Danske Spil to launch new retail ID verification card

Danske Spil is to introduce a new identification requirement for its retail network, to ensure that minors and those looking to launder money cannot access its products.

This takes the form of a player card, which will be used to identify customers looking to purchase its products at retail locations, such as betting kiosks or in supermarkets.

More than 3,000 vendors will now require individuals show their card before they can gamble.

“Danske Spil is Denmark's gaming company, and we will not tolerate uncertainty as to whether our offering is in the hands of our children and young people or abused to launder illegal money,” Danske Spil chief executive Susanne Mørch Koch explained.

“We already carry out extensive checks on betting in kiosks and working closely with the back office police to track down suspicious people who might have criminal intent, but we can't live with the doubt as to whether a criminal goes under our radar.”

Koch said that stamping out underage play has been a particular focus for Danske Spil for some time.

“In Danske Spil we will only take bets from adults,” Koch said. “Compliance with age limits has long been a priority for us, and with the playing card we have an important and powerful tool in hand. Gambling is for adults and not for children.”

Koch noted that the introduction of the card will likely harm profits, but said the trade-off for greater protection of children and prevention of money laundering was worth the cost.

“It is not possible to accurately calculate the negative consequence of introducing the game card,” Koch said. “It is to be expected that some spontaneous players will go away and that it will cost us a significant three-digit million on our turnover at least in the short run. We have to take that write-down simply because we do not want to accept the alternative.”

Lottery games will not require the card, as Danske Spil said in its release that they are not associated with money laundering.

The card will be available in both physical and electronic forms and Danske Spil expects it to be ready by 2020.