Account Verification
What's the meaning of the term "account verification"?
Bingo account verification is the process of the bingo operator ensuring a depositing player is over 18, using their real identity and a genuine player.
If you’re new to online bingo and you have bitten the bullet and decided to get out your flexible friend and have a crack to see what you can win you must be aware that all decent bingo sites worth their salt will want to verify your account.
It’s a boring topic but important none the less as without account verification players may not be allowed to play even if a deposit was initially accepted. Good bingo sites are licensed and regulated, which means that they have to follow best practice guidelines that are in the interests of both the bingo site operator and their players. To ensure that players are not using someone else’s bank card or identity, are attempting fraud or to simply prove they are of age the bingo site operators are obligated to verify a players account in a number of ways.
One of the main things a player will need to provide to ensure their account can be verified is their real telephone number. Customers may or may not be contacted by telephone but a valid telephone number is usually mandatory as any account problems can easily be cleared up by phone. Following registration KYC (know your customer) agents will contact players directly by email or phone and may request scans or details of certain documentation that can include utility bills or other forms of identification such as a driving license or passport. This can sometimes alarm new players when this happens but it is necessary and does help protect the player as it helps prevent identity theft and fraudulent card use. It also helps stamp out underage gambling, which can otherwise be hard to regulate in cases of remote gambling.
Once a player’s account and payment method is approved then they are free to get stuck in and enjoy the game. Players should also be aware that some bingo site operators will not allow new players to deposit using one method and withdraw using another to further help combat fraudulent use of banking facilities. However once a player has built up a track record with an operator then they are usually allowed to withdraw using any method that they have already deposited with.
Here at Fantasy Bingo we have received a number of customer complaints about bingo sites that have been reported to not credit customer accounts after they have signed up and made an initial deposit. In most cases after we investigate we find that for some reason the customer account could not be verified. This could be down to the player not providing accurate contact information or it could be the fault of the operators KYC department. In any case if an account is not verified the initial deposit should be refunded back to player by the payment method that was used to fund the account and so the player should not lose out.
The bottom line is that it is critical for players to provide full and accurate information in order to avoid account verification problems so they can dive right in to enjoy a good game of bingo.
