Latest news
NCH research sparks online gaming age verification row
New research by UK children’s charity NCH has revealed that children as young as 11 years old can set up gambling accounts on many websites due to their failure to carry out sufficient age checks.
The research, which was compiled by NCH, GamCare and CitizenCard, showed that 30 out of 37 gambling sites tested allowed a girl of 16 to register her details online using a Solo debit card; which some banks offer to customers aged just 11.
After lying about her age and claiming she was 18 years old, the majority of sites then allowed the girl to gamble in several ways, using the same account set up online.
This was despite the existence of online age verification schemes, which have been specially designed to block accounts for under 18s at the point of registration.
In light of this, the NCH has called on gambling websites to install more effective age verification software to prevent under-age website use.
The minister for gambling, Andrew McIntosh, said: “Having already warned the industry that Solo cards should be treated with caution, it is disappointing to find so many haven’t taken this on board. The banking sector should take some responsibility too.”
John Carr, internet advisor for the NCH, added: “It is shocking that children as young as 11 are able to register with online gambling sites. There are no excuses for this. The technology for these companies to clean up their act already exists, but it is being used by a very small number of the operators we surveyed.”
However, a spokesperson for bookmaker William Hill, which runs one of the 30 websites that failed the test, said the technology available was not foolproof and that the most effective solution to this problem may be to adopt an American banking practice: “Since the banks started to issue debit cards to minors, we’ve been aware of the possibility of those individuals accessing online betting sites.
“Without any foolproof age verification systems available in the UK, the only way to safeguard against children betting illegally is for the banks to supply sufficient data or indications as to the age of the card holder. We think the banks have a greater responsibility to protect their customers.”
In the US, legislation requires bank cards held by under-18s to include a 2990 code. If a similar system were implemented in the UK, said William Hill, any gaming site trying to process a credit card with that code will receive a denial. Details: www.nch.org.uk