Countries impose IDV for gambling; Brazilians fine providing selfies

Brazilians are getting used to identity verification with face biometrics according to a new survey, although these attitudes become sharper with other kinds of biometrics.

Brazilian users of online betting, casino and cryptocurrency platforms must undergo mandatory face biometric verification as part of KYC rules established by the Secretariat of Prizes and Bets (SPA). Major exchanges such as Binance Brasil, Bitso, Foxbit and Mercado Bitcoin have already integrated the process into their onboarding flows.

A survey by Casinos Blockchain found that 67 percent of Brazilian users feel comfortable providing a selfie for identity verification in these sectors, suggesting that face biometrics has become an accepted part of digital life. Just 6 percent of respondents reported feeling very uncomfortable with the requirement.

Attitudes shift when other biometrics come into play. Only 23 percent of users said they would voluntarily provide fingerprint or iris biometrics without hesitation, while 45 percent would comply only if it were mandatory and 9 percent would refuse outright. One in three (34 percent) said they would avoid platforms requiring authentication with these modalities.

More than half (56.5 percent) said they’d reconsider using a service due to concerns about deepfake fraud or identity theft.

Despite these reservations, trust in verification technologies remains strong: 77 percent of those surveyed said they trust AI to process identity data as much or more than human operators. However, confidence in the platforms themselves is lower — only 22 percent fully trust that their personal information will be safeguarded, and 45.5 percent express only partial trust.

The research highlights a seemingly widespread appetite for greater privacy and control. An overwhelming 95 percent of respondents want more discreet KYC methods, and 62 percent would immediately switch to alternative solutions like zero-knowledge proofs, with another 33 percent open to considering them, according to the survey.

Generational differences are pronounced. Members of Gen Z demonstrate higher acceptance of biometrics and AI and show interest in privacy-first approaches. Adults over 40 tend to be more cautious, especially around deepfake threats, even as they acknowledge the need to comply with evolving regulations.

Industry observers say that while facial biometric KYC is becoming the norm for many Brazilians, full user confidence remains elusive. For the gambling and crypto sectors, privacy-centric technologies might prove prudent in addition to maintaining transparent communication about data protection. Doing so could be a market differentiator.

Philippines, Thailand and Kenya consider ID verification for online gambling

The Philippines government is eyeing tax raises and tightening regulations for online gambling rather than imposing an outright ban that could drive the industry further underground, Finance Secretary Ralph Recto said.

He warned that sanctioning the activity altogether could backfire amid increasing concern over the growth of illegal online gambling operators.

Beyond revenue measures, Recto urged that online platforms be regulated as strictly as brick-and-mortar casinos. He proposed extending existing rules to digital venues and leveraging the national ID system to verify users’ ages and identities, setting 21 as the minimum age for online gambling and introducing health warnings similar to those on tobacco products.

Recto pointed out that illegal online gambling still accounts for roughly 60 percent of the market, leaving only 40 percent of industry legitimately registered and contributing to the treasury. “If you ban it, everything becomes illegal,” he said, as quoted in The Manila Times. “The government won’t be able to collect [any revenue].”

To capture this lost revenue and strengthen oversight, the Department of Finance is studying measures to increase fees levied by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) and additional taxes handled by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).

Kenya’s Betting Control and Licensing Board (BCLB) has introduced a new verification step requiring all prospective bettors to submit a selfie holding their national ID card when registering gambling accounts.

Unveiled to members of parliament, the measure forms part of the most comprehensive reform of Kenya’s gambling industry in decades, the proposed Gambling Control Bill, which is aimed at reining in its rapid and often unregulated expansion.

By tying each account to a live image of the bettor alongside their official identification, regulators intend to block minors from exploiting family members’ IDs and bypassing age restrictions. The selfie-and-ID rule is designed to strengthen the integrity of registration processes and ensure that only eligible individuals gain access to betting services.

The BCLB says this change will complement stricter licensing requirements, enhanced operator monitoring, and tougher penalties for non-compliance, all steps toward bringing order and transparency to a sector that has seen explosive growth in recent years.

In Thailand, foreign analytics tracking online gambling involving Thai citizens show widespread participation across multiple platforms. Although gaps in Thailand’s Digital ID system prevent precise identification, the available data still outlines the market’s scale. Crucially, around 150 billion baht ($4.6 billion) each year doesn’t circulate back into the local economy but instead covers overseas fees and service charges.

Former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra highlighted this outflow, noting that foreign operators equipped with dashboards can monitor how many Thais are gambling online and which devices they use yet they remain unable to verify players’ ages without a Digital ID.

Thaksin said the money deposited into online gambling accounts annually, bet and lost from fees and other charges could go towards investment into the country’s development. However, his comments, reported in The Nation, did not indicate how the issue might be resolved.

Regula outlines ID verification for online gambling

Regula Forensics explores ID verification for online gambling and lotteries, looking at how such operations employ identity verification, common challenges in verifying player identities and the importance of the practice.

Operators in the gambling industry are facing mounting pressure, from both national and international regulators, to meet expanding compliance standards, and the penalties for falling short are hefty. In 2024 alone, regulators imposed more than $184 million in fines on gambling operators around the world.

In response, some countries have moved to national digital ID systems to streamline checks and bolster security. Sweden’s BankID system, for instance, leverages bank‐issued credentials tied to government records to verify a user’s identity and age in seconds, allowing online casinos to onboard players rapidly and with confidence.

However, digital IDs alone can’t prevent misuse of stolen credentials, so many platforms have introduced a biometric layer to their registration processes. Prospective bettors are now asked to take a live selfie, which is then compared via facial recognition to the photo on their identity document. Any mismatch triggers an automatic rejection, ensuring that only the true document holder can create and access an account.

Regula has more here.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  digital ID  |  gambling  |  ID verification  |  identity verification  |  Regula  |  regulation