Hmmm. Interesting. I've always been under the impression that the casino needs the full passport or drivers licence ID so they can do the security checks. When it comes to credit cards and stuff, then whiting out portions of the numbers should be de facto, but how could they do a security check if they can't reference you?
My guess is that it depends on the level of security check. The UK bookies and brand names (like Boyle) are more likely to do a proper security check whereas maybe a small offshore operation is just happy if you have access to the documents.
Cheers
Simmo!
Clearly, many players are scared of giving away TOO much that is NOT NECESSARY, or APPEARS to be not necessary. I do not really believe these numbers are necessary since the casinos CANNOT check them with the relevant authorities because of data protection laws, and the fact that officially, these documents are NOT ID DOCUMENTS outside of the narrow and SPECIFIED usages on them.
All they need is enough to determine the documents are genuine, and tally with the "proof of address" documentation. They also need DOB on one document as proof a player is of legal age to gamble.
Casinos NEVER make it clear WHY they need certain parts of the information, and the increasing prevalance of ID theft is making players wary of giving away more than is strictly necessary.
Whilst individual casinos may handle such information with the sensitivity and security it warrants, there are MANY cases where information has leaked out to spammers and shysters that can ONLY have originally come from a casno's database. There are ALSO far too many cases where players send this sensitive information to casinos, only to have them "lose" it, and continually ask again and again for it to be resent. This gives the impression of a system that leaks sensitive emails like a sieve, and naturally this makes players over cautious when sending this information the NEXT time.
A passport number IS a BIGGER risk when it is included, than when it is NOT. IF the file is stolen by a rogue employee, they may be able to make a forged photo page for a passport, but it will NOT contain the CORRECT passport number, and therefore would be more easily spotted where it REALLY matters. With the photo page AND the ID, the information on a forgery would be COMPLETE, and ACCURATE, and would pass all information based verification checks, even if the forger added their OWN photo (as they do) for use at borders and banks.
WITHOUT the passport number, the normal checks (age, address, photo, etc) can STILL be done, but the image would be LESS of a risk if it were to fall into the wrong hands.
Driver number is less risky than a passport number in the big picture, as it does NOT allow illegal entry into a country (which worries governments), but may STILL pose just as big a risk of ID fraud to the driver were it to fall into the wrong hands.
Casinos need to DEMONSTRATE that such information is REALLY treated with the security it warrants, and to players, this means NO MORE "losing the email with the documents attatched", and continually asking for documents to be "resent".
An email with sensitive documents is NEVER "lost", it is MISLAID, either by human error in CS, or by their server. They should ensure that their IT can NEVER "lose" emails containing security verification documents, and that they can ALWAYS account for them when asked to by a player.
Maybe THEN players will start to be confident about leaving all the "numbers" in place on a document.
Some countries have LAWS that actually make compliance with a request such as this ILLEGAL, and this is something casinos need to be careful of. They may enrage the governments of countries whose governments are currently negative about online casinos, and give these negative views further fuel for their justification.
In the UK, it may well be ILLEGAL to send a COLOUR image of the passport complete with all information, yet casinos often INSIST under duress of not receiving the withdrawal, and this could be viewed as "blackmail" to commit an illegal act. The US government have a rule that makes it ILLEGAL for the Social Security Number to be given out to an unauthorised person, and as far as the US is concerned, this means ALL online casinos.
The Rushmore fraud early this year was probably enabled by a rogue employee taking copies of passports that tourists gave to the staff for "safe keeping". The UK Home Office have advised us NOT to do this, but to use a room safe, or take them with us.