This is the reference page: what each document is for, and what makes a copy acceptable. If your question is whether the requests you are getting are reasonable, that is a different problem — see normal verification versus stalling.
What needs to be visible on my photo ID?
Proves: who you are, and that you are over 18.
Accepted: passport, national ID card, or photocard driving licence. It must be current — an expired passport fails automatically, however clear the photograph.
Rejected for: cropped corners, glare across the photo or the machine-readable strip, black-and-white scans, a screen photographed rather than the document, low resolution, or a finger covering part of the card.
Get it right first time: lay it flat on a plain dark surface, use natural light rather than flash, photograph straight down so the edges stay parallel, and check all four corners are inside the frame before sending. If your phone produces a HEIC file, convert it — a number of upload systems silently reject the format and report only that the document was not accepted.
Which documents can I use as proof of address?
Proves: you live where your account says you live.
Accepted: a utility bill, bank or credit card statement, council tax bill, or a letter from a government body. It must show your full name, the address exactly as on your account, and an issue date — usually within the last three months.
Rejected for: being out of date, showing a name that does not match, mobile phone bills (excluded by many operators), anything handwritten, or a document where you have redacted the date along with the account numbers.
On redaction: covering transaction details on a bank statement is normally fine. Covering the name, address or date is not — those are the parts being verified. A statement with everything blacked out except the logo proves nothing and will come back.
If you bank digitally: a downloaded PDF statement is generally accepted; a screenshot of an app rarely is, because it lacks the issuer's formatting and date block. Download the official statement rather than photographing the screen.
How do I prove the card or e-wallet is mine?
Proves: the card or wallet you deposited with belongs to you.
For a card: a photo of the front showing your name, the first six and last four digits, and the expiry. Cover the middle digits and the CVV on the back. A legitimate operator does not need either, and one that insists is telling you something.
For an e-wallet: a screenshot of the account page showing your name and the account email or ID.
Rejected for: a name on the card that differs from the account name. This is the single most common hard failure, and it is usually not fixable — see the name-match section below.
How to take a selfie with ID for verification
Proves: the person holding the document is the person on it.
Increasingly standard, often automated through a liveness check. Reasonable in itself. Requirements vary: some want a handwritten note with the date and the operator's name in shot, which is a legitimate anti-reuse measure — it stops the same photograph being submitted to twenty sites.
If an automated check fails repeatedly, ask for manual review rather than resubmitting a sixth time. Liveness systems fail on ordinary things: strong backlighting, glasses, a beard grown since the passport photo.
Why might a casino ask for proof of where my money came from?
Proves: where your money came from.
A different category from everything above, triggered by different rules and by deposit volume rather than by withdrawal. It is often legitimate and sometimes not. It has its own page.
What if my account details do not match my documents?
Almost every verification failure that cannot be fixed by sending a better photograph comes down to a mismatch. Your account name, your ID, your proof of address and your payment method must all agree.
- Third-party payments. Depositing with a partner's or parent's card breaches the terms at essentially every operator and will block withdrawal. Operators treat this as an anti-money-laundering issue, not an administrative one. There is usually no remedy other than returning the funds to the original card.
- Middle names. “James Smith” on the account and “James Peter Smith” on the passport is a common trip-up. Register using the name exactly as it appears on your ID.
- A recent move. If your proof of address is newer than the address on your account, update the account details first — and be aware that changing account details after requesting a withdrawal invites scrutiny and slows everything down.
- A name change. Marriage or deed poll usually needs the linking certificate as well as both documents.
- Transliteration. If your name is rendered differently across documents — a passport in one spelling, a utility bill in another — flag it in writing when you upload rather than waiting for the rejection.
Which casino document requests should I question?
- The CVV, your full card number, or your online banking login. No operator needs any of these. Treat a request for them as disqualifying and do not send them.
- An unredacted bank statement showing every transaction, when the stated purpose is proof of address.
- Documents that cannot exist — a utility bill in your name if you live with family, for instance. Reply in writing, explain why, and ask what alternative is accepted. Operators usually have one; they simply do not volunteer it.
- A new category of document each time you satisfy the last. That is the stalling pattern, covered here.
Before you send anything. You are handing identity documents to a company that may be lightly regulated, and identity documents are worth money independently of gambling. Check the licence is real before uploading — the check takes ten minutes. Send only what was asked for. Cover card middle digits and the CVV. Consider adding a visible watermark with the operator's name and the date, which makes a copy far less useful if it is ever leaked or resold. If the operator has no verifiable licence, do not send documents at all.
How to watermark an ID copy for casino verification
A watermark marks a copy with where it was sent and when, which makes it less useful anywhere else. It is not a guarantee against misuse, and some verification processes reject altered images — so ask whether a watermarked copy is accepted before you send one.
- Take the photo or scan first, exactly as the operator asks: all four corners, no glare, in colour.
- Open it in your phone’s photo editor or any image tool with a text option.
- Add one line of text across the image: “For [operator name] verification only — [date]”.
- Place it over a blank or background area, and keep it clear of your photo, name, date of birth, document number, expiry date and the machine-readable lines. Those are what is being checked, and a watermark over them is a common reason for rejection.
- Save it as a copy and send that, keeping the original.
If an operator rejects a watermarked copy, ask which part could not be read before deciding whether to send an unmarked one.
Can I complete verification before my first withdrawal?
At many operators verification can be completed before you withdraw, not only when you do. Ask before depositing what is required and whether you can do it straight away. Doing it early can remove one common cause of delay at the first withdrawal, and it shows you how the operator’s process works while you have little at stake — though a completed check does not rule out further requests later.
It is also the cheapest test of an operator available. If verification takes three weeks and four rounds of rejections on a £20 account, you have learned something valuable for the price of £20.
Common questions
Why does the casino need my ID at all?
Licensed operators have anti-money-laundering and age-verification obligations. Operators licensed in Great Britain must check age and identity before you can deposit or play; offshore operators often leave it until the first withdrawal instead, which is why it arrives at the worst possible moment.
Is it safe to send my passport to an offshore casino?
A genuine licence alone does not make it safe. Confirm the exact operator and domain, ask why the document is needed, read its privacy information and use the upload channel inside your account. Send only what was asked for, and cover card middle digits and the CVV.
Can I verify my account before I withdraw?
Often, yes — ask before depositing what verification is required and whether it can be completed then. Doing it early can remove one common cause of delay, though a completed check does not rule out further requests later.
