New ID Requests Confuse International WSOP Participants
If you're planning to participate in the World Series of Poker this summer and you're not from the United States, it's advisable to bring a second form of identification to prove your current address. This requirement has caused quite a stir among international players, leading to much concern and confusion.
The situation began last week after a tweet from the WSOP's official account mentioned that non-US players would"want a 2nd form of ID besides passport to reg for events. Need ID proving your residency/current address." Players were rather shocked at this request since they assumed their passports would be sufficient for registering for their preferred tournaments.
International Players' Concerns
This announcement was especially troubling for those who had already left their home countries to travel to Las Vegas. Unfortunately, getting a utility bill or any other document with their home address became impossible for them due to the timing of the announcement.
"It's not the World Series of Poker that has put this rule in place, this is part of a federal law strengthening process the government of the United States has put in place regarding money laundering," said WSOP media director Seth Palansky in an interview with iGaming.org. "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."
Federal Law and the WSOP
It turns out, the new policy isn't going to prevent anyone from playing or withdrawing funds. "It's not going to prevent anyone from playing or withdrawing funds," Palansky further explained. "That's for sure, but it may prevent them from playing online poker because that does call for a utility bill to prove your residency."
Despite the reassurance, the incorrect information continued to spread. This led to WSOP executive director Ty Stewart releasing another statement to clarify the situation.
"There is serious misinformation being shared. International players are requested, not required to bring a second form of identification to validate their address. This will save time...and avoid need for follow-up paperwork. Of note, the request to validate an address is no different for domestic players than international players – it is simply that most US players have drivers licenses with an address while most passports and international licenses do not. A domestic player showing a passport will similarly be asked to confirm a physical address."
The 2014 World Series of Poker commenced on May 27th at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
Read also:
- Will Topp be the next Terodde?
- Kompany's Relation to Schenk Explained:
- Permission granted for HSV.
- Millions demanded by HSV handball athletes.
