Changes to The LCCP: 3 Changes We Expect To See

With the UK Gambling Commission launching the new LCCP in April, we are waiting in anticipation for the first draft which is due for release next month. This release will allow operators the chance to start preparing for the changes which many expect to see in relation to age verification – but what do we predict the changes will include?

1. REMOVAL OF THE 72-HOUR WINDOW

One of the main changes that we are anticipating is the removal of the 72-hour window that operators currently have to verify their players.

Allowing a 72-hour window before verification could mean that operators are currently permitting underage or fraudulent players to gamble for 72 hours before checking that they are actually who they say they are. Taking this window away before allowing customers to gamble would see a decrease in the number of underage and fraudulent customers, ensuring safe & responsible gambling.

One of the main reasons that the UKGC have made changes to the LCCP is to reduce the risk of gambling related harm and to prevent crime within the gambling industry. To ensure that gambling remains fair and safe, age verification methods should be at the forefront of an operator’s mind – how can they make sure their methods are inexpensive and frictionless but also providing accurate decisions?

2. KNOW YOUR CUSTOMERS

We are expecting to see changes in the way that identity verification is carried out across the industry, and the level of KYC checks performed on each customer.

As mentioned in my previous blog (which can be found here), the gambling industry should be asking themselves whether traditional methods of verification are providing true confidence in verifying a customer’s age, or are these methods becoming outdated? Operators need to be confident that they are dealing with a real person, that they are over the age of 18, that they are residing in the UK, and most importantly, is the person at the end of the device that they are declaring themselves to be.

Operators should be looking at implementing robust and cutting-edge methods of verification to carry out their identity checks. Acuant Identity’s Alternative and Social Data is cutting-edge and allows operators to embrace technological advances that provide an inexpensive, frictionless and vigorous solution to their identity and age verification obligations.

All of the above links back to the overall goal of the consultation: focusing on the end result.

3. FOCUS ON THE END RESULT

The end result for operators is knowing who they are dealing with conclusively.

The changes in the regulations and focusing on the end result will remove ‘prescriptive’ wording and put the power back in to the operators’ hands to truly know who they are interacting with.

IN SUMMARY

There are three main areas that we are expecting to change with the new regulations in April, all of which relate back to the same question – do operators truly know who they are interacting with?

With the last updates to the LCCP taking place back in 2007, we are expecting some significant changes to happen… let’s wait and see what the first draft includes which is due for release in early February.

The Acuant team will be exhibiting at ICE London 5-7 February.