Prove who you are - Paddy Power...??

The issue of the bookies...?!? Opened up my emails today to find a email from PadPow asking that I verify my account in the next 30 days or the account will be suspended until I do so. Ok, I thought, so I opened the Step by Step guide to doing so and find that you need a few things with your picture id showing on them. Firstly, your car license... Mine is a paper one, no photo id there ( kids, that shows my age bracket straight away...) So, you need to send in your passport with your photo id... My current passport is out of date and shows a very youthful looking self, and nowt like I am in reality. Age can be a cruel thing...!! Then the last option is to upload a National ID card with your picture on it... You've guessed it, don't have one, got an old blue n red thing but no mug shot...

So, I buzz the PadPow contact department, Tamsin, only for her to tell me it's a legal thing from the government to make sure all accounts are held by who they say they are and not someone trying to impersonate someone else. So, as I am totally oblivious to things going on with the legal state of the country ( they are all idiots, so don't pay that mush attention to them...) I asked as to why the reason is I have to do so and if I refuse to what will you do... I have to do so as it's a legal thing that the government have asked PadPow to do and yes we will suspend your account... Not happy, I then said that if I close the account and go elsewhere will they ask me the same questions, verifying my id and all that, to which she said yes...

Apparently a new law will come in that from May the 1st where all betting accounts must be proven with photo identification otherwise the account will either be suspended or not be allowed to be set up...

Have any of the many people here on the forum heard of or indeed had to prove who they are to continue to have a bet...?? ​

 

They have told me I have thirty days to comply. Laughable really as they only ever let me have £1.17 EW.

 

After reading the first few sentences I was convinced this was a scam. But obviously it isn't. It would be laughable if no-one provided this info and just decided to pop to the nearest betting shop for a bet. It would reduce the amount of bets - no bad thing. Will the betting shop ask for ID before they take a bet.

All that personal info floating around in bookmakers' databases. That would make me nervous. Why do they need photos for an on line account? **** that.

 

Stop money laundering, people using other peoples accounts and the like. Seems obvious to me.

 

So why do they need a picture? Are they going to scan you in via the screen to check it is you?

 

If I was laundering money, I wouldn't do it via an on-line betting account.

 

I presume bookmakers only pay out to the account from which the stake came. So the worst that could happen (not nice) is that someone for some reason gambles all your money on losers. To do that they have to hack into your account. Producing your passport etc won't stop it because, if they have hacked into your account, they will have a copy of your passport (especially if it was sent by email)

 

https://www.onlinebetting.org.uk/betting-guides/betting-site-verification-and-id.html

 

Thanks Nass...

 

Crikey. At least 4 typos in that. What an OTT just because someone might decide to launder some money. FFS the average punter goes nowhere near the level of money laundering. And the main reason is to stop under age betting. How many under age people have a bank account? I could understand if someone suddenly appears to be betting out of pattern but to subject every single customer to these checks is ludicrous. If I did have a betting account it would be closed and I would restrict my betting to the betting shop and on course betting. With all the automatic money laundering checks in place, who would be daft enough to attempt to launder money through on line accounts. Much easier to go to on course bookies, betting shops and tote windows. Or buy something second hand for cash and then sell it for cash somewhere else

 

You can now set up an account on The Sporting Life to watch replays without the need for a bookies account of any sort. I use it a lot for watching races I can't get on ATR or the Jockey Club websites.

 

Where are you based then Grendel?

 

Don't encourage folk to go into the bookies! I'm quite enjoying the solitude since the new £2 cap on the puggies. Downside is my local only has to bank once a week now so it's days may be numbered.

 

**** that money laundering. I tried it once but ended up spending hours drying it out with the bloody iron. It can stay filthy as far as I'm concerned.

 

I had some money laundered once and it came out fine

 

Maybe I'll try a professional dry cleaner next time.

 

Money laundering laws been there for years....
I can't access my account and had no e mail to sort it out so **** them moved to sky bet
Hate those ****ers but I listen to talk sport and watch sports with them
Makes me a hypocrite but I need my fix


Stay Frosty xx

 

The golden age of betting, when you could shop around and pretty much guarantee to get the value, is coming to an end. The internet has seen to that.

I had a great run between about 2002 - 5, opening new telephone accounts during every major festival, and getting a free bet to the value of you first one. Back then the bookies were falling over themselves trying to get all the business they could - now they are quite clear that they only want mugs.

As for money laundering - there is something called a payments industry, which I never even new existed until recently. That’s a ****ing shady world, wouldn’t be surprised if the bookies were running scared of getting close to some of those firms, which always seem to be based in the same jurisdictions that off shore bookies have used.

A lot of high rolling punters use them to hide their betting from their banks, families, and anyone else they don’t want to know about their punting.