The know-your-customer or KYC process is one that sports bettors have to go through at just about every site before they can withdraw. Some Bitcoin-only sportsbooks have no KYC process at all, but they’re in the minority. Bettors often have a major issue with the KYC process. Their complaints range from the amount of time it takes to complete the process to the personal information they must give to the sportsbooks so their account can be verified.
Why Is Know-Your-Customer Used?
In many cases, they have a point. Some sportsbooks make the process a lot longer than it should take. However, on the other hand, verification of your identity is important both to the security of the sportsbook and the customer. The reason why sites complete this procedure is to rule out fraudulent activity on the account. Also, in a lot of cases, their gaming licenses require that they verify the identity of account holders.
Still, we empathize with sports bettors who haven’t gone through the process and are caught off guard. The KYC process is always something that is triggered when a player requests a withdrawal, usually his first. At most operators, depositing a lot of times (losing money), won’t trigger the KYC process, but any payout requests will.
Yes, sportsbooks aren’t too worried about KYC when there is a lot of depositing and losing happening. However, when you want to withdraw your funds or winnings, that’s when the process starts. It’s not ideal, but that’s the way the industry works these days. Anyway, the process can be annoying, but we’re here to help. Here are some ways to make sure get through the KYC process quicker, so you can get your withdrawals processed immediately.
Tips To Make KYC A Breeze
Have Your Documents Ready
If you know that you’re going to bet betting across a number of betting sites, taking pictures of your current license, proof of address, bank records and other material a sportsbook may require can save you a lot of time. Once the sportsbooks request forms of I.D. verification, you can simply upload or email these quickly, starting the review process much faster than others. You can simply save these on your PC, but if you don’t feel comfortable storing them there, a USB flash drive is another option. If you store the files there, you can pop in your flash drive and upload the documents from there.
Make Sure Your Photos Are Clear
This is often a point of contention with management. They take a picture of their driver’s license or some other document, and the sportsbooks say the images aren’t clear enough. It is something that can drastically slow down the process and should be avoided if possible. If you take our advice about keeping taking pictures of your current documents, you won’t have much to do after you take high-quality photos of them the first time.
If you do this with a high-quality scanner or a cell phone that has been made in the last couple of years, there shouldn’t be any issue with the sportsbook being able to view your documents clearly. We recommend a scanner ahead of a cell phone. Scanned documents are almost always the better option. If you don’t have a scanner at home, head to a UPS Store, Office Depot or another chain. You can use their scanners for a small fee, and it makes a big difference regarding document quality.
Notarize Your Documents
If you want to go above and beyond, you can opt to have your documents notarized. It adds an extra level of legitimacy to the documents you’re sending to the sportsbook. We don’t believe it is necessary in the vast majority of cases, but it is something that could speed up the KYC verification process.
Be Patient With KYC Processing
That’s right, depending on the betting site, the process can take a bit of time. After your documents are approved, the withdrawal process will begin. Typically, when you have to go through the KYC process, you’re going to have to wait a bit longer for them to process your withdrawal than normal. This is the case at every betting site, and the process is something that every customer must go through – they’re not singling you out.
The best sites, with the best support teams, will process your documents in a few days, some are as fast as 24 hours. However, many sites, even some highly rated sportsbooks, will take a bit longer. If you send your documents in on a Monday, and they’re approved by Friday, that’s not out of the ordinary. It becomes an issue when the process is drawn out longer than that, and the sportsbook is still refusing to process any payouts on your account. It is common for scam sportsbooks, to deny customers their payouts based on fraudulent activity or deem their documents invalid.
In reality, they’re buying time to pay the player or stiffing them outright. We hope that isn’t the case if a sportsbook you have funds at isn’t moving your deposit or I.D. verification, but it does happen. It’s yet again another reason to stick with highly rated sportsbooks and avoid ones with a short track record or poor reviews.
Originally published: Dec 14, 2016
Content updated: Dec 17, 2018
About the Author
Joseph Falchetti
Editor-in-Chief, Pro Sports Bettor and Casino Expert
Joe is the author of the majority of sports betting pages on SBS and he serves as a gambling consultant to our content team. He's been mentioned on Forbes.com as a gaming analyst, and his articles have been linked by larger publications, such as the New York Times.
Previous post
Free Sports Picks – Why You Should Read Free Betting Picks
Joseph Falchetti | December 12, 2018Next post
