UK Gambling Commission flags identity verification failures

The UK Gambling Commission has raised concerns regarding significant gaps in identity verification processes used by gambling operators. Following a financial risk assessment pilot conducted between 2024 and 2025, regulators found that a portion of customers could not be matched by credit reference agencies due to inaccuracies in initial onboarding.

Specific issues identified include the use of nicknames, registering individuals with only an initial rather than a full name, and recording commercial addresses instead of residential ones. Officials Helen Rhodes and Sarah Webster noted that the use of 'fuzzy matching'—where customers are onboarded based on partial or equivocal credentials—introduces risks across multiple regulatory areas.

The Commission expressed concern over the varying levels of data sensitivity and robustness provided by third-party verification providers, as well as the differing levels of tolerance among operators regarding these verification gaps.