Online casino 888 is embracing automatic authentication as a means of retaining capricious punters.

Security and authentication are vital in this age of online gambling. The online industry is expected to be worth over $81bn (￡61.5bn) in the coming years, and 888 is embracing automatic authentication as one way of protecting its slice of the pie.

Future of online gambling

Since the advent of the Internet into the mainstream, gambling companies have recognized the potential of having an online operation. You will be hard pressed to find a gambling company that does not have some type of online presence, and the sector is constantly growing thanks to the proliferation of smartphones.

As more countries legalize online gambling, the market opens up even further. When players sign up for a new account with a given online operator, they want to start betting straight away without having to deal with a drawn-out verification process. This can often lead to these people not going through with the signup process, thus losing business for the online gambling operators. In such a competitive space, this is always going to be a big blow.

888 and automatic authentication

888 has a significant presence in the online gambling market, whether it is through their casino or sportsbook. The company has recently overhauled its various platforms and taken them in a new direction.

Companies are constantly looking for ways to make their processes more effective and efficient, including their security and authentication process, especially as the efforts of hackers and the like become more sophisticated.

Players in the modern age are impatient; therefore, online platforms need to ensure that their efforts are not slowed down, whether during the registration process, when making bets, withdrawing winnings or depositing funds to their account. This is why companies like 888 are investing in automated authorization.

The director of fraud and risk management at 888, Russell Medley, had the following to say on the subject: “If there are more hurdles that we put in their way or more things that might prevent them or delay them from playing, it creates a drop-off.”

Making these processes more immediate in nature will cause minimal intrusion and give players little reason to abandon their planned action.

Digital ID going forward

Previously, it could take days and even weeks for online gambling operators to verify a player’s identification when they were signing up for an account or trying to withdraw their winnings. This, of course, leads to frustration of the players in question, and they will often complain about it far and wide, which tarnishes the reputation of these operators.

However, there had been limited options for resolving these issues by the operators, as most of these processes were manual and required an actual person to verify the documents with the relevant parties, which was time intensive. With the process becoming automated, it can now be completed in a matter of hours or even minutes.

The incidence of fraud is always increasing in the online space, which is why it is so important that these operators do not slack when it comes to the authentication process. This is not just an issue for the online gambling industry, it also affects any form of online payment.

If 888 are able to successfully implement their automated process, it could become the standard bearer both for the gambling industry online, as well as other payment mechanisms in an online environment.

This will lead to all parties being happier. Customers will no longer have to wait to carry out vital tasks, and the companies can reduce costs associated with manual verification, as well as time and energy spent on this issue.