It is common practice today for gambling sites to verify your identity the first time you request a withdrawal. New players are often surprised by this and wonder why casinos ask for these documents. I can remember the first time I was asked to prove my identity and I remember being skeptical of the whole thing.
If you’re wondering whether or not this is legit, you can rest at ease. Online casinos often ask you to send a copy of your driver’s license and/or utility bill the first time you make a real money withdrawal. Casinos do this to protect themselves (and you) from identity thieves and scammers.
By asking for verification of your identity, online casinos make it more difficult for scammers to get away with other peoples’ money. I don’t know how every scam works, but people love to try to take advantage of online casinos. There’s a lot of money involved, online casinos have limited reach in other countries and the anonymity of the internet works in favor of people with bad intentions.
So don’t be alarmed if your online casino requests you to prove your identity before you sign up. That is a completely normal course of business. All you have to do is scan a copy of your license or a utility bill and then send the scanned image to your casino’s e-mail address. You only have to do this once at each casino.
Online casinos do not always require identity verification. Depending on the withdrawal method you choose, you might not have to prove your identity. Players from the UK who withdraw via e-wallets are often exempted from sending in documents. Players from the US who withdraw via cash transfers usually have to prove their identity.
Beware of Scam E-Mails
Do not fall victim to scammers that pose as online casinos asking you to verify your information. If you get a random e-mail from your online casino asking for documents, you can always call or e-mail the casino yourself to make sure they really did ask for your information.
Do not click on any links within the e-mail to visit your casino or to reply to the e-mail. Instead, open a new browser window and type the address of your casino by hand. You can then find the official e-mail address or phone number to contact them directly.
I’ve never heard of this scam happening to anyone, but it’s very possible. Scammers are surprisingly clever (sometimes) and it wouldn’t surprise me if a few scammers tried to take advantage of this well-known verification process to collect information. It’s always better to be safe than sorry – especially when being safe only takes a few extra seconds of your time.