ClearStake, the London-based player verification platform, has announced the appointment of industry veteran Luke Cousins as a Commercial Advisor. The move comes as ClearStake accelerates its growth following a successful £1.5 million funding round in late 2025.
Cousins brings over 15 years of experience to the role, having previously served as Commercial Director at Playbook Engineering. His background includes senior positions at Pentasia and consultancy work for major brands like Unikrn (Entain), Hypometer, and Moja Group.
Scaling the “ID by Bank” Revolution
Cousins will focus primarily on the commercial rollout of ID by Bank, a product designed to solve the “drop-off” problem in UK iGaming by replacing manual document uploads with instant, bank-verified identity checks.
How ID by Bank Transforms Onboarding:
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Instant Verification: Players verify their name, address, and DOB directly through their banking app in under 30 seconds.
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Reduced Fraud: Uses biometric authentication via banking apps to eliminate deepfakes and document tampering.
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Increased Conversion: Already proven to significantly boost First Time Depositor (FTD) rates by removing friction at the point of registration.
“ClearStake is tackling one of the most persistent problems in UK iGaming – player drop-off at the point of verification,” said Luke Cousins. “ID by Bank is a genuinely practical solution that improves conversion without compromising on compliance.”
Strategic Growth and Backing
The appointment of Cousins follows a string of high-profile additions to the ClearStake advisory board, including:
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Paul Myatt: Former NetEnt and Aspire Global executive (Sales & Marketing).
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Alistair Boston-Smith: Former Bede Gaming executive (Strategy Advisor).
The company’s recent £1.5m funding round attracted a “who’s who” of industry investors, including Savvas Fellas (MrQ CEO), Michael Brady (Bede Gaming founder), Max Wright (White Hat Gaming founder), and Paddy Power.
Partnership Momentum
ClearStake’s technology is already integrated with leading UK operators such as tombola, MrQ, and Ivy Casino. The platform’s ability to provide “audit-ready” data has made it a preferred choice for operators navigating the UK Gambling Commission’s evolving affordability and AML frameworks.
