WHY AM I BEING ASKED BY ONLINE BOOKMAKERS TO SEND DOCUMENTS?
If a bettor has some experience with many betting sites, he already knows that it's common for a bookie to request for an account to be verified before depositing or more often after requesting a withdrawal. However, many bettors who are new to the world of online betting do not know what to expect in terms of account verification. In this article we would like to discuss the reasons why bookies request personal documents.
"Why am I being asked by online bookmakers to send documents?" Those who usually ask this question have doubts regarding the real need of such requests and they also fear that something bad will happen if they send the documents.
In reality, if a bettor tried to understand the situation from the bookmaker's point of view, it would be easier for him to discover the reasons for such requests. An online bookmaker, based on its popularity, can have from thousands of players up to millions of players from over 100 countries. Among these thousands and thousands of players there are people who commit frauds, who deposit using stolen credit cards, who use fake IDs in order to deposit from banned countries and overall who are involved in illegal activities. Online bookmakers request documents in order to ensure that the person who uses an account is real and he deposits/withdraws using their own payment methods.
Online bookmakers can request documents based on your activity and behavior. For example, a bettor who deposits $100 dollars using a credit card, places normal bets and requests withdrawals through the same credit card (or through a bank transfer if it's a Mastercard) won't need to send too many documents: probably only a copy from the front part of the credit card and a copy from the government ID or passport. However, if a customer makes daily deposits using several different payment methods (Ukash, Paysafecard, Skrill etc.), he doesn't play and he withdraws via a bank transfer, then it's a clear sign that something is wrong: in such situations, bookies can requests all type of documents (even pictures with the customer holding the ID) and even contact the payment providers in order for them to do security checks.
Overall, it's perfectly normal to send copies of your documents to the bookies when they request them because this is the only way to prove your identity and have a 100% verified betting account. Regarding the safety of your documents, you do not need to worry because online bookmakers are obligated to keep all of your personal details (including documents) safe and this thing is also mentioned in the terms & conditions that you accept when registering to a betting site.
You may also want to read the following:
Account verification
How to make a complaint against a bookmaker
Do bettors have to pay taxes from their winnings?
