If you’ve ever tried to withdraw winnings from a sportsbook, you’ve likely encountered the Know-Your-Customer (KYC) process. While it may seem like an unnecessary hassle, KYC is a standard practice designed to protect both the sportsbook and its users from fraud. Gaming regulations often require sportsbooks to verify the identity of account holders, ensuring that all transactions are legitimate.
For many bettors, the frustration with KYC stems from the timing. Most sportsbooks won’t require verification when you’re depositing money—only when you attempt to withdraw. This can catch new players off guard, making it feel like an intentional delay tactic. However, the reality is that KYC is a necessary step in securing both your funds and the platform’s integrity.
While the process can be time-consuming, being prepared can make it much smoother. Understanding what documents you need and how to submit them correctly can speed up verification and get your withdrawals processed faster. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the KYC process and share tips to help you complete it with minimal hassle.
Why Is Know-Your-Customer Used?
In many cases, they have a point. Some sportsbooks make the process a lot longer than it should take. However, on the other hand, verification of your identity is important both to the security of the sportsbook and the customer. The reason why sites complete this procedure is to rule out fraudulent activity on the account. Also, in a lot of cases, their gaming licenses require that they verify the identity of account holders.
Still, we empathize with sports bettors who haven’t gone through the process and are caught off guard. The KYC process is always something that is triggered when a player requests a withdrawal, usually his first. At most operators, depositing a lot of times (losing money), won’t trigger the KYC process, but any payout requests will.
Yes, sportsbooks aren’t too worried about KYC when there is a lot of depositing and losing happening. However, when you want to withdraw your funds or winnings, that’s when the process starts. It’s not ideal, but that’s the way the industry works these days. Anyway, the process can be annoying, but we’re here to help. Here are some ways to make sure get through the KYC process quicker, so you can get your withdrawals processed immediately.
Tips To Make KYC A Breeze
Have Your Documents Ready
If you know that you’re going to bet betting across a number of betting sites, taking pictures of your current license, proof of address, bank records and other material a sportsbook may require can save you a lot of time. Once the sportsbooks request forms of I.D. verification, you can simply upload or email these quickly, starting the review process much faster than others. You can simply save these on your PC, but if you don’t feel comfortable storing them there, a USB flash drive is another option. If you store the files there, you can pop in your flash drive and upload the documents from there.
Make Sure Your Photos Are Clear
This is often a point of contention with management. They take a picture of their driver’s license or some other document, and the sportsbooks say the images aren’t clear enough. It is something that can drastically slow down the process and should be avoided if possible. If you take our advice about keeping taking pictures of your current documents, you won’t have much to do after you take high-quality photos of them the first time.
If you do this with a high-quality scanner or a cell phone that has been made in the last couple of years, there shouldn’t be any issue with the sportsbook being able to view your documents clearly. We recommend a scanner ahead of a cell phone. Scanned documents are almost always the better option. If you don’t have a scanner at home, head to a UPS Store, Office Depot or another chain. You can use their scanners for a small fee, and it makes a big difference regarding document quality.
Notarize Your Documents
If you want to go above and beyond, you can opt to have your documents notarized. It adds an extra level of legitimacy to the documents you’re sending to the sportsbook. We don’t believe it is necessary in the vast majority of cases, but it is something that could speed up the KYC verification process.
Be Patient With KYC Processing
That’s right, depending on the betting site, the process can take a bit of time. After your documents are approved, the withdrawal process will begin. Typically, when you have to go through the KYC process, you’re going to have to wait a bit longer for them to process your withdrawal than normal. This is the case at every betting site, and the process is something that every customer must go through – they’re not singling you out.
The best sites, with the best support teams, will process your documents in a few days, some are as fast as 24 hours. However, many sites, even some highly rated sportsbooks, will take a bit longer. If you send your documents in on a Monday, and they’re approved by Friday, that’s not out of the ordinary. It becomes an issue when the process is drawn out longer than that, and the sportsbook is still refusing to process any payouts on your account. It is common for scam sportsbooks, to deny customers their payouts based on fraudulent activity or deem their documents invalid.
In reality, they’re buying time to pay the player or stiffing them outright. We hope that isn’t the case if a sportsbook you have funds at isn’t moving your deposit or I.D. verification, but it does happen. It’s yet again another reason to stick with highly rated sportsbooks and avoid ones with a short track record or poor reviews.
Stay Prepared, Get Paid Faster
Sportsbooks use KYC process to prevent fraud and comply with gaming regulations, and unfortunately, there’s no way around it. The best thing you can do is be prepared—have your documents ready, ensure they are clear, and submit them as soon as they are requested.
While some sportsbooks process verifications quickly, others may take longer. If delays stretch beyond the usual timeframe, it could be a red flag. That’s why choosing reputable sportsbooks with a solid track record is just as important as finding good odds and bonuses. Avoid sites with poor reviews, as they often use KYC as an excuse to stall or deny payouts.
At the end of the day, patience and preparation are key. If you follow the right steps and stick to trustworthy betting sites, you’ll get through KYC with minimal hassle—and more importantly, you’ll get your winnings in your hands sooner.
About the Author
Alonzo Solano
The Boss of Betting, Editor-in-Chief & Sports Analyst
Alonzo Solano is an author, sports analyst, Editor in Chief of BossofBetting.com, and host of the 'NFL Latino TV' podcast.
Outside of family, his biggest passion is NFL football. Perhaps he is best known for his podcast 'NFL Latino TV,' where he shares his analysis and perspectives on the game with a worldwide Spanish-speaking audience.
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