Online bingo and minors

With online bingo, all you need is a valid credit card and you can register. It is therefore difficult to tell a player is underage.

Online sites require gambling licenses and must operate under strict guidelines as defined by the country where the license is issued. They have a responsibility to ensure that none of their players are under age and risk losing their license if they do not comply with this condition. Therefore, online sites take the prevention of underage gambling very seriously.

When registering, you are asked for your name, date and place of birth, personal residence address, telephone number and email address. This information then undergoes a series of verification checks including identity, financial checks and residence. Most minors would fall at these initial hurdles.

However, if a child manages to slip through the net with its parents’ credit card and incur severe gambling debts then all is not completely lost. As long as the parent can prove that the card was used without their authorization, consent and knowledge then the parent is not liable for the debts.

Remember also that in registering with an online bingo site the child is entering into a legal agreement with the site. As such the agreement is invalid on the grounds that one of the parties is underage.

Finally, if the minor has a winning streak then they would have difficulty claiming any cash prizes. They tend to be either credited to your bank account or you need identification before claiming.