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NetIDme Ltd: Age verification expert urges gaming websites to take new gambling act seriously; New Gambling Act comes into force on Saturday 1 September. All UK gaming sites must now carry out age verification checks(M2 PressWIRE Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) RDATE:01092007 Glasgow - A Scottish company - which launched the world's first online ID cards for adults and children - has welcomed new legislation which requires all UK-registered Internet gaming sites to implement age verification checks for the first time. NetIDme Ltd CEO Alex Hewitt said: "Gambling for under-18s is prohibited in the UK but with the growth of Internet sites, children have been able to find ways round the existing law. "Now, with the Gambling Act 2005, all UK-registered gaming sites are forced to adopt an age verification system and this ought to put an end to underage gambling online in one fell swoop. We hope it will. "The Internet is becoming an increasingly popular medium for gamblers, whatever their age. There are hundreds of gambling sites on the Internet and in the past children have only been required to tick a box to verify they are over 18 or 21 on a number of sites. Thankfully those days are now gone." John Carr, one of the world's leading experts on child safety online, went further and called for the UK's regulatory body, the Gambling Commission, to clamp down on any rogue sites. He said: "Ensuring that children are safe online is one of the biggest challenges facing governments across the world today. Gambling can be addictive and young people are less able to deal with addiction. "The Gambling Commission needs to take a good close look at all UK-registered sites and ensure that they are actually abiding by the new legislation. They have had enough warning that the new laws were coming. There really is no excuse." And he also called for the Gambling Commission to explore the emerging problem of pre-paid credit cards where children as young as 11 can use a debit card to buy a card or pay cash to bypass age verification checks and purchase goods meant for over-18s. "The children's charities have been calling for better online age verification systems for several years but the whole situation has suddenly taken a turn for the worse with the emergence of pre-paid credit cards. It allows anyone, to register themselves at any age they want. "Even more worrying, perhaps, is that these cards can allow anyone that wishes to buy illegal products, for example child pornography or illegal prescription drugs, to pay for them in ways which are now completely untraceable." NetIDme was launched in August 2006 by Glasgow businessman Alex Hewitt after he was concerned over his daughter using instant messaging. He was astonished to find that of the 150 people on his daughter's online friends list she knew only 50. The company provides identity verification and communication solutions for online communities and ecommerce sites. A number of Blue Chip companies are currently using NetIDme's age and identity verification technology including four Fortune 100 companies. The NetIDme service is currently available to companies and individuals in the UK, Australia, Canada and the USA. Notes for Editors: Notes for Editors: NetIDme is the only digital identity verification service that offers a secure solution for both adults and minors. Internet users who are under 18 years old require their parent or guardian's permission to sign-up to the NetIDme service. A form is sent out to the parent or guardian's home address to be checked & signed. Then, similar to a passport application, the user's information must also be verified by a professional person who knows them well. NetIDme now provides a range of digital ID verification & communication tools for both online & offline businesses: NetID Identify is an age and ID verification service for any business that provide age-restricted goods or services online. NetID Identify checks personal information against publicly held data, where 95 per cent of UK adults can be verified instantly online. NetID Authenticate provides a simple method for social networking sites to provide a secure walled garden' community for their members. Where social networking sites are aimed at under 18s, an offline verification process is triggered - where a parent & a third party referee must confirm the member's personal details. NetID ChatSure is a web-based instant messaging (IM) service for businesses. A recent survey by Gartner Inc. predicts that by 2013, IM will be the primary communication tool used in 95 per cent of global companies. ChatSure provides an additional layer of security, compared to other business IM systems, as it directly links into the NetIDme service, enabling users to be identified before sharing sensitive business information. The Gambling Commission's new Code of Practice states (point 4.4) "the age verification provisions for remote gambling have also been amended to convey more accurately that operators may carry out a risk-assessment of each debit card or electronic payment method they accept and ensure that suitable age verification checks are carried out themselves, a third-party age verification company or the payment provider..." CONTACT: David Sawyer, Weber Shandwick Tel: +44 (0)141 333 0557 / 07770 886923 e-mail: [email protected] ((M2 Communications Ltd disclaims all liability for information provided within M2 PressWIRE. Data supplied by named party/parties. Further information on M2 PressWIRE can be obtained at http://www.presswire.net on the world wide web. Inquiries to [email protected])). Copyright 2007 M2 Communications Ltd. |