ClearStake raises £1.5m to scale bank‑assured verification for UK iGaming
This article covers ClearStake, a RegTech provider, which has raised £1.5m to expand its player verification platform for UK iGaming operators. The funding will support rollout of ID by Bank, a product that uses players' banking apps to verify identity, affordability and source of funds to reduce manual reviews and help operators meet UK Gambling Commission expectations.
ClearStake has raised £1.5 million to expand its player verification platform for UK iGaming operators. The funding will support the rollout of ID by Bank, a product that uses a player’s banking app to verify identity, affordability and source of funds, a capability the company says reduces manual reviews and helps operators meet regulatory expectations.
Why it matters
Verification and affordability checks have become central to iGaming compliance in the UK. Operators must balance regulatory scrutiny from the UK Gambling Commission with the commercial need to onboard paying customers quickly. ClearStake positions itself in that tension by offering bank-assured verification that aims to make checks faster and more auditable.
The company says its technology has already been used to support multiple UKGC audits and to provide operators with what it calls transparent, audit-ready data.
Inside the product
ClearStake’s core offering is a single API that connects operators to bank-verified identity, affordability and source-of-funds signals. The product named ID by Bank allows players to confirm their details via their banking app rather than uploading documents. According to ClearStake, this reduces manual reviews and friction during onboarding while helping operators maintain an AML and affordability posture aligned with regulator expectations.
The firm also offers affordability and source-of-funds solutions alongside ID by Bank. The announcement claims these features can increase first-time deposits and reduce fraud, although no independent metrics were provided in the release.
Who’s backing the round
The £1.5 million round is backed by a group of industry executives and operators. Named participants include Michael Brady (Bede Gaming, Conexus); Simon Collins (former Foxy Bingo, Gaming Realms plc); Savvas Fellas (MrQ.com); Will Armitage and Philipp Strizke (BestOdds.com); Max Wright (White Hat Gaming); Ben Clemes (former GiG, HappyHour); David Flynn (Glitnor Group); Paddy Power (part of Flutter); and Sam Swannell (PointsBet).
ClearStake’s cap table also lists other seasoned leaders such as High Roller CEO Seth Young, former Sportsbet CEO Cormac Barry, former EML CEO Tom Cregan, Adam Perrin (ex Paddy Power) and Oliver Slipper, co-founder and former CEO of Stats Perform.
Many of these backers are long-standing figures in iGaming and related services, suggesting investor interest is driven by sector expertise as much as financial return. The company previously raised funding in February 2024, which it says helped scale operations and sign clients.
If you're researching potential backers in this space:
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Founder perspective
In the announcement, Martin Burt, CEO at ClearStake, said:
This raise is a strong signal that our mission matters more than ever. The investors backing us have built some of the most successful businesses in iGaming and have experienced first-hand the challenges of regulatory friction.
Their support validates our approach: making all verification seamless, compliant and player-friendly. With products like ID by Bank and our affordability and source-of-funds solutions, we’re proving that exceptional customer experience around verification and compliance can actually drive growth, not kill it.
ClearStake was founded in 2020 and is based in London. The company cites commercial partnerships signed since 2024 with operators including tombola, MrQ and Ivy Casino, which it says have used its platform for verification and audit support.
The bigger picture
This funding comes as UK regulators continue to tighten expectations around anti-money-laundering and affordability checks in gambling. Startups offering identity and compliance automation are receiving more attention as operators look to reduce manual compliance workloads while keeping customer friction low.
For investors and operators in the UK and Europe, ClearStake’s raise underlines ongoing interest in RegTech that intersects payments, open banking and gambling compliance. How well bank-assured verification scales across operators and withstands regulatory scrutiny will determine whether this category becomes a standard part of the iGaming stack.
They've invested in ClearStake
Get to know these regtech investors
| Angel Investor | Sector | Type | Activity | Contact | Connect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Michael Brady London, UK  | 1 investment investment | 1 contact contact | |||
 Simon Collins London, UK | 1 investment investment | 1 contact contact | |||
 Savvas Fellas St Albans, UK | 1 investment investment | 1 contact contact | |||
 Will Armitage | 1 investment investment | more info | |||
 Philipp Strizke ValletaMalta | 1 investment investment | 1 contact contact | |||
 Max Wright London, UK | 1 investment investment | 1 contact contact | |||
 Ben Clemes San FranciscoUS | 1 investment investment | 1 contact contact | |||
 David Flynn BenahavísSpain | 1 investment investment | 1 contact contact | |||
 Sam Swannell Melbourne, UK | 1 investment investment | 1 contact contact |
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