Proof of address
Proof of address is a recent document, such as a utility bill, bank statement or letter from a government body, that shows your full name and home address so a gambling operator can confirm where you live. It forms one half of the standard KYC check, alongside photo ID, and the address on it has to match the one on your account exactly.
Why Irish operators ask for proof of address
Under statutory instrument 487 of 2018, providers of gambling services became designated persons under section 25(1)(j) of the Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) Act 2010, and that applies to remote operators serving the State whatever their registered address. Section 33 then requires them to identify and verify customers on the basis of documents they have reasonable grounds to rely on.
For gambling, the Department of Justice’s AML compliance guidance sets the trigger at transactions of €2,000 in aggregate, with tracking expected from a €200 spend, and names a utility bill or government correspondence dated within six months as proof of address.
Operators’ own windows are often tighter, and three months is the figure many terms state.
Proof of address against proof of identity
The two documents are requested together and often confused, yet they answer different questions, and the rows below set out where each one carries the weight.
Proof of address | Proof of identity |
|---|---|
| Confirms where you live | Confirms who you are |
| Utility bill, bank statement, Revenue letter | Passport, driving licence or national ID card |
| Must be recent, often within three months | Must be valid and unexpired |
| Exposes a mismatch with the account address | Exposes a false name or birth date |
| A driving licence counts only if not already used as ID | Photo document is always required |
Where players meet the request
Most players see the request at their first withdrawal, or once deposits approach the threshold, rather than at sign-up, though practice varies between operators and some ask on registration.
A rejected upload usually comes down to an old date, a cropped header or an address that differs from the account by a flat number. What you should do is send a full downloaded PDF showing your name, address, issuer and issue date together, and check the recency window stated in the operator’s own request rather than assuming a standard one.
Proof of address is separate from a source-of-funds request, which asks where the money came from.
