Connect with us

Latest News

As eSports become more popular, time for the industry to get real about security

Published

on

 

Police in Ukraine recently seized 3,800 PlayStation 4 consoles, which currently retail for around 290 each, and found to their surprise that the operation wasn’t mining cryptocurrency as they assumed but was in fact being used to generate content packs for FIFA Ultimate Team, a popular game mode in the FIFA football series.

The raid and its results underline a fact that may escape more traditionally minded members of the gaming community: eSports is a major industry, and like any industry it is susceptible to fraud. The fact that the games themselves take place virtually is irrelevant to fraudsters who can use the familiar toolkit of multi-accounting, bonus abuse and affiliate fraud to earn thousands.

With many sports teams unable to play throughout much of 2020 and 2021, eSports grew massively. League Championship Series (LCS), one of the largest eSports leagues, became the third most viewed professional sports league amongst 18-34 year olds in the U.S and has retained its corporate sponsors at a time when other leagues were shut down. Success stories like these are blunted by how pervasive eSports fraud is,

So, what kinds of fraud are taking place in eSports, what is it costing eSports organizations and what can be done to stop it?

What kinds of fraud are possible in eSports?

eSports attracts very similar types of fraud to regular sports betting, including:

  • Bonus Abuse: Like other sports betting companies, eSports companies often give sign-up bonuses such as free bets to new players. By coding automated systems, a fraudster can sign up to hundreds of accounts and use the free bets to win real money. This can cost gaming companies up to 15% of their revenue.
  • Multi-accounting: Similarly, a fraudster can use multiple accounts to perform other types of fraud, such as matched betting, ‘smurfing’ or arbitrage of affiliate fraud.
  • Affiliate Fraud: Those eSports betting organizations that draw in some of their new players from affiliates are vulnerable to affiliate fraud in which an affiliate creates fake accounts to gain the pay-out.
  • Account takeover: Using lists of passwords from data breaches, keyloggers or phishing a fraudster can gain access to a player’s account and drain their funds.
  • Chargeback fraud: A player, who may be a legitimate gamer and not a professional fraudster, initiates a chargeback on a transaction. This is common in gaming when gamblers regret a bad bet and claim that their account was hacked.

The costs of eSports fraud

Fraud costs have a way of snowballing, with each $1 lost through fraud actually costing companies $3. The above techniques are hardly equivalent to the major data breaches of major banking and tech companies that cost on average $3.86 million, but the constant barrage of low-level frauds can soon drain your company’s security budget. Aside from the cost of the fraud itself, there are a number of hidden costs such as:

  • Chargeback losses: Investigating and disputing chargebacks will take up your risk team’s time, leaving them little time for more valuable activities. More worryingly, a company with a large number of chargebacks is likely to find it difficult securing credit or loans. Visa and Mastercard’s resolution processes are making things even more difficult for merchants, so you are likely to lose even more.
  • Affiliate budget waste: You could be paying for useless clicks from bot networks rather than legitimate customers, wasting your marketing budget and reducing overall ROI.
  • Reputational damage: Once word of mouth spreads about customers losing the entire bank accounts to account takeovers it will not be long until players start deserting your site.
  • Regulatory fines: The regulations around eSports are not as stringent as with other sports betting, but it will not be long before they catch up. With the industry growing it will not be long before countries put regulations in place to protect players, and without stringent security your company could be fined.

The solutions

You will notice that the majority of the types of fraud common in eSports have to do with fake accounts. These are easy for fraudsters to create using the wealth of publicly available data and leaked information, but fortunately artificial intelligence-based tools have been developed that allow companies to spot synthetic identities.

Through device fingerprinting, email profiling and IP analysis a complete picture of a new signup to your site can be created, allowing software to spot the tell-tale signs of a hastily created account. For example, it could find that an email address does not match any social accounts, or that they use VPNs and data centers to conceal their IP address.

Of course, a sophisticated fraudster could create a convincing fake identity, especially with the wealth of information available from data dumps, so modern technology can also spot the use of pre-paid credit cards or even the speed with which information is entered, which could indicate it is being filled in automatically by a script.

By combining data points from a large and ever-growing set a system can determine whether it is likely that any given new account is fraudulent. For the many cases in which it will not be fully clear whether an account is authentic or not adaptive Know Your Customer checks can be used – customers with several red flags will be given full tests to determine their identity whereas other customers will have less obtrusive tests for a smoother site experience.

eSports has gone from a niche concern to an Olympic sport in a few short years, and that success is going to attract fraud, so it is vital for the industry to pre-emptively defend against fraud by adopting the very highest levels of security.

To learn more, visit: https://seon.io/

Daniel Cuc

REEVO Announces New Partnership with R. Franco Digital

Published

on

reevo-announces-new-partnership-with-r.-franco-digital

 

REEVO has announced a new partnership with R. Franco Digital, a leading provider of global gaming solutions and part of the renowned Orenes Group. The collaboration further strengthens REEVO’s growing aggregation ecosystem, expanding its content offering with the distinctive and well-established titles from one of the industry’s most respected suppliers.

Through this integration, R. Franco Digital’s portfolio will be available through the REEVO aggregation platform, giving operators seamless access to a broad range of engaging content through a single, efficient connection. The partnership reinforces REEVO’s mission to deliver scalable technology and diverse content that helps operators enhance their casino offering and reach new audiences across regulated markets.

For REEVO, the partnership represents another important step in expanding its aggregation network with studios that bring proven industry experience and high-quality entertainment to operators worldwide.

Daniel Cuc, Head of Account Management at REEVO, said: “Partnering with R. Franco Digital is a fantastic milestone for REEVO as we continue to expand our aggregation ecosystem with globally recognized providers. Their strong heritage, technical expertise, and reputation for delivering engaging gaming experiences make them an excellent addition to our platform. At REEVO, our goal is to give operators access to the most diverse and high-performing content available, and this partnership strengthens our ability to deliver exactly that.”

The collaboration highlights REEVO’s continued momentum as a trusted aggregation partner for leading operators and suppliers across the iGaming industry. By bringing together innovative studios and established gaming brands, REEVO continues to build a platform that combines reliability, scalability and high-value entertainment.

Javier Sacristán Franco, International Business Director at R. Franco Digital, said: “Partnering with an aggregator of REEVO’s technical caliber is a major milestone in our mission to bring R. Franco Digital’s unique entertainment experiences to a global audience. This integration allows us to leverage REEVO’s extensive reach, making our content more accessible to operators than ever before. We look forward to a successful collaboration as we continue expanding our digital footprint and bringing innovative content to new markets alongside such a dynamic partner.”

The post REEVO Announces New Partnership with R. Franco Digital appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Continue Reading

Betsson Group

Betsson Group shortlisted in 11 categories at the Italian Gaming Awards 2026

Published

on

betsson-group-shortlisted-in-11-categories-at-the-italian-gaming-awards-2026

 

Betsson Group has been shortlisted in 11 categories at the Italian Gaming Awards (IGA) 2026, taking place in Rome on 14 April as part of the Italian Gaming Expo & Conference (IGE) 2026, held on 14–15 April.

The awards celebrate excellence across the Italian gaming industry, recognising best practices, innovation and leadership. Winners are selected through an independent evaluation by a jury of industry experts via a dedicated voting process.

Betsson Group nominations include:

• Best Betting Operator – Betsson Group

• Best Casino Games Operator – StarCasinò

• Best Executive Leadership – Stefano Tino, Managing Director Southern Europe at Betsson Group

• Best Marketing Campaign – Betsson.Sport

• Best Mobile Operator – Betsson Group

• Customer Care – Betsson Group

• Diversity & Inclusion Award – Betsson Group

• ESG Compliance Award – Betsson Group

• HR Award: Employer of the Year – Betsson Group

• Operator of the Year – Betsson Group

• Responsible Gaming – Betsson Group

These nominations highlight Betsson Group’s continued focus on innovation, operational excellence and delivering a high-quality customer experience.

IGE 2026 brings together key stakeholders from across the Italian gaming ecosystem to explore the future of the industry, with a focus on technological innovation, sustainability and responsible growth.

Across two days, the conference will feature panels, discussions and networking opportunities involving representatives from institutions, ADM (Customs and Monopolies Agency), licensees, technology providers, associations and academia.

The post Betsson Group shortlisted in 11 categories at the Italian Gaming Awards 2026 appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Continue Reading

Blockchain

Blockchain.com Opens Malta Office to Anchor European Operations

Published

on

blockchain.com-opens-malta-office-to-anchor-european-operations

 

Blockchain.com announced the official opening of its Malta office, marking the next step in the company’s European expansion and its long-term commitment to building regulated digital asset infrastructure across the region.

The new office will serve as a strategic hub for Blockchain.com’s operations across Europe following the company securing its Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA) license from the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA). The license enables Blockchain.com to passport regulated crypto brokerage services across the European Economic Area under the EU’s first comprehensive digital asset regulatory framework.

“We didn’t pick Malta by accident. Malta has taken a thoughtful and forward-looking approach to digital asset regulation. At Blockchain.com, we’ve spent over a decade building a brand of trust and integrity, and we’re bringing that same professional-grade standard to users across Europe. This office represents our commitment to building trusted, compliant infrastructure for the crypto market,” said Nic Cary, Co-founder and Vice Chairman at Blockchain.com.

Blockchain.com’s Malta office will support a range of functions including regulatory engagement, operational development and retail client services across the European market. The company will soon launch its institutional business, partnering with some of the region’s leading licensed firms.

Blockchain.com operates in more than 70 jurisdictions worldwide. Since 2011, Blockchain.com has processed over $1.2 trillion in crypto transactions, created more than 90 million wallets and verified over 40 million users. As a global crypto brokerage, Blockchain.com provides individuals and institutions with secure access to digital assets while maintaining a strong commitment to compliance, transparency and security.

The post Blockchain.com Opens Malta Office to Anchor European Operations appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Continue Reading

Trending

Get it on Google Play

Fresh slot games releases by the top brands of the industry. We provide you with the latest news straight from the entertainment industries.

The platform also hosts industry-relevant webinars, and provides detailed reports, making it a one-stop resource for anyone seeking information about operators, suppliers, regulators, and professional services in the European gaming market. The portal's primary goal is to keep its extensive reader base updated on the latest happenings, trends, and developments within the gaming and gambling sector, with an emphasis on the European market while also covering pertinent global news. It's an indispensable resource for gaming professionals, operators, and enthusiasts alike.

Contact us: [email protected]

Editorial / PR Submissions: [email protected]

Copyright © 2015 - 2024 - Recent Slot Releases is part of HIPTHER Agency. Registered in Romania under Proshirt SRL, Company number: 2134306, EU VAT ID: RO21343605. Office address: Blvd. 1 Decembrie 1918 nr.5, Targu Mures, Romania