Aligning security processes for physical and digital gaming operators

The online gaming sector is rapidly expanding, with particularly strong growth potential in emerging markets such as Latin America and Africa. While this brings a host of unique security challenges, there are areas of mutually beneficial technological overlap with the land-based domain.

According to a report from Custom Market Insights, the online gaming sector is set to hit a value of over $145bn by 2030, more than double its $58.2bn valuation in 2021. Major players such as Bet365, William Hill, Ladbrokes Coral Group and more are seizing the opportunities this presents. 

However, it also poses major operational challenges. Perhaps most obviously, operators must ensure they have appropriate identity verification (IDV) tools at hand, meeting demands around Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) regulations.

Such technology also fills other needs, making the onboarding process as smooth as possible for players. In turn, they can be reassured that the platform is addressing concerns over potential fraud and other concerns.

Specialists such as Veriff deploy sophisticated technology to deliver such services, for example through biometric technology such as biometric face authentication. This has a wide range of uses online: confirming a person’s identity, for instance. However, the same technology has a range of benefits in physical gaming  venues like casinos. 

Take Ghana, for example. The country – one of the top prospects in the African gaming market – recently introduced KYC verification requirements , through which gaming operators would be required to verify the identity of customers both in websites and in casinos. Some companies, such as Betway Ghana, had already focussed on training staff members on combating the financing of terrorism and AML.

In many aspects, it is not surprising that the user experience between the physical and online environments is becoming increasingly aligned. This is tied not just to enhancing security, which is vital, but also to the experiences of today’s consumers and their expectations. The younger generation of players are now accustomed to using their smartphones, tablets or other technology to prove their identity.

This means that whereas once land-based casinos may have seen such technology as simply an additional level of friction, it is now actually a positive. It meets customer expectations, verifies their identity, and means operators can better engage with players on the casino floor or through concepts like loyalty cards.

However, it is vital in both online and in land-based environments to demonstrate to customers that you are looking after their data. In the era of GDPR and similar legislation around the world, this is essential not just to avoid fines, but to help build brand reputation, whether online or in a physical environment.