Dutch KSA Tells Casinos to Recheck Bank Accounts After Payment Gaps

The October 8 announcement follows an investigation involving nine licensed gambling operators and transaction data from four Dutch banks. The regulator found shortcomings in payment verification but did not publish a figure for the number of affected minors.

Checking Initials Was Not Enough

The problem was partly down to how names appeared in payment records. Transaction details often show only initials and a surname, making it difficult to establish whether the person sending money is the registered player.

Under the 12-page KSA guidance, operators must compare all given names and the surname on a player’s identity document with the bank account holder’s details. The check must take place before or during the first deposit from a new or changed account.

The technology is hardly new. Around two-thirds of Dutch online gambling operators already use versions of a bank-account name-matching system, according to the regulator. But having the tool in place is not sufficient if the actual verification relies on incomplete data.

A partial name match requires additional checks, while a mismatch means the payment cannot be accepted. Minor spelling differences can still be resolved through further verification.

Earlier Bank Checks May Have to Be Redone

Casinos cannot simply leave older accounts as they are. If an operator previously checked only a player’s initials and surname, it must verify the full name. This can be done in batches or when the customer next logs in, makes a deposit or requests a withdrawal.

Bank transfers are not the only concern. CasinoNieuws points to additional verification risks with PayPal and credit cards. Business accounts, including those used by sole traders, are also unsuitable for gambling payments.

Back in April, the KSA found that minors had accessed licensed gambling sites only in exceptional cases. Many of the mismatches involved people with the same initials, rather than confirmed underage players. The new guidance deals with that verification gap, although matching full names has its limits too. A parent and child with identical given names and surnames, for example, may still be difficult to tell apart.