using your own funds and that they were obtained legally.