The approach to identity verification has taken on elevated importance within the user experience when it comes to gambling.
One of the key deterrents for consumers can be a convoluted KYC process, which regularly has a significant impact when it comes to creating an account.
In a recent interview with SBC, Fergal Parkinson, Director of TMT Analysis, walks us through the ways his company is helping gambling operators to introduce robust customer verification processes and effectively authenticate a player’s identity.
Providing a backdrop on TMT Analysis, Parkinson stated: “TMT is a leading provider of information and intelligence on every mobile number globally. Through our single API our customers can connect to a wealth of live telco and other trusted third party data which can authenticate and verify users globally using their devices and phone number.
“A mobile phone number is a really great anchor point to a person, it is unique to them and comes with a lot of history which can help when trying to assess risk or simply confirm the details they are giving you at the point of sign up are true and accurate.
“This data can also be used to prevent fraud or fake accounts as we can verify a mobile number is true and accurate within milliseconds, as well as protecting against known frauds such as SimSwap fraud which is rife right now.
“Our Authenticate product is now used widely around the world to check if the mobile device used by a customer at the point of login is the same one you are expecting it to be, without the need for a one-time password or other forms of two factor authentication, meaning that the login is quicker and does not require a user to leave an app or a website to verify they are who you think they are.
“With the majority of gaming and gambling customers now using their mobile devices, our data is used to verify and authenticate users globally at the point of registration and then every time they log into a session.
On the importance of mobile intelligence and the impact it can have on the user experience, he added: “We allow gaming and gambling companies to verify and authenticate the identity of their customers, including their name and address, as well as the device they are using in a low-cost, high-assurance, and low-friction way.
“As most gaming and gambling customers are now using a mobile device, we provide a strong and robust customer verification at the time of onboarding using our access to real-time live telco data globally.
“Customer verification for gambling companies is of particularly high importance, given the risks of fraud and substantial size of transactions. For gaming companies, too, a customer’s phone number is often a key pillar in their engagement strategy to inform them of offers or to bring them back to their app. Verifying a number is real and active and linked to the person you think it is linked to is crucial.”
He concluded by describing verification and identification of customers as being ‘critical’, with a low-friction and high-assurance approach being crucial to the happiness of the consumer.
