FWIW we've received almost the same questions from one or two of the larger casino groups. Our Account Manager has been the primary target so far but I've received one as well, as a complaints arbitrator?
I thought it was just a big data mining scam and the casino involved wouldn't commit to the PAB process anyway so I just blew it off. The impetus for this must be coming from somewhere though.
This has all the hallmarks of the Anti Money Laundering regulations, but these haven't really changed in years. The difference here is that these questions are highly intrusive. We must remember, online casinos have taken the line that what they provide is "entertainment", not hardcore gambling, an argument they use to demonise players who's primary goal is to win, rather than to be entertained.
Neteller and Skrill have also been very clear that they are not a bank, and customers don't have any of the rights they would normally have with a bank, in particular the government guarantee of any deposits should they go under.
Now, casinos are behaving like investment fund providers, and Neteller/Skrill is behaving like an over zealous bank.
We have had this kind of thing in the past, over zealous organisations using legislation to justify wide scale data mining. We have also seen the regular slapping down of such dubiously justified data mining by the ICO, hence the "necessary" provision in the DPA when it comes to companies asking for intrusive amounts of personal data.
Such data would be VERY useful for lead generation in the investment industry, as it would give them a profile of a player's income as well as their total personal wealth. Despite all the promises, such data has a habit of leaking from whatever organisations get hold of it for "legitimate purposes", and the cold calls begin.
Whilst Neteller is unlikely to leak our data, the same cannot be said of numerous casinos, who from past experience leak like a sieve when it comes to holding sensitive player data.
I invested a portion of those large MGS fruity hits into a SIPP, and whilst I was asked about the source of the money, which I put down as "winnings from gambling", I was not asked for two screenshots of my gaming history and registration details at GNUF or Lucky Nugget. I wasn't even asked a thing when part of the earlier 32Red hit was used to pay off my mortgage early by lump sum.
If the laws haven't changed much, maybe the legal advice and other guidance companies rely on has. If so, this could be the beginning of this "rare" request becoming "common"; much the same way that the initially rare "send a photo of you holding your ID" became a common moan from players over the space of a few years.
At least a Mega Moolah winner will have plenty of supporting evidence due to the publicity and direct involvement of MGS in the payment. I wonder how Neteller would react if some player withdrew £10 million from their Mega Moolah hit into there.
I know how my bank would react, not just another letter inviting me to consider their "private banking service" (yes, I have actually had two already!!), but the CEO contacting me personally to convince me they could offer the best home for £10 million.
