Is Anonymity Real In Online Casinos?
|One of the indisputable advantages of gambling online in contrast to land-based casinos is possibility to stay confidential. However, far not every online casino grants its players total privacy due to the reasons that sometimes go beyond simple formalities. In this article we will consider why online casinos require ID verification, can it be avoided and how.
Possible reasons behind ID verification in online casinos
First of all, need to clarify that in the modern internet personal identity verification is not something new as it was about twenty years ago and such procedure even has its own name – KYC, which stands for “Know Your Client”. As about online casinos, the reasons of ID verification may vary from website to website, but unfortunately some of them aspire just to complicate players’ life in order to not paying winnings. In such case a player will not have any problems with depositing money, but when it comes to withdrawing the casino may ask for a photo of ID, bank statement and player’s selfie with the above documents – everything just to hold the player from getting his rightfully won money. Of course, in order to preserve privacy users may forfeit some insignificant winnings, which on the long distance saves thousands for casino.
However, that only means that extra caution required when choosing a website for gambling as there are plenty of online casinos which do not have any cunning intentions and just want to do the things right by requesting ID verification. Since online gambling is a business that involves huge amounts of money, licensed online casinos are obliged to submit financial reports to the appropriate authorities. In fact, that is needed not only for taxation, but to prevent money laundering. Thus, a casino may not even care about player’s identity, but the authority which stands above does.
Another credible reason should be mentioned is prevention of deposit bonuses abuse. Most of the conventional online casinos have an extensive list of promotions and bonuses with the most lucrative being deposit bonuses. Thus, some players with the use of VPN tool or similar means may try to trick the casino in order to take advantage of exclusive offer multiple times.
Of course, users will always prefer to keep the most privacy, no matter how good the casino’s intentions are behind the verification requirement.
How to stay anonymous in online casino
The more internet develops the more grows demand on privacy within it, especially when it comes to online payments. One of the most prominent technologies of the last decade in the field of digital money has become cryptocurrency and Bitcoin in particular. Despite conflicting opinions among the users and experts, the fact remains – cryptocurrency brings new possibilities to numerous online industries and gambling is definitely in that list.
In short, cryptocurrency is decentralized digital money with real value what makes it possible to use it for online payments without involving third-party services like PayPal or VISA where ID verification is mandatory. Moreover, according to BtcPlayMania there are anonymous Bitcoin casinos out there which require only email and password to create an account, so cryptocurrency may provide some kind of two-layered anonymity. However, not every Bitcoin casino is anonymous, so reading the terms of the casino before making a deposit is recommended.
What about VPN tools?
VPN (Virtual Private Network) tools is indeed a great option for users who need to circumvent location restrictions or IP ban, but in the case with verification in online casino it will be useless as it only affects the IP address of the user, so the casino still may ask for ID. Moreover, there are some users who create multiple accounts using VPN, which is terrible idea since most of the online casinos strictly prohibit that and it may lead to the suspension of all the involved accounts.