Mobile casinos licensed for the UK are required by law to verify the identity and source of funds of their customers before allowing them to play games, make deposits, and withdraw funds. To complete the Gambling Commission source of funds and KYC casino checks, you must share several documents, and you can learn all about clearing these checks with our handy guide here.
In short, source of funds is a check that was implemented by the UK Gambling Commission – the body in charge of regulating all things gambling in the United Kingdom – in 2017. Under the rules, mobile casino operators licensed by the organisation must verify the source of funds customers use for gambling as part of the wider Know Your Customer or KYC checks.
The source of funds check was implemented as part of a wider crackdown on money laundering, and all licensed and regulated UK gambling operators must ensure that customers undergo these checks as part of their licensing obligations.
The checks must be conducted under the UK Gambling Commission’s License Conditions and Codes of Practice, the Proceeds Of Crime Act 2002 (POCA), and The Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing And Transfer Of Funds (Information On The Payer) Regulations 2017.
Basically, the checks are conducted to ensure that you are using money obtained from identifiable sources, such as a pension, your work earnings, money from a casino payout, and so on.
As mentioned, all licensed and regulated mobile casinos must carry out the source of funds checks as part of a wider process referred to as Know Your Customer or KYC. For those unaware, KYC is used to verify the identity of a casino player and similarly requires you to provide several documents.
The checks are required to prevent underage gambling, and the gambling operators that failed to adhere to these rules, including source of funds checks, have been hit with large fines and even suspensions in more serious cases.
Years before, you could register at a UK mobile casino without having to immediately complete the KYC casino and UK Gambling Commission source of funds checks. Rather, you were usually required to complete the full or partial checks at a later date.
This changed in May 2019, after the Gambling Commission discovered that some operators were only called for the information when customers requested a withdrawal, meaning they were allowing unverified customers to gamble money that at the time came from unknown sources. Now, under the rules from 2019, UK mobile gambling operators are required to immediately request the information and complete the checks within 72 hours.
When announcing the new rule changes, the Gambling Commission expressed hope that the requirements would help detect criminal activity faster, help identify problem gamblers that had previously self-excluded, and prevent those underage or vulnerable from gambling.
For players, completing these checks can prove to be tiresome, particularly if you register with multiple mobile casinos, and the process of providing personal and sensitive information to a casino and third party can be daunting and may put casino players off from registering with a website, particularly if they are new to the industry.
Unfortunately, you are required by law to complete these checks if you want to gamble within the licensed, regulated, and safe UK market. While they may be frustrating to complete, for both new and experienced users, it ultimately helps keep you safe.
The evidence required to complete the Gambling Commission source of funds and the KYC casino checks are a series of documents you should have easy access to that confirm your age, your identity, your address, and your source of funds.
If you’re an experienced casino player or someone new, it’s a good idea to compile all of your documents to complete the KYC casino and Gambling Commission source of funds checks as soon as possible so you can get back to gambling.
The documents that you’ll need to provide to the mobile casino to complete the required checks can include the following:
You’ll usually only have to provide the above documents to successfully complete the Gambling Commission source of funds and KYC casino checks. However, as per Genesis Casino, you may also be required to provide additional documentation if your account is deemed suspicious, fraudulent or has an alert for responsible gambling reasons. While this usually doesn’t happen, the casino may request the following additional documentation:
As stated, these checks usually aren’t required for most players and generally aren’t required by most mobile casino operators. However, if they ever are, make sure to follow through with the requirements to continue playing at your registered mobile casino.
How you complete the Gambling Commission source of funds and KYC casino checks will vary between mobile casinos, but most sites will simply require you to upload the documents either via third-party software or through the site itself.
For example, Genesis Casino, operated by Genesis Global Limited, uses identification scanning software AU10TIX. On the Genesis Casino website, you’ll need to upload your documents through AU10TIX, and you can use your smartphone to scan and prepare all of your documents by scanning a simple QR code on the website.
However, other mobile casinos like Mr Green simply require you to email the customer support team with copies of your documentation attached as either PDF, JPEG or PNG file formats. Finally, other mobile casinos will require you to head to a certain section of the casino site – usually your account – and then upload them directly to the casino.
Once you’ve given the mobile casino all of your required documentation, you’ll then have to wait a few business days, usually no more than three, for the casino’s support team to verify your documents and complete the Gambling Commission source of funds and Know Your Customer casino checks.
Some mobile casinos include a tracker, allowing you to follow the process. If you feel the verification process is taking too long or you somehow fail to pass it, you should be able to freely contact the mobile casino’s customer support team by contacting them through their accepted services, which we’ve listed in our casino reviews.
If important details change, such as if you move address or your name is altered, you will have to inform your mobile casino and may need to verify your mobile casino account again by providing all necessary documentation.
Under the rules we discussed earlier, failure to complete the Gambling Commission source of funds and Know Your Customer checks within 72 hours may cause the mobile casino to shut down your account. In some cases, you may be able to have your account restored if you can contact the mobile casino’s customer support service.
However, restoring your account means you will need to complete the Gambling Commission source of funds and Know Your Customer checks. There is no way around this, and you will need to complete them if you want to continue playing at your mobile casino.
We understand that completing the Gambling Commission source of funds and KYC casino checks is a frustrating experience, but it’s necessary under current law. These rules, albeit annoying, were put in place to keep you protected and prevent criminal activity.
We’ll reiterate that, regardless of whether you’re new to gambling or are an experienced player, you should prepare your documents and immediately begin the verification process to verify your casino account and start playing as soon as you can. Leaving it or refusing to comply with these checks can result in serious consequences.
The UK Gambling Commission affordability checks are another identification check that may be conducted by mobile casino operators after registration, requiring you to share additional payment documentation like three months’ payslips, tax returns, bank statements or P60s to verify your gambling affordability.
You can complete the Gambling Commission ID verification by providing your registered casino with documents that prove your identity, such as a passport, national ID card, driver’s license or a copy of your birth certificate if photographic ID is not available.
Mobile casinos ask for source of funds to ensure that the money you’re using to gamble with has come from a verified source, such as work pay, your pension, tax returns, money from other casinos, money won from competitions, and more. As we explained, Gambling Commission source of funds checks were implemented to crack down on money laundering.
Yes! Mobile casinos are required to keep all of your documentation and details safe and away from third-parties or prying eyes. They even use the latest security to do so, but mobile casinos are required to hold onto your information for several years under UK law.
