No More Anonymous Wagers for Danish Gamblers

Danish gamblers will no longer be able to wager anonymously as the country’s regulator announced ID cards will be a predeterminer of placing a bet. In a drive to eliminate money laundering via gambling, the government will prohibit anonymous betting. Gambling providers have less than a year to put the correct systems in place.

The compulsory player card will aid managers of betting kiosks and shops in establishing a player’s age, in amongst other things. It is common practice for online casinos to require the Danish NemID when players log in to gamble on their sites but, until now, anyone could wager at a land-based betting provider.

 Identify and Trace Sportsbook Bets

Come July 2022, sportsbook enthusiasts will have to present their player ID if they want to wager on a match. The Danish Gambling Authority, Spillemyndigheden, has the support of all the major political parties in Denmark, including the leading Social Democrat Party.

The opposition Liberal Party, also known as the Danish People’s Party, is in favour of the ID card scheme as well. Morten Bødskov, the Danish Minister of Taxation, said:

“With the player card, we do away with the opportunity to play anonymously in, among other things, football matches. We are thus putting a stick in the wheel of the criminals who use this type of game as a means of, for example, laundering money.”

At this point in time, bettors can remain completely anonymous if they play with cash at a local bookie kiosk. With money laundering being one of the major concerns with gambling, sportsbooks are extremely vulnerable to crimes of this kind. Tracking where bets come from will also assist the government in tracing culprits of match-fixing. Lottery players will still enjoy anonymity when buying lotto tickets or scratch cards.

The Gambling Authority still needs to release further details on how they will gather and analyse data of players. Denmark’s NemID system is undergoing an upgrade process, but it does not seem to affect the roll-out for providers. NemID is a digital signature and unique login for Danish citizens, which comprises a user ID, password, and a code-card that provides one-time codes for logins.

 Tighter Ropes for Online Providers and Safer Gambling

In an amendment to Executive Order no, 336 of 7 April 2016, the Danish Gambling Authority introduced detailed changes to section 60 of the Gaming Act. Effective 1 January 2022 platform providers must ensure that an electronic ID is used in the following situations:

1. Creating a game account.
2. Payouts from a gaming account.
3. Change of information as mentioned in § 2, para.4, as well as payment information.
4. When changing and approving game platform.

The electronic ID must either be a NemID, or another Danish approved electronic ID.

The Gambling Authority’s self-exclusion program, ROFUS, will also profit from the mandatory ID cards. Right now, betting kiosk managers do not know if a player registered themselves with ROFUS, as they accept anonymous bets. Once the ID system is in place, at-risk players won’t be able to use this loophole anymore.

Lawmakers have also indicated that they will clamp down on gambling advertisements in the country. Gambling providers will receive more restrictive conditions for their marketing soon.

Socialist People’s Party member of parliament, Carl Valentin, said:

“We are happy about that in the Socialistisk Folkeparti, but it is not enough. The next step will be to do something about the many advertisements that the industry uses as bait when they need new customers in the store.”

Denmark will be one of the many jurisdictions that enforce restrictive gambling ads legislation.

With player safety and anti-money laundering initiatives, Gambling Authorities need to tackle the bull by the horns. Denmark is applying technology to their advantage in providing safer gaming all-round.