Integrity: The Age Verification Software
Written by RogerCP | Monday, February 2nd, 2009
Age verification of applicants to online poker rooms is something that cannot be emphasized enough. There are three parties to the process. One is the players who register at the online poker rooms. The second is management of the online poker rooms. And the third is the external agency that develops the mechanism of age verification and conducts the process. We have in the Czech Republic an example of what could happen in the worst case if the above three parties do not perform their duties in an honest and responsible manner. Players will have to appear in person before the casino management or an accredited agency with the relevant documents.
In an interview to the Poker News Daily, John Aristotle Phillips explained why more and more online poker rooms are taking this process with utmost seriousness. Phillips is the Chief Executive Officer of Aristotle, the company that has developed the Integrity age verification software. Several arguments have been propounded against poker that collectively provide arsenal to the supporters of the UIGEA. One of the arguments is that poker is a form of gambling and that in itself is an undesirable activity. Now the courts in two of the states have ruled that poker is a game of skill. The poker fraternity will ensure that this spreads throughout the country. The opponents of poker, seeing one argument vanish, will cling more tightly to the remaining. And one of the most touted arguments is that online poker rooms are either unwilling or unable to prevent underage gambling.
Many of the online poker rooms are run by companies listed on the stock exchanges. For them any adverse publicity arising out of instances of underage gambling will have disastrous consequences in their stock values and financial worth apart from the legal issues. Therefore it is essential for such companies to employ the best available methods of age verification. Phillips adds that age verification costs less than $1 per person and has to be done only once.
Phillips also elucidated as to why Integrity is better than its competitors. The main reason is that Integrity carries out verification across 157 countries. It really has global coverage. The other companies who provide this service are country specific. They handle one country well but not another. Another important point made by Phillips is that Integrity is not only aimed at preventing the acceptance of underage candidates but also aimed at preventing the rejection of candidates who are of legal age. It focuses on both issues. Other advantages are lowers costs and better customer relations.
Phillips also made a dig at the lawmakers who allege that Integrity is unable to check underage gambling. He said, “Aristotle has many members of Congress, both Democratic and Republican, as clients. They use it to comply with the rules of the Federal Elections Commission.”
Check Out Other Related Articles
· Written by RogerCP · Filed Under Poker News · Comments Off
