Online Bingo - Identify yourself!

No is the simple answer but more and more this is being requested throughout the bingo industry when trying to withdraw any winnings from your account. I've had to provide evidence of my identity to casino's before when wishing to withdraw a large sum of money but never a bingo site.

It's only after reading a bingo forum I frequent and a post questioning if this was usual practice that I started to question it. A point was raised on the post on this forum which begged the question "How does photographic evidence prove to the bingo site who I am?" And the question is a valid one, after all online bingo is played sat at a computer in front of a monitor with no face to face contact with the staff or other players so how would they know that that the picture is actually you?"

I can understand the logic as most require the photographic identity to be a passport or driving licence. A Passport shows your date of birth and your driving licence shows your address - all details that you would need to have registered at the bingo site when opening an account.

What amazes me is that these sites don't need the evidence when you deposit hundreds of pounds only when you want to withdraw hundreds of pounds - why is that?

Some bingo sites are even asking for copies of the back and front of your credit / debit card! This is something I would never consider providing - the front contains all your details, the long digit that you use to process payments online and the back has your three digit security code - why would you give this to anyone? Surely that would just leave you open to fraudulent transactions?

These bingo sites are asking us to send pretty much our whole identity and financial details to people we have never met, we don't know if the people looking at the information are trustworthy, do they have to have CRB checks before having access to our financial details?

Should we now be asking the bingo sites involved to provide us with their credentials and financial details before we make a deposit??