Danske Spil has today (1 October) begun the roll-out of new player ID cards, which will effectively shift all land-based sports betting organised by the state-owned operator to account-based play.
The new ID card, branded Sikkert Spil – or Safe Play – will have to be shown by all players in the 2,700 retail premises that sell Danske Spil’s Tips or Oddsets betting products.
The card will be introduced across kiosks, supermarkets, petrol stations and any retail premises selling Danske Spil products across the country during October.
From 31 October, customers will be required to verify their identity by showing their Sikkert Spil ID, either through a mobile app, or a physical card.
The launch was first announced in November last year, and aims to prevent money laundering and especially underage gambling in the operator’s retail estate.
“Over the years, we have developed more and more measures to ensure that children and young people under the age of 18 do not have access to our sports betting products,” Niels Erik Folmann, director of the operator’s Danske Licens Spil subsidiary, explained.
“But we must unfortunately admit that we have not fully succeeded in the task. It is still too easy for minors to play in the shops, and therefore we are now introducing Sikkert Spil.”
Folmann admitted that the new player card “will probably require a little getting used to”, but the operator had worked to develop a quick and easy solution that also helped stamp out underage play.
Furthermore, he said, it would also give Danske Spil increased oversight of cashflows, transactions and betting patterns, allowing it to stamp out attempted match-fixing and money laundering across its retail network.
“With Sikkert Spil, we register who plays in the shops, so we can follow the money,” Folmann said. “It offers us completely new opportunities to combat both money laundering and match-fixing, when we can track the cash all the was from the kiosk to the match.”
Folmann added that while the Sikkert Spil will stop underage play and criminal activity across Danske Spil retail outlets, these issues could not be stopped entirely until other operators adopted account-based play.
“As long as there are operators that make it possible to play anonymously, criminals will be able to fly under the radar,” he said. “And at the same time, minors will still be able to play in shops.
“Therefore, we hope that it will be mandatory for all gambling providers who offer sports betting to introduce an ID card.”
