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Stricter Licensing Check Mandates Are Shaking Up Payouts and Player Onboarding in the Online Gambling Industry

18 September 2026

August 15, 2026

Regulatory bodies are increasing pressure on online gambling operators to tighten their licensing and customer onboarding processes. As a result, players are experiencing changes in how sites verify their identity and process payouts.

Why licensing checks are getting stricter

A cascade of new regulations, led by Curaçao and the UK, is driving a wave of stricter licensing checks. These changes require gambling sites to verify customer identities through approved documents and technologies, often at sign-up rather than only at withdrawal. The goal is to enhance both the security of the ecosystem and the ease of processing payments when players win.

Curaçao's new remote onboarding rules

On August 15, 2026, the Curaçao Gaming Authority (CGA) implemented stricter rules for remote onboarding. Operators now have five months to comply, with changes required by May 1, 2027.

These regulations significantly expand government oversight of remote identity verification. According to the imposed procedures, each operator must "verify the identity of a customer by means of a document that guarantees the authenticity of the information provided and that contains a photograph of the customer."

Systems using biometric or scanning tools are becoming more common. However, these technologies alone aren't sufficient. Operators must combine them with video verification to confirm the customer's physical presence and prevent impersonation. Any company relying on automated tools must conform to internationally recognized standards, maintain auditable logs, encrypt stored data, and conduct security testing.

Even if an operator outsources identity checks to a tech provider, Curaçao maintains that compliance remains the licensed entity's responsibility. Failure to meet requirements can result in severe penalties, including license revocation and potential imprisonment in serious cases.

These regulations were developed in collaboration with two other government agencies: the Central Bank of Curaçao and Sint Maarten and the Financial Intelligence Unit Curaçao. The regulations apply to all service providers under the National Ordinance on Identification when Rendering Services, not just gambling sites.

The UK rules may prove more challenging for operators who haven't updated their compliance policies recently. UK Gambling Commission announcements from June and August 2026 clarified that remote identity verification is now mandatory. Sites must confirm "that a customer exists and verifies their identity before they begin gambling," with this step occurring "at sign-up" rather than waiting for withdrawal requests.

Minor inaccuracies in customer information can cause significant issues. Using initials, nicknames, commercial addresses, or middle names instead of full legal names may result in verification failures. The process requires establishing a single, definitive identity for each player - approximate matches aren't acceptable.

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The regulator emphasizes that the new check isn't as intensive as enhanced due diligence for every customer, but operators must still complete thorough verification at sign-up. Sites can no longer accept minimal information and delay comprehensive checks until payout time.

What players need to know

Players are becoming more cautious about verifying a platform's legitimacy before signing up or depositing funds. Inaccurate or incomplete registration data directly correlates with verification failures and payout delays. Consequently, the identification process is evolving to become quicker and more seamless, with checks increasingly performed directly on-site rather than through external registries.

Several verification guides recommend a methodical approach, combining on-site license information with off-site verification through regulator public registers.

According to 2026 guidelines, users should confirm that a site displays a visible license number, has an active registrar entry, and matches the domain listed in the regulator's records. The domain should appear in the registry, and the permitted activities should include the specific gambling operations the site offers.

The Malta Gaming Authority's registry and ACMA's page allow users to search by name, URL, and other details, displaying license numbers, trading names, URLs, and licensing authorities.

Even in traditional licensing jurisdictions, required markings have become more visible. The UK Gambling Commission states: "Customers must be able to identify, on a site, that it is licensed by us, our account number and a link to its record in our register of remote operators." Legal business names, regulatory logos, and register links have become standard practice.

The evolution of online gambling compliance

Previously, some gambling sites developed reputations for lax compliance. Industry observers noted some operators ignoring rules, assuming costs would be prohibitive and that the market would shift toward more lenient jurisdictions rather than stricter standards.

The opposite has occurred. Gambling sites now face intense scrutiny about their identity verification processes. Minimal checks and discretionary verification are no longer acceptable. Players increasingly prefer sites with rigorous licensing standards and robust security processes over those with casual verification procedures. Full integration of identity checks into the onboarding process remains uncommon, with operators still developing their systems. Players have already experienced some inconvenience through thorough identity verification early in the sign-up process, but they can expect improved convenience moving forward.

Growing consumer demands and regulatory incentives continue driving change. Sites that can quickly verify their compliance status are likely to earn player trust and stand out during regulatory checks.

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