--- title: 'Are existing online age checks for alcohol purchases effective?' url: 'https://jessica.digital/articles/online-alcohol-age-checks' markdown: 'https://jessica.digital/articles/online-alcohol-age-checks.md' date: '2020-06-09' description: "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." taxonomy: category: - age-assurance - research tag: - alcohol-sales - licensing-act-2003 - banking - covid-19 - regulation --- [ All articles](https://jessica.digital/articles) 9 June 2020 3 min read [Age assurance](https://jessica.digital/articles/category:age-assurance) [Research](https://jessica.digital/articles/category:research) # Are existing online age checks for alcohol purchases effective? ![](https://jessica.digital/user/pages/03.articles/online-alcohol-age-checks/666440663b43f184770760.jpg) With the UK being thrust into a Coronavirus lockdown in late March 2020, it has been identified by several experts that many people’s alcohol consumption has changed \[1\] \[2\] \[3\], along with an increase in online and alcohol sales of 22% and 31% respectively \[4\]. Prior to the lockdown, I was commissioned with Vic Grout by Alcohol Change UK to analyse existing online ‘age gating’ solutions that prevent under-18s from ordering alcohol through the Internet. The main outcome of the report is that existing practice by online retailers, supermarkets and delivery apps is largely inadequate, as many either perform no checks on who the purchaser is, or relegate the checks that do exist to happen on delivery. This is inconsistent with the UK government’s own advice that the age check should be performed on the purchaser, with additional notes that they may also be performed at the point of delivery. Much of this confusion comes from the Licencing Act 2003 and associated guidance, mostly written before online shopping became mainstream with the majority of sales made in person. This must be clarified to make sure those who are underage are protected from being able to purchase alcohol, with more rigid checks in place. One of the simplest ways to prevent the purchase of alcohol by under-18s would be to place the onus for age checks on banks. Banks and payment processors already have information about card holders, and this is validated online for anti-fraud purposes: how often do you have to enter your name as on the card or give the postcode your card is registered to? Extending this to include age checks could be an easy addition, with small changes at retailers to flag alcohol-containing transactions that could be blocked by the banks. This type of block is already in place: from the beginning of April 2020, banks prevent gambling transactions made with credit cards \[5\]. As we transition to what is often termed the 'new normal', our relationship with technology has changed: Zoom has become a verb, WFH (Working From Home) an everyday occurrence and online shopping the norm. This technology use is here to stay, and demonstrates the need for effective controls on the Internet that mirror those that exist in physical stores. The full recommendations are available in our [report on the Alcohol Change UK website](https://alcoholchange.org.uk/publication/effective-age-gating-for-online-alcohol-sales). ## References \[1\] Alcohol Change UK, "Drinking during lockdown: headline findings," April 2020. \[Online\]. Available: . \[2\] The Observer, "Problem drinking soars under UK lockdown, say addiction experts," 3 May 2020. \[Online\]. Available: . \[3\] BBC Future, "Why you might be drinking too much during lockdown," 11 May 2020. \[Online\]. Available: . \[4\] Office for National Statistics, "Coronavirus (COVID-19) roundup, 20 to 24 April 2020," 24 April 2020. \[Online\]. Available: . \[5\] Gambling Commission, "Gambling on credit cards to be banned from April 2020," 14 January 2020. \[Online\]. Available: . ## Tags [Alcohol sales](https://jessica.digital/articles/tag:alcohol-sales) [Licensing Act 2003](https://jessica.digital/articles/tag:licensing-act-2003) [Banking](https://jessica.digital/articles/tag:banking) [COVID-19](https://jessica.digital/articles/tag:covid-19) [Regulation](https://jessica.digital/articles/tag:regulation) ## Related articles 27 Jun 2026 [Age assurance](https://jessica.digital/articles/category:age-assurance) ### [Proposed bank verification system builds on age assurance proposals](https://jessica.digital/articles/bank-verification-age-assurance) Can banking apps solve underage online sales better than a centralised state ID? Discover how the banking sector's new digital verification service mirrors years of my research on privacy-preserving age-assurance. Explore how this ecosystem bridges the gap between secure transactions, data minimisation, and real-world e-commerce safety. [Digital identity](https://jessica.digital/articles/tag:digital-identity) [Banking](https://jessica.digital/articles/tag:banking) [Privacy](https://jessica.digital/articles/tag:privacy) 24 Jan 2024 [Age assurance](https://jessica.digital/articles/category:age-assurance) ### [UK Government launches consultation on updating the Licensing Act](https://jessica.digital/articles/licensing-act-consultation) 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. [Licensing Act 2003](https://jessica.digital/articles/tag:licensing-act-2003) [Alcohol sales](https://jessica.digital/articles/tag:alcohol-sales) [Digital identity](https://jessica.digital/articles/tag:digital-identity) 9 Dec 2021 [Age assurance](https://jessica.digital/articles/category:age-assurance) ### [Preventing underage alcohol purchasing online using payment card details](https://jessica.digital/articles/payment-card-age-checks) 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. [Merchant category codes](https://jessica.digital/articles/tag:merchant-category-codes) [Privacy](https://jessica.digital/articles/tag:privacy) [Alcohol sales](https://jessica.digital/articles/tag:alcohol-sales) --- ## Navigation - Parent: [Articles](https://jessica.digital/articles.md) - Previous: [Preventing underage alcohol purchasing online using payment card details](https://jessica.digital/articles/payment-card-age-checks.md) - Next: [Effective age-gating for online alcohol sales](https://jessica.digital/articles/age-gating-alcohol-sales.md)