Published: 14 Oct 2025 | Updated: 10 Dec 2025
Have you been asked to verify your identity and confirm your age at an online casino?
These checks may not be any player’s favourite part of visiting a gaming site, but they’re crucial to help prevent underage gambling. In the UK, only adults aged 18 and above can legally place bets on sports, play casino games, or take part in any other gambling activities.
However, many underage people still find a way to gamble. According to the Gambling Commission of Great Britain, more than 25% of children aged 11-17 have used their own money to take part in some form of gambling (e.g., playing on claw grab machines).
What happens if you visit an online casino and play games before you turn 18? Are there any penalties in place to deter you?
In this post, you’ll learn:
- What steps online casinos must take to help prevent minors from gambling.
- How casino operators can detect underage gambling on their sites.
- What penalties minors face if they’re caught gambling at an online casino.
How Do Online Casinos Detect Underage Gambling?
The Gambling Commission has strict regulations in place to protect minors from gambling-related harm. Young people may be unaware of the potential dangers of betting, and it’s vital that businesses take steps to keep underage users away from their casinos.
Age and Identity Verification
When you visit a physical casino venue, you’re required to carry a form of ID with you in case you need to prove your age. Online casinos may not be able to check your ID as easily, but they still have processes in place to confirm that you’re legally of gambling age.
All licensed online casino sites in the UK must perform identity verification checks before letting members deposit funds and play games. They will ask you to upload a copy of certain documents to prove that you’re legally entitled to gamble. These include:
- Passport
- Driving licence
- Official ID
- Utility bill
But this isn’t just to verify your age: it’s also to confirm that the information you submitted when joining a site is accurate. Operators reserve the right to request this documentation at any time, whether you’re withdrawing winnings or signing up for a bonus.
Biometric Technologies
Online casino sites use biometric technologies to determine whether users are above the legal gambling age. You may be asked to upload a selfie of yourself to confirm that your face matches the images featured in your documentation.
How Online Casino Operators Deal with Underage Gamblers
Each licensed casino operator has a clear policy for dealing with underage gambling. While the exact wording varies from site to site, policies typically include the following steps:
Returning Deposits
An online casino operator will try to return any deposits made by a minor to the original payment method (e.g., PayPal). But this may be impossible in some cases, such as if the PayPal account no longer exists.
What happens then? The operator will return the funds to a legal guardian. However, a minor’s legal guardian must submit documentation that proves their guardianship before the funds are released.
Declaring Winnings Void
Underage players will lose out on any winnings they manage to accumulate in live casino games, slots, or anything else at an online casino. The operator will consider these funds void and forfeited.
Terminating Accounts
Any accounts created and used by minors will be terminated immediately. This can prevent minors from gambling further funds after being discovered.
After their account has been terminated, a minor will not be able to set up a new account with the same information they used previously.
What Should You Do if You Suspect Underage Gambling?
If you have any reason to believe that someone below the UK legal age of gambling (18) is betting at an online casino, you should report it to the operator. They will investigate the matter and take the appropriate action to rectify the situation.
But educating young people on the possible harms of gambling is essential to help prevent problems in the future, too. If you, as a parent or legal guardian of a minor, want to help, you could:
- Avoid gambling at online casinos or betting sites while children are present.
- Install protective software to block gambling sites at home.
- Discuss the possible risks of gambling and suggest playing games that don’t involve betting.
- Never allow children access to your debit cards, credit cards, or online payment methods.
- Keep the ‘remember me’ checkbox unchecked if you gamble on a shared computer.
Licensed online casinos in the UK are legally required to provide information and tools to help members responsibly play. These tools include deposit limits and Reality Checks, and they’re available on desktop and mobile versions of a site.
Conclusion
Underage gambling is a common issue in the UK, but licensed online casino operators take it seriously. They implement identity verification checks and other measures to prevent anyone younger than 18 from gambling.
At Genting Casino, we ask you to verify your identity before you can deposit funds and play games. You can find more information on this and other safety measures in our Terms and Conditions of Use.
And once you’ve verified your age and identity, you’ll be ready to play the hottest slots, the latest live casino games, and more at Genting Casino!
