Online casinos attract potential customers through promotions; however, some players have found ways to exploit these incentives. Doing this is risky, as many casinos are within their rights if they choose to simply ban you and deactivate your account. Also, there is no need to abuse the promos since there are plenty of them out there. In Ireland, many use round-up lists of the best Irish online casino sites to find quality gambling brands with generous bonuses. So, if you burn through your promos, all you have to do is make a new account and claim a new sign-up bonus.
This article will discuss what bonus abuse gambling is, and how online gaming companies identify and detect this type of behaviour. We’ll also discuss the technology and policies employed to protect operations from fraudulent activities.
What Is Casino Bonus Abuse?
Bonus abuse occurs when a player intentionally misuses a promotion to their own advantage, at a cost to the gaming company. Promotions are designed to add enjoyment to a player’s experience and increase their playing time; abusers view these as free money-making opportunities. They employ various techniques, including opening multiple accounts and using fake identities. This enables them to claim a “first deposit” bonus multiple times.
Even though you can’t cheat at games, you are still likely to hit a big win every now and again. This is especially true if you play long enough. So when someone claims a promo dozens of times, sooner or later, they’ll score big.Â
Red Flags in Player Behaviour
Online brands monitor the behavior of their players and flag accounts that are suspicious. They monitor logs to see spending patterns and how fast someone claims the offer.Â
Online gaming companies also monitor how many times a player uses a bonus, and whether they withdraw their earnings immediately after meeting the minimum wagering requirements. Of course, any suspicious IP changes are immediately flagged as well.
How Casinos Use KYC and Data Checks
One of the primary defenses platforms have against bonus abuse is Know Your Customer (KYC) programs. Casinos require players to submit ID documentation, proof of residency, and verify their age to ensure that each account belongs to a legitimate individual. Beyond verifying identity, sites also employ sophisticated data checks. For example, they track the IP addresses associated with each account to detect the use of proxy servers or VPNs.
They also compare the fingerprints to identify multiple accounts on the same device, and compare payment information to prevent mismatches. Some online gaming companies also utilize facial recognition or video verification to confirm that the player submitting the identification document matches the identification document provided.Â
While KYC checks aren’t always mandatory to qualify for promos, they are mandatory for cashing out. This type of lenient policy is what allows players to take advantage of the promos. They’ll create multiple accounts and only verify the one that qualified for payout. To avoid this, some brands have mandatory KYC checkups right after sign-up, even before the first deposit is made.
Fraud Detection Software and Algorithms
Companies typically employ a combination of the following technologies to detect gambling regulations bonus abuse:
- Machine learning systems that identify unusual patterns in data
- IP clustering and device fingerprinting to reveal accounts associated with each other
- Velocity tracking to flag rapid betting or deposit activity
- Risk scoring of payment methods and transaction types
- Algorithms designed to detect extremely optimized low-risk betting strategies
- Real-time alert systems to notify security teams of suspicious events
Fraud prevention software also employs clustering algorithms to group accounts together that exhibit similar behavior. In essence, they evaluate anomalies in a player’s activity, the correlation between accounts, and repeated attempts to exploit the same promotion.
Account Limits, Bans, and Confiscations
Upon detecting potential bonus abuse, a site has a number of options available to address the situation. These depend on the degree of the violation. Mild cases may restrict access to future bonuses. Alternatively, the site may impose wagering limits to eliminate the possibility of additional abuse.Â
More severe cases of bonus abuse may result in fines, confiscation of funds, or permanent closure of a player’s account. Gaming companies have the authority to declare a player’s winnings invalid. They will do this whenever enough evidence is gathered to prove you’ve violated the terms. The same thing will happen if:
- A player used a false identityÂ
- Stole or used someone else’s payment informationÂ
- Manipulated systems to create multiple accountsÂ
In these instances, a gaming company may permanently ban a player and report the activity to relevant gaming regulators.Â
How to Use Bonuses Without Breaking the Rules
Now that you know what is bonus abuse in gambling, compliance with bonus-related rules and regulations is relatively straightforward. First, you need to review the terms and conditions of a promotion, including the wagering requirements. These will detail which games can be played, how bets should be made. Additionally, pay attention to wagering contributions based on game type. Playing slots usually means you clear the bonus a lot faster.Â
Players should avoid using VPNs unless specifically authorized by the gaming company. Additionally, ensure that all personal and payment information matches your verified identity. Finally, maintaining a single, verified account and using bonuses for entertainment purposes only ensures that you can enjoy promotions without violating gaming regulations and laws.
