Question Question about proof of ID

[Orbmail]

Hi All,
This is a question for reps but open for anyone's response, why do some casinos not accept a phone bill as proof of address? If you rent a room in a house then the utility bills do not come in your name whereas your phone bill does but this appears not to be sufficient for some casinos, can't really understand why, the only other option I have is a bank statement which I don't really like sending in.
For some reason it really bugs me as well when my phone bill is rejected as a form of ID even after multiple deposits have been accepted, there only seems to be an issue for withdrawals!
any input would be good, Cheers

 

[dionysus]

Hi All,
This is a question for reps but open for anyone's response, why do some casinos not accept a phone bill as proof of address? If you rent a room in a house then the utility bills do not come in your name whereas your phone bill does but this appears not to be sufficient for some casinos, can't really understand why, the only other option I have is a bank statement which I don't really like sending in.
For some reason it really bugs me as well when my phone bill is rejected as a form of ID even after multiple deposits have been accepted, there only seems to be an issue for withdrawals!
any input would be good, Cheers

1. most will if asked, not everyone has utility bills in their names, but I'm guessing because phones are disposable whereas utilities need to be set up in your home and it shows you are where you say your are
2. why not? if you already trust with their your personal details and money, what's wrong with banking info? I mean, you either trust them or you don't, and if you don't trust them, why play there at all? Anyway, most reputable casinos just need photo ID (license, passport or such) and one bill showing proof of address. If you rent, I've found most will accept your online phone bill, e-wallet transcation record to them, or any 'real' service that shows your address. it isn't feasible to ask for info when setting up an acct or depping, just when monies are moving back to you - casinos want to make sure monies are going where you say theyre going

 

[Orbmail]

1. most will if asked, not everyone has utility bills in their names, but I'm guessing because phones are disposable whereas utilities need to be set up in your home and it shows you are where you say your are
2. why not? if you already trust with their your personal details and money, what's wrong with banking info? I mean, you either trust them or you don't, and if you don't trust them, why play there at all? Anyway, most reputable casinos just need photo ID (license, passport or such) and one bill showing proof of address. If you rent, I've found most will accept your online phone bill, e-wallet transcation record to them, or any 'real' service that shows your address. it isn't feasible to ask for info when setting up an acct or depping, just when monies are moving back to you - casinos want to make sure monies are going where you say theyre going

Fair points you've made Dionysus, these are reputable casinos I'm on about so just annoyed that the contract phone bill I supplied was not accepted, I did send in the bank statement and I do take your point that if I'm going to send them anything them I should send them everything...
On verifying the account I am talking about months of deposits, ample time to ask for docs not just when a withdrawal is requested,
Anyway just wanted to hear some feedback so thanks for your input

 

[dunover]

Hi All,
This is a question for reps but open for anyone's response, why do some casinos not accept a phone bill as proof of address? If you rent a room in a house then the utility bills do not come in your name whereas your phone bill does but this appears not to be sufficient for some casinos, can't really understand why, the only other option I have is a bank statement which I don't really like sending in.
For some reason it really bugs me as well when my phone bill is rejected as a form of ID even after multiple deposits have been accepted, there only seems to be an issue for withdrawals!
any input would be good, Cheers

A few reasons - firstly the opposite to your example above. A phone bill is usually in a single name in a multi-let dwelling, so anyone could use it. Secondly, you can buy a PAYT phone and register it with any details you like to get freebies, then generate a statement in that name. Lastly, if you can't be credit checked with a phone company, you can pay up front a deposit and install a landline in whatever name you like and thereafter get bills.

 

[vinylweatherman]

Fair points you've made Dionysus, these are reputable casinos I'm on about so just annoyed that the contract phone bill I supplied was not accepted, I did send in the bank statement and I do take your point that if I'm going to send them anything them I should send them everything...
On verifying the account I am talking about months of deposits, ample time to ask for docs not just when a withdrawal is requested,
Anyway just wanted to hear some feedback so thanks for your input

This is no more disposable than a utility or bank account. It's the "pay as you go" phones that are disposable. With a contract, the phone company will want to verify the customer so that they can be confident they know where to go knocking if the bill isn't paid. Most contracts also come with a free handset, often worth several hundred pounds. They are not going to let "just anybody" walk away with an iPhone with no more than a sort code and account number, they are going to do an ID check with a credit agency, along with a proper credit check to see if the person has the means to keep up the contract payments for long enough for the company to at least not be out of pocket.

The big problem is really the difference between bills that are levied to a "household" rather than an individual person. Such "household" bills do not really serve the purpose of verifying who actually lives at an address. It's quite possible that the person who's name is on a utility bill doesn't even live there. Bills that are levied on a particular person are far better at verifying who lives at a given address. This includes bank statements, which is why casinos probably see them as a best alternative to a utility bill. They probably don't understand how the different types of phone bills work in different countries with different providers, but how banking works is more uniform as there are internationally agreed guidelines, mainly to police the international banking system to detect and prevent it's use in laundering the proceeds of crime, not something a phone company has to worry about.

Casinos don't need to see the transactions, just the main page that acts as proof of address. Some may also ask to see evidence of specific transactions that are directly relevant to how the deposit money found it's way into the casino, such as the funding of an eWallet from the bank account, or more usually the transaction showing a debit or credit card deposit into the casino. Your other transactions are none of their business, and it can be kept this way by setting up a separate bank account specifically for gambling, where it is only gambling related transactions that will be shown even if they insist on seeing everything. Players can always vote with their wallet once they have been paid if they feel that the casino "jerked them around" over the procedures, and it's the casino's loss as they would no longer have the opportunity to win back the money.

 

[Finn]

On verifying the account I am talking about months of deposits, ample time to ask for docs not just when a withdrawal is requested,

You can't launder money just by depositing, and never withdrawing anything, this is why they often ask documents only on withdrawal, because asking the documents is required by anti - money laundering laws.

 

[Orbmail]

A few reasons - firstly the opposite to your example above. A phone bill is usually in a single name in a multi-let dwelling, so anyone could use it. Secondly, you can buy a PAYT phone and register it with any details you like to get freebies, then generate a statement in that name. Lastly, if you can't be credit checked with a phone company, you can pay up front a deposit and install a landline in whatever name you like and thereafter get bills.

I'm in Ireland Dunover, the only 2 options are contract (bill) phone or pay as you go which does not have a bill, to get a contract phone as vinylweatherman says later you need a full credit check but I do think that if the casino in not based in your country then they may not be aware of this. They are also entitled to ask for what ever they want, if thats their policy so be it and if I don't like it I can go elsewhere....

 

[bpb]

You can't launder money just by depositing, and never withdrawing anything, this is why they often ask documents only on withdrawal, because asking the documents is required by anti - money laundering laws.

Whatever

 

[luckiestgambler]

but I do think that if the casino in not based in your country then they may not be aware of this.

yeah mate. i did experience this before. they requested for a national identity card. we don't have it here. then, of course, came the exchange of lengthy emails explaining how we can go about it.

 

[diva2000]

Hi Orbmail,

Normally any recent (not longer than 3 months old) document which shows your residing address matching your registered player account should be accepted as a proof of address. A phone bill should be accepted as proof but it also depends on the requirements of the casino. As previous posts mentioned, a prepaid phone bill might not be valid enough for security purposes as it is very important that the utility bill that you send in is credible which clearly indicates what the casino has requested in the first place.

On the other hand, if a bank statement is sufficient and you are not comfortable showing your banking information, obscure all sensitive data and just leave your address visible as clearly as possible (together with the bank headers so that the casino know that it is a bank statement)

Hope this helps!

Regards,
Rebecca.

 

[dionysus]

Hi Orbmail,

Normally any recent (not longer than 3 months old) document which shows your residing address matching your registered player account should be accepted as a proof of address. A phone bill should be accepted as proof but it also depends on the requirements of the casino. As previous posts mentioned, a prepaid phone bill might not be valid enough for security purposes as it is very important that the utility bill that you send in is credible which clearly indicates what the casino has requested in the first place.

On the other hand, if a bank statement is sufficient and you are not comfortable showing your banking information, obscure all sensitive data and just leave your address visible as clearly as possible (together with the bank headers so that the casino know that it is a bank statement)

Hope this helps!

Regards,
Rebecca.

It's what I do when submitting bank, Skrill or phone docs..leave the name, address and info relating to the casino only visible, while (in paint or any like programme) blotting out any other details they've no reason to be privvy to