Gambling industry in favour of digital IDs to protect problem and at-risk gamblers

The UK gambling industry would be in favour of digital IDs being implemented for users who have accounts across different operators in a new study conducted by 1account. The consultation looked into the benefits, opportunities and potential issues of linking digital ID to a player’s account and activities across different operators to view their financial position, including balances, history and net gains or losses. The digital ID specialist cited the recent UKGC research which showed that British gamblers, on average, had at least three betting accounts, with younger gamblers likely to hold more than five. Most of those consulted believed it would deliver invaluable insights into players’ behaviour and provide greater identity assurance, which would provide further KYC benefits. Most participants called for a feature to alert players when they have hit particular milestones, such as a certain net deposit position. This feature should have further customisable options to allow players’ flexibility as to how much information is available to them and how to moderate their own play. Respondents also felt that there was a need to tread carefully regarding data sharing, for example, to ensure losing players are protected from being targeted with advertising. The consultation involved face-to-face meetings and detailed written briefings among online and offline gambling operators, industry regulators, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and providers of gambling support services. Former William Hill CEO Ralph Topping said: “The gambling industry in the UK takes its responsibilities to customers extremely seriously; however, they can only act on the information they themselves hold about a person’s activities. “It’s clear to see that there’s a strong appetite for the use of digital ID in the gambling industry. It can protect regular, vulnerable or problem gamblers who hold player accounts across different operators both on and offline and also support operators in making responsible decisions on behalf of their customers,” Topping added. It is estimated that 24 million adults, 35% of the UK population, gamble with around 10.5 million players regularly betting online.