The UK Government has launched a consultation to update the Licensing Act 2003to address digital age assurance for alcohol sales. This includes using digital proof of age and determining the point of age verification. The consultation aims to reduce ambiguity and enhance protection against underage sales and intoxicated purchases as identified in my earlier research.

My research, funded by the Institute of Alcohol Studies, proposes using Merchant Category Codes (MCCs) in payment card transactions to prevent underage online alcohol purchases. This system enhances age assurance with minimal customer friction and robust privacy protection, ensuring compliance with age-restriction laws while maintaining a seamless customer experience.

The UK's lockdown in March 2020 led to increased alcohol consumption and sales. Research funded by Alcohol Change UK revealed that online age verification for alcohol purchases is inadequate, often relying on delivery checks. Clarifying guidelines from the Licensing Act 2003 and involving banks in age verification could better protect underage individuals from buying alcohol online.

Evaluation of the effectiveness of age-gating processes for online alcohol sales. The study found current methods ineffective and proposed enhanced online age verification, leveraging bank authorisation processes, and continuous monitoring of emerging technologies to better prevent minors from purchasing alcohol online.