There are people like me who dislike KYC verification requirements from online casinos, and I always have two complaints about it.
1. Why the need for KYC.
2. Why pretend they won't ask for KYC, but ask for verification after a big win.
I am not an expert on KYC, but from what I read in some casino terms and conditions is that KYC is many cases linked to hard cap. So the casino won't ask any detailed information from you when signing up, depositing money and withdrawing small amounts. KYC only comes into place when withdrawing fund bigger than 1,000-2,500 USD. On all the casinos where I play these numbers are made public and any gambler can read up on them. It's not some arbitrage numbers the casino uses to try and cheat us out I'd our winnings. Before playing with real money we should always read up all the necessary information. It's sad that you lost money because of it and if the casino changed their terms after you won money it's wrong and should be challenged. Over the years I kind of accepted KYC as it's becoming the industry norm.
You're right : reading the terms and conditions is very important for the user, it's in his own interest, it allows him to be credible and in an intelligent position if a problem arises, and he has to dispute something.
For the first part of your message, it depends on the country and the market. If the casino in question is licensed in a regulated country, KYC may be required for every type of FIAT transaction, regardless of the amount.
Take France as example, where even a 0.01 EUR deposit will require KYC if the casino is licensed and under the French national gambling authority regulation.
In general, the casinos have three main criterias that are taken into consideration for the need/or not of KYC:
-Your current geographical location (your IP)
-The market in which you are registered (.com is licensed by Malta most of the time, .fr , .de , .jp etc..)
-The regulator in question: even taking the European Union as an example, the documents required are not the same for a Belgian citizen, for a German one etc. Some countries require POA+ID+Age verification, others only AGE+ID, others nothing at all because they use a centralized national number associated to the social security number etc..
Some countries are less stringent than others