According to information from iGaming.org’s Remko Rinkema, international players at this year’s World Series of Poker – whether they are playing online or in one of the myriad of events at the Rio – will now have to provide two forms of identification to be able to participate in the tournaments.
On Wednesday, WSOP officials quietly Tweeted, “Attn non-US WSOP players: You’ll want a 2nd form of ID besides passport to reg for events. Need ID proving your residency/current address.” The reason given for the additional identification is actions by the federal government regarding money laundering. Those changes, which are trying to gently force the casino industry to verify where the money comes from (especially in the case of “whales” that come to the casinos to gamble), were not directed by the WSOP, according to Communications Director Seth Palansky.
“It’s not the World Series of Poker that has put this rule in place, this is part of a federal law strengthening process that the government of the United States has put in place regarding money laundering,” Palansky said to Rinkema. “All companies involved in big financial transactions received an e-mail about this last week stating that an attempt should be made to verify residency of international customers.” Palansky shared over Twitter that the new regulations were dropped on the WSOP just this week and officials have been rushed in informing the players.
“This federal law does not just apply to poker or casinos, it’s something that has to do with all major financial institutions that deal with large money transfers,” Palansky continued. “The advice to bring a second form of ID does not just help you at the WSOP but also at all other casinos you wish to play.”
According to Palansky, the second form of identification is quite flexible. It can be any type of bill with the current residency of the participant on it (electric or gas bill, rent statement, etc.) or a driver’s license reflecting the place of residency. It doesn’t necessarily have to have a photo of the person, although a reading of the memo sent to Palansky and the WSOP stated that it did. Along with the international player’s passport, they should have no troubles with any of the poker activities in Las Vegas this summer.
“We are very much aware…that some non-U. S. identification cards and driver licenses don’t have address information, but this federal law wants us to be able to prove where someone is residing,” Palansky concluded. “So any phone bill, gas bill, credit card bill, driver’s license or rent statement would help with the identification process as long as it has your address information. In the end, in order to get paid out, you need to proof some form of residency.”
With the WSOP set to begin on Tuesday, many international players have already made the trek from their homelands to poker’s Mecca and may have only brought the one form of identification to take part in the tournaments. Although they could potentially get another statement (bank or otherwise) statement e-mailed to them, it is still a bit of a hassle for those players.
Then there is the question regarding players who have a contradiction in their status, such as a passport from one country while residing in another. Poker professional Mickey Petersen, who lives in Denmark but apparently carries a passport from another country, asked Palansky if this was going to present problems. According to Palansky, the residency address differing from the passport’s country of issue would not present any roadblocks, but the issue could spring up (Petersen was also worried about the tax implications in winning).
Palansky is still trying to quell worried international players over his Twitter account by directly answering their queries. In many of the cases, players are asking if a particular piece is acceptable and, in virtually all cases, Palansky has replied in the affirmative. He also has quickly reasserted that the second identification is not something that the WSOP or Caesars voluntarily instituted but that it was directed by federal authorities.
Although it might be a stumbling block for some, the WSOP is trying to adhere to the guidelines as they have been set by the government. Whether it will be the roadblock that some think it might be remains to be seen.