In the spring of 2026, thousands of mobile app developers received a letter from Google. At first glance, the news seemed quite technical: the company announced the enactment of the Texas App Store Accountability Act (SB 2420), the launch of the Play Age Signals API, and the need to comply with new requirements for users in Texas.

For most developers, this was about legal compliance. However, within the iGaming industry, the news sparked far greater interest. Many operators, affiliate teams, and media buyers perceived it not just as a local legislative change in a single U.S. state, but as a potential beginning of a new era in digital user identification.

If the last twenty years of gambling development focused on strengthening KYC, AML, and identity verification after player registration, regulators are now moving in a completely different direction. They are trying to shift age and identity verification to the infrastructure level: app stores, payment systems, mobile operators, and digital IDs.

The consequences for gambling could be enormous.

Today, an operator verifies a player's age on its own.

Tomorrow, age may be known even before the app is installed.

Today, a media buyer drives users to a landing page.

Tomorrow, part of the audience may be automatically filtered out by the platform before even clicking.

Today, Google and Apple act as an app showcase.

Tomorrow, they could become full‑fledged participants in the digital identification system.

This is why the Texas SB 2420 story is interesting not only for developers. It concerns casino operators, bookmakers, payment providers, regulators, and anyone who works with user traffic.

The Evolution of Age Verification in Gambling and Betting

To grasp the importance of Texas SB 2420, it is worth examining how age identification has developed over the last two decades.

The First Era: The "18+ Checkbox"

In the early 2000s, most online casinos practically did not verify user age.

The process was extremely simple.

The user registered.

They checked a box:

"I am 18 years or older."

At that point, the verification effectively ended.

For operators, this approach was cheap and convenient.

For regulators, it was useless.

The Second Era: Paperwork After Payout

In the mid-2000s, many operators began requesting documents only when users withdrew funds.

A player could:

But upon the first major withdrawal, the operator would ask for:

  • A passport;
  • Proof of address;
  • Payment documents.

In effect, age was verified only after the player had already started gambling.

The Third Era: Mandatory KYC

After 2010, the situation began to change.

Regulators in the UK, Malta, EU countries, and individual US states started requiring full KYC.

A modern framework emerged:

Registration → Deposit → Verification → Play

It was during this period that concepts such as the following appeared:

The Fourth Era: Digital Identification

Over the past few years, the market has been gradually moving toward a model of digital identification.

Regulators want age confirmation to be obtained before the game even begins.

Texas SB 2420 can be seen as one of the first steps in precisely this direction.

How Age Verification Works Technically

There are several age verification models.

Document Verification

The most common option.

The user provides:

  • Passport;
  • ID card;
  • Driver's license.

The system analyzes the document automatically.

Pros:

  • High accuracy.

Cons:

  • High cost;
  • Lower conversion rates.

Bank Verification

Age is confirmed through a financial institution.

The user has already gone through bank KYC.

The service receives age confirmation without needing to run its own verification.

Mobile Operator Verification

A SIM card is linked to a specific individual.

The carrier knows the customer's age.

The service receives just one piece of information in return:

"18+"

Biometric Age Estimation

A new direction.

The system analyzes the user's face through the device camera.

Machine learning algorithms estimate the age category.

The technology is evolving very quickly and is already being used by several major platforms.

Age Verification via the App Store

This is precisely the approach currently being tested in Texas.

The advantage is obvious.

Age is determined once.

Then the age signal can be used by multiple apps.

What Is Texas SB 2420?

The Texas App Store Accountability Act was passed by Texas authorities in 2025.

The main idea behind the law is that responsibility for determining user age should partially shift from individual apps to the app stores themselves.

Under the new model:

  • The App Store and Google Play are required to determine the user's age;
  • Parental consent must be taken into account for underage users;
  • Apps receive an age signal;
  • Developers are required to use this information to comply with age restrictions.

It is important to understand that this is not about transferring passport data to every app.

Instead, the developer receives a special age attribute.

For example:

  • Child;
  • Teen;
  • Older Teen;
  • Adult.

This way, the app understands which age category the user belongs to.

For the gambling industry, this model looks particularly interesting, as age is one of the key factors for product access.

Why Google Launched the Play Age Signals API

After an appellate court temporarily lifted the block on the law, Google began preparing to comply with the new requirements.

To that end, the Play Age Signals API was introduced.

In essence, it is an interface that allows an app to receive information about a user's age category without having to request documents on its own.

The simplified scheme looks as follows:

User creates a Google account → Google knows the user's age → User installs an app → The app receives the age signal.

For social networks, this means protection for minors.

For gambling, it means a potential shift in the entire logic of player access to the product.

Why This Matters Most for iGaming

At first glance, the law seems to be about children and social networks.

In practice, gambling turns out to be one of the industries that such changes could affect the most.

The reason is simple.

Age restriction is the foundation of licensed gambling.

Almost every regulated jurisdiction imposes a minimum age for gambling:

  • 18 years;
  • 19 years;
  • 21 years.

The exact age varies by country or region.

That is why age verification is a mandatory element of any license.

Today, this verification most often takes place after the user has already registered.

But if age becomes known to the platform in advance, the logic of how the market operates will begin to change.

Where Similar Systems Already Exist

Texas is far from the first to try implementing this kind of approach. Many countries are moving in the same direction.

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom is traditionally considered one of the most regulated gambling markets in the world.

The UK Gambling Commission plays a key role.

Over the past several years, local authorities have been actively strengthening player identification requirements.

Additionally, following the adoption of the Online Safety Act, age verification systems for various digital services have begun to develop.

The following may be used to confirm age:

  • Documents;
  • Banking data;
  • Mobile operators;
  • Specialized age verification services.

The British approach can be summarized as: "Age must be verified as early as possible."

Germany

After the reform of German gambling legislation, player identification requirements became some of the strictest in Europe.

Germany iGaming Overview: Affiliate Marketing and Traffic

Access to licensed products involves:

  • Government databases;
  • Banking systems;
  • Credit bureaus;
  • Document‑based identification.

The German approach is based on the principle: "Identity first — then play."

Australia

In recent years, Australia has been actively testing age identification systems for various online services.

Australia iGaming Overview: Laws and Practices for Affiliates

Particular attention is paid to:

  • Gambling;
  • Social networks;
  • Adult content.

Australian authorities are considering the implementation of centralized solutions that would allow age to be verified without transferring large amounts of personal data.

European Union

The most interesting project is the European Digital Identity Wallet.

If the project is fully implemented, users will be able to store their digital identity in a single app.

A website or app will only be able to receive the necessary information.

For example:

  • Over 18;
  • Resides in a specific country;
  • Eligible to use the service.

Without sharing a passport.

For gambling, this could be a game changer.

United States

The American market is evolving somewhat differently. How to Drive Traffic to Betting and Gambling in the US?

Because regulation happens at the state level, each jurisdiction makes its own decisions.

However, the trend is clear:

  • Stronger KYC;
  • Stronger geolocation;
  • Stronger age verification.

Texas SB 2420 has become one of the most notable steps in this direction.

Why This Could Reshape the Gambling Market

The main reason lies in the shift of control point.

Previously, control was in the hands of the operator.

Now, it is gradually moving to the infrastructure level.

For regulators, this is a huge plus.

For operators, it means lower costs.

For players, it could mean simpler registration.

The Future of Media Buying

Now, let's get to the most interesting part.

Consequence #1: Reduction in Unsuitable Traffic

Today, some users are filtered out after registration.

Tomorrow, they could be blocked before the app is even installed.

This reduces the size of the audience.

But it increases the quality of traffic.

Consequence #2: Increased Value of Qualified Traffic

If a user already meets the operator's requirements, their value increases.

This is especially important for CPA models.

Advertisers will be willing to pay more for users with a high probability of passing verification.

Consequence #3: Stronger Anti-Fraud Measures

Age identification rarely exists on its own.

It usually develops alongside:

  • Device fingerprinting;
  • Behavioral analysis;
  • Account verification;
  • Fraud detection systems.

Therefore, the market may face further tightening of anti-fraud policies.

Consequence #4: A Shift in How Apps Work

App-based gambling could gain additional advantages over web-based products.

If age has already been verified by the platform, the mobile app becomes a more convenient entry point.

Consequence #5: Pressure on Sweepstakes Casinos

The sweepstakes casino market deserves special attention.

Many such projects have long existed in a less strict regulatory environment.

If age identification becomes mandatory at the platform level, the requirements for these projects could become significantly stricter.

What to Expect by 2030

There are several likely scenarios.

Scenario 1. Limited Experiment

Texas remains an exception.

Other states are in no hurry to copy the model.

Changes remain local.

Scenario 2. National Standard

Several more states pass similar laws.

Google and Apple implement unified mechanisms for the entire country.

Age Signals become the new market standard.

Scenario 3. Full‑Scale Digital Identification

Age becomes just the first step.

Then new signals emerge:

  • Identity verification;
  • Confirmation of state of residence;
  • Confirmation of eligibility to gamble;
  • User verification status.

In this case, app stores turn into a critical infrastructure element of the digital economy.

What Affiliates Should Do Right Now

Panicking is definitely not the answer.

At this point, Texas SB 2420 does not change the rules for the vast majority of affiliate programs.

However, the direction of the market is becoming increasingly clear.

And it's not just gambling legislation worth keeping an eye on.

Increasingly, the following are gaining importance:

  • Data privacy laws;
  • Social media regulation;
  • Digital user identification;
  • Age verification;
  • The requirements of Apple and Google platforms.

These areas may have no less impact on traffic volume and quality than the licensing of bookmakers or casinos.

Texas SB 2420: Key Takeaways

Texas SB 2420 looks like a local law from a single U.S. state. But its significance could be much broader.

For the first time, one of the largest regions in the United States is effectively attempting to shift age verification from the level of individual apps to the infrastructure level. If the experiment succeeds, similar mechanisms could emerge in other states, countries, and digital ecosystems.

For the gambling industry, this means even stronger age controls on players.

For operators, it means lower risks and easier compliance.

For regulators, it means more effective enforcement of the law.

For media buyers, it means a gradual shift toward a market where traffic quality matters even more than volume.

Today, we are only talking about age. But it is already possible to assume that in the coming years, age signals will become just the first element of a broader digital user identification system. And it is this system that could fundamentally change the rules of the game in the iGaming industry by the end of the decade.