ID Issues Ahead of the WSOP
Friday, 23 May 2014
The World Series of Poker might be just a few days away but in the last 24 hours the organisers dropped a potential bombshell. After orders from government officials, the WSOP's Seth Palansky has been forced to release a statement outlining the need for foreign visitors to bring two forms of ID when they arrive in Las Vegas.
In previous years the WSOP has been happy to accept a single form of ID, generally a passport, when registering non-US natives, but thanks to a shift in federal law they will now be asking for a second piece of identification showing the players address.
After the news hit the airwaves last night it understandably caused concern amongst a host of players who already have their bags packed ready for the start of the WSOP next week.
The change in requirements is because US businesses accepting large transactions are now required to verify the residence of its clients in order to prevent money laundering.
Indeed, this process will not only affecting players wishing to play at the WSOP but at any casino across the US.
While the news initially caused panic, it seems that the issue isn't as serious as expected and as long as players can show some form of utility bill or official document with their address on then everything will be ok:
"Any phone bill, gas bill, credit card bill, driver's license or rent statement would help with the identification process as long as it has your address information. In the end, in order to get paid out, you need to proof some form of residency." - Seth Palansky.