Important Notice to International Players on Their Way to Vegas and WSOP

You may have heard the news already - the WSOP announced new requirements regarding non-U.S. players: they will be asked to present a SECOND ID, other than their international passport, stating their current address.

Before you lash out at the #WSOP for this last-minute change, this is obviously not something they invented on a whim because the field of entrants was getting too big and unmanageable, nor is it a conspiracy to eliminate the competition for American  players :)

In fact, the proof of residency requirement results from federal anti money laundering legislation and is applicable in ALL casinos, online gambling sites AND financial institutions in the U.S.

The good news is that if you don't have such an official ID (identity card or driver's license) with address information, the casinos will accept any utility bill in your name or a credit card / bank statement. Most EU national identity cards include address information. In any case, poker players registering for the WSOP will hardly find this too much of an obstacle as proof of residency is commonly required by online betting and gambling sites worldwide.  

You might care to know that French and German identity cards DO include address information, so if anyone was hoping to get rid of some of the formidable players from these two countries, don't count on it :)

There are at least two indications in the latest statement by WSOP Media Director Seth Palansky, as reported by igaming.org, that there is no reason to panic if you're already on your way or in the U.S.:

“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.”

“At the end of the day our obligation is to do our due diligence. It’s not going to prevent anyone from playing or withdrawing funds. 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."

Even more straightforward reassurance is found in yesterday's tweet by Palansky: