Department of Trust Boosts Consumer Protection with VRS in UK

Under the terms of the partnership, Department of Trust is teaming up with the Vulnerability Registration Service (VRS), the United Kingdom’s leading database of vulnerable individuals who are at a higher risk of developing addictive behavior or are already grappling with such.

Tapping into Consumer Protection List to protect vulnerable players

The VRS, as the list is known more snappily, has about 700,000 individuals registered with it. To enter the list, consumers may self-report, but oftentimes, the list is filled by banks, debt charities, local authorities, the National Health System, and solicitors who are proactively trying to assist vulnerable individuals.

Thanks to this partnership and the access to the VRS’ extensive database, Department of Trust can now offer much tighter protection to partner operators as they would be able to cross-reference the list of vulnerable players across the entire VRS, and ensure that they remain compliant when it concerns protecting vulnerable consumers..

This is an important opportunity for Department of Trust to adjust its offer just ahead of the planned implementation of a soft launch of vulnerability financial checks in the United Kingdom, which will make companies keener to get around checking their consumers’ financial backgrounds quicker and ensure that they do not let people with debt or problem gambling behavior slip through the sieve.

Department of Trust CEO Charles Cohen has welcomed this new development, hailing it as a major opportunity for the company to ensure the protection of consumers and empower operators seeking to fulfil their social obligation.

Operators have a very clear obligation to identify vulnerable customers, but extremely limited means to do so early and without intrusive questioning or document sharing.

Department of Trust CEO Charles Cohen

Setting high standards for consumer protection prior to affordability checks

The VRS’s database is now integrated with the company’s proprietary DoTrust Complete solution which makes it easier for operators to quickly cross-reference the status of each player and expedite the registration and onboarding processes while also minimizing any room for mistakes.

“Because these checks are so powerful, we are adding them not just as a standalone service but as an extension of our market-leading KYC, financial risk and vulnerability assessments and monitoring,” Cohen assured.

As to VRS CEO Helen Lord, the partnership with Department of Trust is an opportunity to use the register’s swathes of data to ensure better player protection services and shield vulnerable individuals by helping them avoid sliding into gambling-related harm further.

The team-up will ensure regulatory compliance for operators, too, as businesses are keen to meet the incoming regulatory norms in the UK that would put a far greater emphasis on companies checking the financial background prior to allowing players make their first deposit.