Online gambling age verification: how to stay compliant without killing conversion (2025)

Key takeaways (TL;DR)
 

Age verification in iGaming varies by jurisdiction and requires mapping local rules: e.g., pre-verification in the United Kingdom, proportionate age-assurance under the DSA, state frameworks in the U.S., and exclusion-list checks like OASIS in Germany.

An orchestrated flow—Age Estimation as the first filter, country-specific thresholds, and a fallback to document verification for borderline cases—balances compliance, friction, and conversion across multi-regulatory environments.

Other ways to verify user age include document verification (which requires biometrics to prevent fraud) or identity wallets.

Didit Age Estimation delivers a selfie-first experience with liveness, configurable policies, and automatic fallback to document verification that minimizes data collection and can significantly reduce costs depending on setup and risk profile.

Online gambling age verification (iGaming) is no longer a nice to have: it’s the firewall separating regulatory compliance from fines, negative headlines, and user churn. Recent figures are telling: in the UK, 27% of 11–17 year-olds spent money on some form of gambling in the past year. Excluding arcade machines (often accessible to minors), 6% did so on regulated products or platforms.

Numbers are also worrying across Europe, where online gambling among adolescents has almost doubled since 2019, reaching 14% in 2024. Other insights: two in three minors who gambled did so on an online platform, and there’s a gender gap (boys gamble more than girls).

The risk isn’t just access—it’s normalization. In the U.S., one in six parents say they might not notice if their teen was betting online, leaving room for shared accounts or sign-ups with third-party data. Even with safeguards, self-exclusion patterns among younger users are rising: GAMSTOP reported a 31% increase in registrations by under-25s in H2 2024.

For compliance teams and iGaming startups, the message is clear: age checks must be proportionate and auditable—but also fast so they don’t tank conversion. In some markets, depending on the jurisdiction, regulators require full verification before users can play (as in the UK) and minor-oriented controls under the DSA in the EU. That’s why low-friction approaches—such as Age Estimation with a documentary fallback when results fall into a gray zone—are becoming the most effective way to prevent underage access to online gambling while sustaining (and improving) business metrics.

Why age verification is critical in iGaming (and how it impacts the business)

Age verification is a critical control in iGaming. Why? Because it protects minors from accessing age-inappropriate content and preserves platform reputation. For compliance teams, robust age-validation processes minimize regulatory risk; for product and growth teams, they can become a competitive advantage when executed with minimal friction.

Compliance (or not) directly impacts the bottom line.

Risk and cost of non-compliance

• Underage access. A direct breach of regulations. For instance, the UKGC requires age verification before allowing play, deposits, or even access to demos. This forces access to be blocked until all checks are complete.
• Reputational damage. Allowing minors onto platforms (and getting sanctioned) can erode regulatory and media trust.
• Fraud and impersonation. Account trading, proxies/VPNs, or device farms drive up chargebacks and support costs.

Impact on conversion, LTV, and CAC

• Heavy-handed identity (KYC) and age-verification processes can create friction and drive abandonment. A smart verification approach (e.g., Age Estimation with fallback only in gray cases) cuts time and cost while protecting LTV and margins.
• In markets with exclusion or national databases (like OASIS in Germany), early orchestration prevents late-stage rejections and expensive reprocessing.

Corporate governance and regulatory expectations

• Europe requires “appropriate and proportionate” measures to protect minors on iGaming platforms; 2025 DSA guidance reinforces this expectation.

Regulatory landscape 2025: UK, EU/DSA, USA, and other markets

• United Kingdom. The UKGC requires operators to verify user age and validate identity before playing, depositing, or using any free-to-play versions. Since 2019, the Commission has tightened these controls.
• European Union (DSA) & protection of minors. The July 2025 guidelines under Article 28 DSA call for proportionate age-assurance measures and ban profile-based advertising where there’s reasonable certainty the user is a minor.
• United States. Online content and gaming frameworks vary by state. For iGaming platforms and sportsbooks, the common minimums usually require age and identity validation, with differences in providers and evidentiary requirements.
• Other highlights.
  • Spain (RD 958/2020). Strengthens responsible marketing and the protection of minors within Law 13/2011.
  • Germany (OASIS). Requires an exclusion-list check before allowing play. In 2024, monthly checks surpassed 100 million—evidence of widespread adoption.

Age-verification methods for online gambling platforms

iGaming platforms can verify user age in three ways: age estimation (biometrics + AI), document verification (with biometrics and liveness), and identity wallets (re-usable credentials). Choosing well—and building the right verification flow—directly impacts compliance, conversion, and operating cost.

Age Estimation (biometrics + AI)

Combining biometrics and AI, the system assesses whether a user is over the legal age set by the platform. It returns a confidence score and, via threshold policies, triggers an automatic documentary fallback in case of doubt.

In jurisdictions that allow proportionate age-assurance measures, this can be a differentiator.

Benefits of Age Estimation

• Faster user experience
• Lower abandonment and CAC
• Greater privacy by not requiring documents

Document verification (IDV with biometrics and liveness)

Document-based verification often means iGaming platforms must verify user identity. The user captures their ID, data is extracted via OCR, and biometric checks are performed, such as 1:1 Face Match (to ensure the person verifying is the document owner) and liveness detection (to guarantee real presence). This is the most common pattern, though it can create unnecessary friction in many cases.

Benefits of identity verification

• Provides a complete user validation
• Enables building a risk profile tied to the player

Identity wallets (verifiable, reusable credentials)

Identity wallets let users present, via an app, a verifiable credential (VC) asserting they meet the regulator/platform’s minimum age to access an online gambling site—without requesting additional information. It’s a secure, cryptographically validated alternative that respects user privacy.

Benefits of identity wallets

• Strong assurance because data originates from a government document
• Protects user privacy by sharing only what’s necessary

Didit Age Estimation: low-friction verification with a safe fallback

Didit is a next-gen identity verification platform. It offers Age Estimation to confirm a user is of legal age using only biometrics and AI—prioritizing speed, privacy, and conversion. The system analyzes a live-captured selfie, applies liveness detection to prevent fraud (e.g., deepfakes or replayed videos), and returns an age estimate with a confidence score. Based on that score and each operator’s configuration, the platform can auto-approve or reject the request, or request document verification for gray zones.

Benefits for iGaming

• Ultra-fast UX that reduces abandonment and protects conversion.
• Confirms majority age with minimal data exposure, where regulations allow.
• Up to 70% cost reduction versus other age-verification methods.
• Fully customizable risk thresholds to trigger document verification in gray zones.

Use cases

• Initial filter during onboarding or for demo access.
• Re-verification on risk (e.g., device changes).

How to integrate Didit’s Age Estimation: No-Code or API

Need to ship an age-verification solution to production? With Didit, you can do it today. Create an account in the Business Console, create or activate an Age Estimation flow, set thresholds, and define the fallback policy to ID Verification for borderline cases. Thanks to No-Code integration and verification links, you can start age-verifying users in minutes—without friction.

If you need more control and customization, integrate the Age Estimation API. You’ll get full control over the UX, with webhooks for statuses/alerts and console-level metrics.