British Columbia Casino Players to Use Government-Issued IDs Upon Entry

The British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) has proposed new measures seeking to protect gamblers in the Canadian province. In the new law, all players at British Columbia’s land-based casinos must provide their government-issued identification before entering the gaming floor. The regulator says that is measure will help protect people who have signed up for its self-exclusion program.

The government aims to use the campaign to promote responsible gambling habits and increase the efficiency of the self-exclusion program. Additional information, including the precise implementation date for the new regulations, will be announced in the coming weeks. However, reports say BCLC intends to execute this policy during the summer.

The new approach will mandate security personnel at the land-based casinos to scan the provided IDs. After the scanning, the IDs will be used to determine if someone is eligible to play by comparing the ID number to the list of people who have signed up for the “Game Break” self-exclusion program. The regulator has assured gamers that the new system will not store personal data about people granted entry into the casino.

Game Break is a voluntary gaming program from BCLC that allows gamblers to stop gaming for a predetermined period. When a person enrolls in this program, they choose whether to self-exclude from BC gaming establishments or PlayNow.com, the province’s only legal gambling site.

In an official tweet, BCLC said: “We have news for casino players in BC. To further support those enrolled in BCLC’s Game Break self-exclusion program, BCLC is enhancing identification requirements at casinos this summer.”

According to the Crown Corporation, participants in the Game Break program believe that identity checks are effective in their decision not to gamble. The regulator’s official website says that it’s the responsibility of gamblers to honour their self-exclusion commitments. However, casinos must help them break their gambling habits by preventing entry into their facilities.

Although some circumstances, like claiming jackpot awards, may require players to prove their age and other identity verification requirements, this new requirement mainly targets the province’s self-exclusion program. It’s important to remember that the campaign targets players who have self-excluded and those restricted from entering gambling facilities

Examples of accepted government-issued IDs include:

• North American driver’s license
• British Columbia’s Identity Card
• Legal passport (including those from other countries)
• Permanent resident card
• Canadian identity card
• Indian status card

By May 1, 2023, the regulator had registered 10,818 Game Break members.