Over the last few years, the gambling industry has changed how it approaches age verification. What was once a self-declaration with minimal oversight has now changed into a sophisticated, driven system that is in place to protect underage gamblers. This new approach is due to regulatory advancements in digital identity and increased global cooperation among regulators.
How It Was Before: Minimum Age Until 2015
In the early days of 2010, age regulation was not carried out with any authority. The majority of countries had a rule that individuals 18 years old and above could gamble.
The US, Singapore and Macau enforced a 21-year-old legal limit, but enforcement was weak. There were lots of Top online casinos that accepted players with little to no age verification.
The lack of global coordination allowed for gray sites to appear that attracted underage players. Because of this trend, regulators understood that something needed to change.
Strengthening Age Verification After 2018
From 2018 to 2020, the industry changed due to stricter regulations.
The European Union’s Anti-Money Laundering (AML) introduced Know Your Customer (KYC) checks, which forced all casinos to verify players identity before they deposit funds.
The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) was a leader, as players needed to be verified before any type of gameplay was possible.
Canada and Australia followed with similar frameworks. There was also the implementation of specialised Age Verification APIs and tools that casinos integrated into their platforms to confirm a player’s age. At the same time, best no KYC casinos are rapidly gaining popularity around the world. Such operators require minimal verification of personal information from players, allowing them to remain anonymous.
Technological Side: How Age Is Verified Today
Gambling platforms rely on levels of verification. Electronic verification systems such as BankID, eID, and digital passports ensure secure validation. With facial recognition, artificial intelligence can analyze a player’s age during registration. Banks also have the power to stop gambling transactions coming from underage players. There are also self-exclusion systems that can automatically block accounts of minors.
Future: What Age Will Be The Standard By 2030?
Industry experts believe that by 2030, the majority of countries will make 18 the legal gambling age online and 21 will be the legal age for land-based casinos. Through interconnected verification systems as well as global registries, platforms will have tighter control over age verification. On top of that, gamified age verification through mobile IDs can make the process more friendly and engaging.
Conclusion
The gambling industry’s approach to age verification has changed drastically over the last decade, from superficial checks to high-tech data-driven protection systems. As these types of technology and regulations keep evolving, they create a more secure, transparent and responsible gambling environment for over-18s.
