Know Your Customer Regulations (KYC)

To set up and run an online casino, operators must adhere to the licensing and regulatory requirements of the relevant authorities. For example, to operate in Ireland, online casinos must comply with the regulations set by the Irish government. Other recognised regulatory bodies like those in Malta or Gibraltar are also accepted.

A crucial requirement is the Know Your Customer (KYC) regulations. These ensure that customers provide detailed information to prevent involvement in corruption, bribery, or money laundering. Gambling is a well-known method for criminals to ‘clean’ their money by converting it into a legitimate form.

Therefore, when you register with a new casino, you must prove your identity, providing a traceable source for authorities to follow if any dodgy activity is suspected.

In practice, this means new players must supply their name, date of birth, address, and proof of these. This usually includes documents like a passport, driving licence with photo ID, or a utility bill showing your name and address. While you might not need to provide these documents immediately, you’ll certainly need them when withdrawing your winnings.

All this extra admin slows things down and can be a bit of a hassle when you have to scan and upload these documents, then wait for approval. It also poses a risk of these details being intercepted and used for identity theft.

If only there was a way to simplify all these regulations… Well, now there is!

How does Pay N Play work?

Pay N Play is powered by the popular and reliable Trustly payment service. Trustly allows you to make online payments directly from your bank account without disclosing personal financial details like your account number or debit card information. Typically, there are no charges or fees when using Trustly for online payments.

The advantage of using Pay N Play is that it lets you bypass much of the form-filling and ID verification usually required to start playing at a new casino. You might still need to fill out a simple registration form, usually including your name, email address, and perhaps your home address. But you won’t need to submit additional ID documents like your passport or utility bills as proof of address.

This isn’t due to any sneaky loophole but because your bank has already conducted these checks when you opened your account. Or, if it’s an older account, you’ve built up a proven track record. By using Pay N Play, you won’t have to comply with additional KYC requirements, as your bank account details have already been verified.

This process is not only more convenient for players but also beneficial for casino operators. Many potential new players give up due to the bureaucracy and abandon their registration. Even those who persevere often fail to make a deposit – up to a third of customers don’t play any games at all, despite completing the forms, likely due to frustration and boredom with the wait, leading them back to a previously used casino.

In essence, Pay N Play combines registration and payment into one process, speeding everything up so you can focus on the games.

How does it work in practice? When you visit a new casino site, instead of starting with the usual registration form, you make a deposit from your online banking current account. There will usually be an option to start straight away, often indicated with a statement like “Deposit And Play Now” or a button labelled “Play Direct”.

This directs you to the Trustly payment service. Here, you select your banking service (for Irish customers, this might be banks like AIB, Bank of Ireland, Ulster Bank…) and enter your mobile banking ID number. You’re then redirected to your bank to verify your identity and authorise payment by entering your usual online banking PIN. You choose which account to use (if you have more than one), enter the deposit amount, and follow your usual payment procedure.

Trustly then passes all the required KYC data directly to the casino operator, so you don’t have to go through the whole process every time you try a new casino. Your new player account is created automatically, allowing you to start enjoying your spins immediately. You don’t need to fill out registration forms or pre-register with Trustly, as the service redirects you to your bank’s online service to complete the transaction. All you need to do is make a deposit!

Casino operators love this service too. It makes it much easier for new players to get started and significantly reduces dropout rates, while ensuring full compliance with KYC requirements. More and more casinos are adopting this convenient service, which is great news for players.

You might think this sounds too good to be true, but it gets even better! Withdrawing your winnings is even simpler. You can seamlessly return your prize fund to your bank account with just one click. The transfer happens almost instantly, as all necessary details were submitted when you made your deposit.

Some might question if this is really favoured by casino operators, who usually take days to transfer withdrawals to your account. Previously, they could hold onto your money for days, but now they must pay up immediately. To be fair to online casinos (I know, it’s tough, pass the violin), that wait was partly a legal requirement: they had to conduct KYC checks and authorise each payment individually. Now it’s all done automatically, allowing for immediate payments. Although casinos must pay out more quickly, it saves on administration costs and the time and expense of employing people to do it.

In the end, while casino operators don’t hold your money as long, it greatly improves player satisfaction. Analysis shows that players enjoy the service, and happy players tend to be more loyal, play more games, and return more regularly.

And speaking of returning, the final positive is that even this is more swift and convenient with Pay N Play. Normally, when you leave the site or close your browser, you’d have to log in again, remembering your username, password, and all the rest. But with Pay N Play, you can use the ‘Resume Play’ feature to restart almost instantly by using your online banking ID instead. Username and password be gone!

What’s not to like? Pay N Play has really taken off since its recent launch. More and more casinos are accepting the service as players demand its simplicity and convenience. It’s much easier to get started on a Pay N Play casino compared to traditional payment methods like debit cards. With Pay N Play, everyone’s a winner!

Different Types of Pay N Play Casinos

From a player’s perspective, there are basically two types of Pay N Play casinos. Many casinos offer Pay N Play as an option, like an additional payment method. On these casinos, you’ll find Pay N Play listed among other typical payment choices, like debit cards, PayPal, Neteller, and the rest.

Many new casinos, plus a few undergoing a rebrand, are choosing to become exclusively Pay N Play casinos, offering Pay N Play as the only method for joining and making payments. You can see why this is attractive for casino operators – it’s simple, requires little administrative infrastructure, and most potential customers have a bank account, enabling them to join.

There are advantages for players too when joining an exclusively Pay N Play casino. You get the full range of Pay N Play functionality, such as instant withdrawals and the ‘Resume Play’ feature. Players at ‘hybrid’ casinos will usually have additional login procedures, both when starting play and when making withdrawals.

On the other hand, players who prefer to make deposits by other methods, such as electronic payments, are excluded from pure Pay N Play casinos.

Summary

Pay N Play is a new and convenient way to simplify the process of playing at online casinos. Backed by the tried and tested Trustly service, it is more than just a payment method. It is a one-stop registration, payment, and withdrawal service, with no additional charges or fees.

You can find ‘pure’ Pay N Play casinos, where Pay N Play is the only registration and payment option, and others that accept Pay N Play among other payment methods. Both have their advantages: ‘Pure’ Pay N Play casinos feature instant, one-step registration, payment, and withdrawal. ‘Hybrid’ casinos may not offer the full range of these facilities, but you can use other payment methods if you wish.

Its sheer simplicity and convenience mean the popularity and availability of the Pay N Play service are increasing rapidly. More and more casinos are offering it as an option or choosing to operate as purely Pay N Play casinos. Look out for both on the White Hat Gaming platform when you’re looking for a new online casino to join.