Danish verification system launch delay
DanID admits that it will be unable to launch the NemID verification systems by 1 January - operators told to use alternative methods.
Operators preparing for launch in the Danish market have been left frustrated after the regulator announced its player ID verification system will not be ready for the opening of the market on 1 January next year.
DanID, the private company that supplies the NemID verification systems for all of Denmark’s public services, revealed that the module for player login will not be ready until mid- to late-January, while the module for player identity validation “ a digital signature “ will not be completed until the end of February.
As a result operators will be forced to obtain alternative forms of ID verification, with the Danish Gambling Authority suggesting temporarily using passports and drivers’ licenses. Companies that have integrated the NemID solution into their systems will need to find an alternative solution, or wait to enter the market until they have done so.
Susan Kit Hansen, senior account manager at DanID explained that as the systems were designed solely for the use of Danish companies, operators would have required an identification code “ CPR number “ exclusive to Danish businesses.
As a result DanID designed an entirely new infrastructure to accommodate foreign operators, a task it realised, a fortnight ago, was not going to be completed by 1 January.
Kristian Wind, senior technical advisor to the DGA, explained that as a result of the delay, only Danish businesses would have been able to launch in January: “Otherwise the market could only open for companies already based in Denmark, and in the interest of fairness we decided to delay the launch of NemID and have operators use alternative systems.”
Betsson’s head of business development Magnus Hugemark admitted to being “upset” that the DGA made the last-minute announcement, but revealed that he is still aiming to go live with NemID from 1 January: “The authorities have suggested doing verification using KYC procedures, but from our point of view the only way to be fully compliant is by using NemID. I still believe that it can be done, but it will be a very tough timescale.”