Industry Solution
Before a player ever creates an account or touches your KYC pipeline, they need to prove they're old enough to be on your site. That's where XY Zinc comes in. We're the bouncer at the door — real biometric age verification that confirms a visitor meets the legal age threshold before they interact with your platform. What happens after they're in is up to you.
Online gambling is one of the most heavily regulated digital industries in the world. Every state that has legalized online casinos, sports betting, or iGaming requires operators to implement Know Your Customer (KYC) procedures — and age verification is the foundational requirement. There is no grace period, no soft launch, no "verify later." Players must be confirmed as legal age before they can deposit funds or place a bet.
The UK eliminated its 72-hour verification grace period entirely in 2025 — operators must now verify identity and age at the moment of sign-up. Germany requires instant KYC. U.S. state gaming commissions have always mandated verification before play. The trend globally is toward immediate, real-time verification with no exceptions.
License revocation: State gaming commissions can suspend or revoke operating licenses for age verification failures. A single incident of a minor placing a bet can trigger enforcement.
Massive fines: In the UK, regulators have imposed penalties amounting to 2.5% of annual revenues for allowing underage gambling. U.S. states impose their own fine structures that vary but can be severe.
Payment processor shutdowns: Visa, Mastercard, and PayPal enforce their own compliance standards and will sever ties with platforms deemed non-compliant. Losing payment processing effectively shuts down your revenue.
Reputational damage: In a regulated industry where trust is everything, a single underage gambling incident generates headlines and erodes player confidence.
Since PASPA was struck down in 2018, sports betting has exploded across the U.S. Most states set the minimum at 21. Players must be verified before account creation, and geolocation must confirm they're within state borders.
Currently legal in seven U.S. states (CT, DE, MI, NJ, PA, RI, WV) with more legislating actively. Each state has its own gaming commission with unique KYC requirements, but all mandate real identity and age verification.
Daily fantasy sports (DFS) platforms operate in a regulatory gray area in many states but are increasingly subject to the same age verification standards as traditional gambling platforms, particularly for real-money contests.
Even platforms operating under sweepstakes models face increasing scrutiny around age verification. As states tighten regulation of gambling-adjacent products, proactive compliance is a competitive advantage.
XY Zinc handles one thing: confirming your visitors are old enough to be on your platform. We're not a KYC provider. We don't do AML monitoring, identity databases, or SSN lookups. We verify age, set a cookie proving the visitor passed, and get out of the way. Your registration flow, KYC pipeline, and payment processing remain entirely yours.
Age thresholds vary by state and product: Most U.S. sports betting and casino states require 21+. Some lottery and pari-mutuel states allow 18+. Tribal gaming compacts often specify 18 or 21. XY Zinc's Tier 2 verification confirms exact date of birth from government ID, satisfying any age threshold.
Tier 1 — Biometric Face Scan: A quick face scan confirms the visitor is a real person (not a bot, photo replay, or deepfake) and estimates whether they appear to be 18 or older. For 18+ jurisdictions, this may be sufficient on its own.
Tier 2 — Government ID + Face Match: For 21+ jurisdictions, the visitor photographs a government-issued ID. Our system extracts the date of birth, calculates exact age, and matches the face on the document to the live face scan. This definitively confirms the visitor meets the age threshold. The ID image and all extracted data are immediately discarded.
Once a visitor passes verification, a cookie is set on your domain confirming their age-verified status. They can browse your platform, view odds, explore games, and proceed to account creation without being gated again. The verification replaces your "Are you 21?" pop-up with something that actually means something — and the cookie can be checked at any point in your registration or deposit flow if needed.
Because XY Zinc is the age gate — not the KYC layer — we don't need to collect or store personal information. We verify, return a pass/fail, and delete everything.
Your KYC provider handles identity. Your AML system handles transactions. XY Zinc handles the front door. Clean separation, no overlap, no integration headaches.
Because XY Zinc is the age gate — not part of your KYC pipeline — integration is straightforward. We sit in front of your platform, not inside it.
Add a few lines of JavaScript to your landing pages, or use our REST API for full control. Unverified visitors are redirected to our verification UI, complete a face scan (and ID check if 21+ is required), and return to your site with a verified cookie. Your platform reads the cookie — that's it.
XY Zinc doesn't touch your account creation, identity verification, AML monitoring, or payment processing. Your existing KYC provider, registration flow, and deposit systems remain exactly as they are. We just make sure the person arriving at your front door is old enough to walk through it.
For affiliate sites, informational gambling portals, or smaller platforms running on WordPress, our plugin handles the entire age gate with a single settings page. No code changes required.
No opaque enterprise pricing. No annual contracts. You pay per verification attempt. For jurisdictions requiring 21+, Tier 2 provides definitive age confirmation via government ID. For 18+ jurisdictions, Tier 1 may be sufficient on its own.
Tier 1
$0.05
per attempt
Biometric face scan & liveness detection. Confirms real person, screens for 18+, detects deepfakes and photo spoofing.
Tier 2 — Required for 21+
$0.15
per attempt
Government ID scan + face match. Confirms exact date of birth and matches document to live face. Definitive age and identity verification.
Pricing shown is for sites processing approximately 100 verifications per day. No hidden fees. No minimums. Discounts available for higher-volume platforms — contact us to discuss your needs.
Online gambling regulation is complex, state-by-state in the U.S. and jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction globally. But the universal requirement is the same: verify that every player is of legal age before they can gamble. Here's a snapshot.
| Jurisdiction | Key Requirements |
|---|---|
| U.S. (General) | State-by-state regulation. Most sports betting and casino states require 21+. KYC mandatory before deposit or play. UIGEA governs payment processing. Each state gaming commission enforces independently. |
| NJ, PA, MI | Leading iGaming states with mature regulatory frameworks. Full KYC required at account creation. 21+ for casino and sports betting. Regular compliance audits by state gaming commissions. |
| United Kingdom | As of 2025, operators must verify identity and age immediately at sign-up — the previous 72-hour grace period has been eliminated. Biometric verification increasingly adopted. |
| Germany | Mandatory instant KYC as of 2025. Online casino market requires verification to be completed immediately upon sign-up with no delay before play. |
| Tribal Gaming (U.S.) | Tribal-state compacts for Class III gaming almost always specify minimum gambling age (18 or 21). Identity verification is a core compliance requirement for tribal gaming operations. |
This table is provided for general awareness and does not constitute legal advice. Consult with a gaming compliance attorney for requirements specific to your jurisdiction and license type.
Let XY Zinc handle the front door so you can focus on what's inside. Compliant age verification that works alongside your existing platform — no KYC pipeline changes required.