It's important to note that we are talking about an incredibly SMALL percentage of players here, mostly from ONE country.
If this was a WIDESPREAD issue I could understand the call for operators to INVEST in other methods of identifying players, but it is NOT.
It is FAR more practical for the few players affected to get PROACTIVE and find a way to prove their identity THEMSELVES.
I don't understand why people these days just want someone ELSE to take RESPONSIBILITY for everything. If you WANT to gamble online, then GET the required documents, choose a different casino, or FORGET it altogether. It isn't a RIGHT to be able to gamble online......just like someone who can't find a way to DEPOSIT, they just can't PLAY until they DO.
This is bollocks, players can ONLY utilise what is available to them to prove their identity. Simply "getting proactive" is no good if the OPERATORS are not interested.
We CAN prove our identity in the UK, just not in the narrow way defined by operators. Our government are confident that what currently exists is more than enough for the purpose, and it is not up to US, but the GOVERNMENT to make changes after lobbying from the business community.
The responsibilty lies with the BUSINESS community to lobby the government to change the current system so as to be more business friendly.
The SIMPLEST solution would be for the DVLA to issue "ID proof only" driving licenses that ANYONE can apply for so that they have a well recognised ID document.
Currently, this is not open to UK players unable to drive, and even though it seems pretty easy to circumvent the rules, it is ILLEGAL to misrepresent your qualifications in order to get hold of a photo ID from the DVLA.
It seems those who think the business community should expect the TAXPAYER to foot the bill for things that THEY want, but the government feel are not necessary for "national security" are members of the "priviliged classes" who feel that the POOREST members of society should fork out in order to save the RICHER members of society money.
This may be fine in a right wing or totalitarian state, but is doomed to eventual failure in a state where EVERYBODY has a right to a fair share, and a fair deal.
The UK may have a right wing government now, but if businesses screw the ordinary people, and then Labour get in, those businesses will be punished.
When Labour got in back in 1997, one of their FIRST moves was to impose an arbitrary "windfall tax" on the banking sector, who were considered to have made "a killing" at the expense of the ordinary working man/woman. Now even the TORIES are punishing the banks with extra taxes as a "payback" for wrecking the economy with their GAMBLING on obscure financial instruments that almost no-one understood.
The gambling sector could end up on the receiving end of draconian restrictions if it is felt that they have abused their position to "rip off" customers rather than provide a fair service.
The ASA has ALREADY ruled against Betfair, and one important part of that ruling was that they considered the promotion to have been administered unfairly. Just because the ASA are "toothless" NOW when it comes to actually doing something about it does not mean they will ALWAYS lack effective powers to deal with companies who dismiss their rulings.
It would be just as easy to have the current systems for proving ID ruled as "unfairly administrated", and just because the right complaints have not yet been made to the right regulator now, doesn't mean that this issue will always be safe from such an investigation.
Internet commerce really IS now being taken as seriously as any other form of commerce, and many of the loopholes that the internet now permits will be steadily closed off as new rules are implemented.
Credit card companies are already trying to control their exposure to bad debt due to gambling, and many cards from the UK no longer work at online casinos.
I tested many of the cards I have held, and of around a dozen tested, only ONE works smoothly, another worked 50% of the time, and was blocked by the bank the other 50% of the time. A third, a debit card, only seemed to work for small deposits of around £100 to £200 - anything more and the bank blocked it. All the rest were blocked by the bank from the start, they simply would not process transactions marked as "gambling". The blocked cards would not even work with Neteller.
Online gambling is clearly gaining a negative reputation among the banks as a legitimate leisure activity. Arguments about ID will be irrelevant if players find it too hard to find a way to deposit. I doubt the UK players will fight as hard as the US players did to circumvent the system, and operators could find themselves considering some of the tricks they tried in the US in order to trick UK banks into not blocking gambling deposits.
The banks will almost certainly be lobbying the government to sway it's decision when it comes to reviewing the way online gambling is currently governed, and the motive would be to take the bad debt risk away from the banks, and place it elsewhere.
