From Gambling to Roblox: Embracing Age Verification

The UK gambling white paper, published in April 2023, set out the most significant reform of gambling regulation in two decades. Two years on, the proposals have become law — and the burden on gambling companies to verify user ages has never been heavier.

The headline measure affecting online operators is now in force. From 9 April 2025, a £5 per spin maximum stake applies to online slot games for adults aged 25 and over. From 21 May 2025, a lower £2 per spin limit applies to adults aged 18 to 24. These differentiated limits reflect evidence that younger adults are at heightened risk of gambling harm and are part of a broader strategy to tailor protections based on risk profiles.

For these limits to be enforceable, operators must be able to verify not just that a user is over 18, but which age bracket they fall into. That is a materially harder problem than a simple over-18 check — and it is one that traditional verification methods struggle to solve cleanly.

The financial pressure on non-compliant operators is also escalating. William Hill was fined a record £19.2 million for breaches of customer protection rules in 2023. Since then, the Gambling Commission has also updated its Statement of Principles for Determining Financial Penalties, with changes taking effect in October 2025, signalling that enforcement will become more rigorous still.

The growing demand for age verification

The UK stake limits are part of a broader global wave driving adoption of age verification. In the US, state-by-state variation means operators serving multiple markets must meet different thresholds simultaneously — in some states you can gamble at 18, in others not until 21. Australia has introduced a social media ban for under-16s that came into force in December 2025. France has tightened online age verification standards. The direction is consistent everywhere: self-certification by clicking “over 18” is no longer acceptable.

What makes the UK’s two-tier age bracket particularly demanding is that it requires operators to distinguish between an 18-year-old and a 25-year-old with sufficient accuracy to hold up under regulatory scrutiny. That rules out facial inspection for the most sensitive decisions, and it puts serious pressure on any verification method that relies on user-submitted documents.

Advanced methods for age verification in gaming

So how does age verification work in practice? The most commonly discussed options each have limitations.

Facial age estimation is improving but remains unreliable for distinguishing tight age brackets. Asking whether someone looks 18 versus 24 is a different problem from asking whether they look 12 versus 18. ID document verification — passport or driving licence scanning — is more precise but introduces significant friction and is vulnerable to fraud, particularly from older teens with access to fake or borrowed IDs.

The most reliable method currently available is device-based verification using live mobile network data. This is where TMT ID fits into the picture, through our Authenticate product. By querying real-time data from telecom providers, we can determine a user’s age bracket with a high degree of accuracy without requiring them to upload documents or take a selfie. The check happens in the background, invisibly, in milliseconds.

The future of age verification for online gaming

The two-tier stake limit is likely to be the first of several age-bracket distinctions operators must enforce. The Gambling Commission’s updated guidance and ongoing consultations suggest the regulatory direction is towards more granular risk profiling — not less. France’s national ID card scheme has already simplified age bracket verification for mobile accounts, reducing anomalies and improving differentiation between age groups. The UK may follow a similar path as the verification infrastructure matures.

For operators, the practical implication is that verification systems built for a simple over-18 check will need to be upgraded. The sooner that infrastructure is in place, the less operational risk operators carry as each new tranche of regulation takes effect.

Seamless solutions for age verification in gaming

Our Authenticate product provides a seamless age check — so smooth the user is not even aware it is happening — without verification codes, document uploads, or camera prompts. It works by using real-time data from telecom providers to verify users’ mobile phone accounts, giving a reliable indication of whether the user falls into the under-18, 18 to 24, or over-25 bracket.

As the regulatory landscape continues to tighten, we are working with clients to ensure their verification infrastructure meets current requirements and can adapt as further rules come into force. Contact our team to find out how we can help.