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Rising Bonus Abuse in Sports Betting: Fraudsters Leveraging Hidden AI Powered Bots

Published

2 months ago

August 25, 2025

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Reading Time: 4 minutes

As digitalisation sweeps through the industry, the sports betting market has flourished. Taking betting online has made the experience more accessible, convenient, and interactive than ever. Artificial intelligence (AI) has made a big splash in recent years, giving sportsbooks access to more detailed data analytics. AI doesn’t only benefit sportsbooks however, as fraudsters have taken advantage of the technology for more malicious purposes. If sportsbooks don’t take action now, they face rapid losses to their budgets.

Sportsbooks frequently invest in pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns to drive first-time depositors (FTDs), using promotions such as bonuses to attract new users. However, these bonuses are a prime target for fraudsters, who leverage advances in AI to exploit them—driving fake sign-ups that drain budgets without delivering genuine new players.

To accomplish this, bad actors program AI-powered bots to rapidly create new accounts and take advantage of promotions without ever generating a conversion on the site. Bot networks like this are detrimental to advertising budgets, being responsible for nearly 40% of click fraud according to FraudLogix.

Most sportsbooks have fraud management systems in place to intercept and block these bad actors during the sign-up process. However, this does not prevent bots from clicking on paid search ads in the first place, driving up costs and draining marketing budgets before fraud can even be detected.

Sportsbooks need to take it upon themselves to develop a proactive strategy to identify fraudulent engagement. Without a strategy in place, sportsbooks risk significant profit loss and distorted campaign metrics.

Evolving Fraud tactics

Sportsbooks have been reaping the rewards of digitalisation, but this increased success comes with a hidden cost. The success of the industry has drawn the attention of bad actors, and with AI they pose a bigger threat than ever. Bad actors can now program AI bots to convincingly behave as a human user would. Bots can then carry out repetitive tasks repeatedly, allowing fraudsters to create floods of them to interfere with campaigns.

The PPC campaigns utilised by sportsbooks are often targeted by bots which repeatedly click on these paid ads. This drives up ad revenue for the publisher drastically, as bots increase the overall customer acquisition costs (CACs).

To carry out an attack, fraudsters use hosting servers. These servers can be used to store large amounts of data. From here, bad actors can then disguise themselves using a residential Internet Service Provider (ISP) to blend in with other users. Bad actors can mask their real location by routing their connection through a different server. This is typically carried out by using a residential IP address through a residential proxy, making the fraudster appear like a legitimate user to trick systems.

Fraudsters are experts at covering their tracks, as they can program bots to delete their information and cookies after clicking on a paid ad. Bots can then carry out the task on repeat by switching to a different device to appear as a new user. Fraudulent clicks from bots increase market expenditure without leading to a legitimate conversion, draining resources, and diluting return on investment (ROI). The problem is plaguing the industry as bots are responsible for approximately 24% of all clicks according to Imperva, and the risk is only increasing.

Bots Taking Advantage of Paid Promotions

A great way for sportsbooks to capture a new audience is through one-time special promotions. Bonuses like these are a popular hook, and encourage players to keep betting, even after the bonus funds are used up. Most of these promotions are offered once per account, but fraudsters can use bots to manipulate the system. These bots are programmed to generate multiple fake accounts and abuse the bonus repeatedly. Funds intended to drive FTDs are then diverted by bots without delivering genuine value, significantly draining resources.

Fraudulent traffic negatively impacts future campaigns as bot activity skews metrics. An influx of bot activity provides marketers with false positive results. Sportsbooks will then mistakenly direct more funds to these campaigns, setting them up for future losses and more bot activity.

Legacy fraud tools typically concentrate on the sign-up stage, targeting and blocking fraud there. However, this tactic doesn’t stop bots from siphoning media spend beforehand. Differentiating between sophisticated bots and legitimate traffic is difficult for these tools, allowing fraudsters to act before they can be identified. Attacks are on the rise, and if sportsbooks fail to take the necessary precautions to protect themselves against fraudulent clicks, they face considerable losses.

Utilising Transparency to Tackle Fraud

To ensure marketing efforts aren’t wasted and first-time depositors can be reached, sportsbooks need a strategy in place to combat fraud. Sportsbooks should be analysing their traffic for any sign of potential bot activity before they suffer multiple losses.

Monitoring traffic allows sportsbooks to identify irregular engagement, such as high bounce or click rates, or traffic from suspicious locations. To identify bots before they can impact campaigns, sportsbooks should continuously monitor their traffic for anomalies like these so they can be dealt with.

Fake accounts run by bots are a growing problem for sportsbooks, therefore sportsbooks should deploy strong identity verification alongside a trusted partner. This prevents fraudsters from creating multiple accounts to exploit promotions by forcing them to prove their identity.

Sportsbooks can also set click frequency limits for users. Setting limits prevents a particular user from repeatedly clicking on the same paid ad campaign. Bots are especially vulnerable to this tactic, preventing them from driving up costs by blocking them with a click threshold.

Ending Bonus Abuse

Digitalisation has provided both opportunities and complex challenges for sportsbooks. The pivot towards online betting has presented sportsbooks with the chance to reach a whole new audience. However, sportsbooks can’t truly capitalise on this new opportunity as long as bots are draining budgets behind the scenes.

To protect their advertising investments, sportsbooks need to take action. Sportsbooks need to take control of their traffic and identify any bot activity before bad actors have the chance to take advantage. By taking an active role in their defence, sportsbooks can ensure their bonuses stay strictly in the hands of their real audience.

Article by Chad Kinlay, Chief Marketing Officer, TrafficGuard

A driven, open-minded, creative senior marketer with a strong sense of dedication and commitment. With over 15 years of progressive international experience in marketing and communications management, Kinlay has a credible history of commercial success.

The post Rising Bonus Abuse in Sports Betting: Fraudsters Leveraging Hidden AI Powered Bots appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Francesco Cuzzupoli

REEVO Goes Live with Microgame, Expanding Its Reach in Italy

Published

5 hours ago

October 29, 2025

Niji Narayan

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Reading Time: < 1 minute

REEVO has announced that its innovative portfolio of in-house games is now live with Microgame, one of Italy’s leading gaming service providers.

This partnership marks another significant milestone in REEVO’s expansion strategy, bringing its rapidly growing collection of original slot titles to Microgame’s extensive operator network. Known for its cutting-edge technology, immersive mechanics and distinctive themes, REEVO continues to redefine the online casino experience for players worldwide.

Italian operators and players will now gain access to some of REEVO’s most popular and engaging titles, including Bongo Safari, Her Genie Ways and Bullfighting Champion—games that blend striking visuals, fresh concepts and dynamic gameplay designed to captivate audiences.

Francesco Cuzzupoli, Gaming Product Director at Microgame, said: “With REEVO joining our portfolio, we strengthen Microgame’s ability to provide Italian operators with a diverse and high-quality offering. The vast selection of titles and the advanced architecture of REEVO’s platform represent an important competitive lever for us.”

Karl Grech, Head of Business Development at REEVO, said: “We’re delighted to officially go live with Microgame, a market leader in Italy with an impressive operator network. This collaboration is a powerful step forward in our mission to deliver exceptional content and aggregation solutions to operators globally. By combining REEVO’s innovative in-house games with Microgame’s deep local expertise, we’re confident players in Italy will enjoy a truly unique and next-level gaming experience.”

The post REEVO Goes Live with Microgame, Expanding Its Reach in Italy appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Ivelina Balova Product Owner at Sneaky Slots

Sneaky Slots reveals a bunch of freaks in its second release, Freak Show Revelation

Published

7 hours ago

October 29, 2025

George Miller

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Reading Time: 3 minutes

The show is about to begin… so find your seats, sit back and enjoy The Freak Show Revelation! B.T Parnum has gathered the freakiest freaks and created a program that is meant to shock the people! This is the second release from Sneaky Slots since the launch of Nip Tuck last month, with Gopnik and Gods Go Pew Pew up next!

Reel Area

The Freak Show unfolds across a 3-3-3-3-3 reel setup with a couple of sneaky Host tricks above the reel. Each linked to a Host symbol that can land anywhere on the reels. When a Host Symbol lands, the corresponding feature above the reel activates:

Host Multiplier: Awards a random Multiplier 5x, 10x, 25x and 50x.
The Generous Host: The Host will expand to cover the entire reel and acts like a wild.
Host Cash: Instant cash prize will be awarded and the Host will add a random multiplier between 2x and 10x.

xBomb®

Well, well, well… look what decided to make an surprise appearance! It’s one of Nolimit City’s iconic xMechanic, xBomb®, making its first ever appearance in another provider’s game!

In Freak Show Revelation, xBomb® explodes removing all adjacent symbols and increases the Multiplier for the next collapse.

Pick Your Bonus!

The beauty of this show is that get to choose between Heaven and Hell. Land 3 Bonus Symbols and choose between either the Heaven Spins or Hell Respins. Landing 4 Bonus Symbols will unlock the choice for the Super Variants of each bonus.

Heaven Spins

So, you think you have a good cocnscious. When selecting the Heaven Spins, you get 10 free spins. During this feature the Host activation increase in frequency. A single Bonus Symbol will activate Super Heaven Spins and will award +3 Spins.

Super Heaven Spins

The difference between Heaven and Super Heaven Spins is that the Host is guaranteed to land at least once in each spin.

Hell Respins

Maybe you’re feeling a little mischievous. When selecting the Hell Respins Bonus, you are award 3 respins where the only symbols that can land are; Multipliers between 1x-10x, Blank, Bonus and the Host.

When a multiplier lands on the reels, it’s value will be added to the current multiplier on top of the relevant reel.

Whenever the Host lands on any reel, he will double the value of the multiplier above that reel.

Landing a Multiplier or the Host will always award +1 respin. At the end of the feature all Multipliers will be added up and added to the bet.

Landing a single Bonus Symbol will upgrade Hell Respins to Super Hell Respins and award +2 respins. Super Hell Respins will also keep the collected Multipliers above the reels.

Super Hell Spins

The difference between Hell and Super Hell Respins is that in Super Hell Spins you start with 4 free respins . During Super Hell Spins whenever the Host lands it will triple the value of the Multipliers above that reel. Landing at least 1 Multiplier Symbol or Host will award +1 respin.

Sneaky Buy

Do you want the best seat in the house? The Sneaky Buy feature lets you jump straight into the action:

The Host – Guaranteed to land at least 1 Host symbol
Bonus – Guaranteed to land 3 Bonus Symbols and pick either Heaven Spins or Hell Respins
Super Bonus – Guaranteed to land 4 Bonus Symbols and pick either Super Heaven Spins or Super Hell Respins

Sneaky Boost

Sneaky Boost makes for an unforgettable performance in Freak Show Revelation.

Sneaky Boost is activated for 2 times the base bet, where there is an increased chance of triggering the Bonus rounds. Landing 1 or 2 active Sneaky Symbols in a spin trigger a normal bonus feature.

Super Sneaky Boost can be activated for 5 times the base bet for an increased chance of triggering the Super Bonus feature. Landing 1 Super Sneaky symbol will trigger a normal Bonus and landing 2 Super Sneaky symbols will trigger a Super Bonus.

The Stats

Max Win: 13,000x

Volatility: Extremely Volatile

Ivelina Balova, Product Owner at Sneaky Slots, said: “We’ve gotten great reception after our first release and now we’re looking to capitalise off that momentum. Freak Show Revelation has been in the works for a while, we have even changed the name a few times, but the Host? He has always been the star of the show. Sit back, enjoy the spectacle and keep an eye out for those easter eggs!”

‘Freak Show Revelation’ will be available to all Sneaky Slots partners on October 29th, 2025.

The post Sneaky Slots reveals a bunch of freaks in its second release, Freak Show Revelation appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

BGaming

Land Colourful Cluster Wins in BGaming’s Merge Up™ 2

Published

7 hours ago

October 29, 2025

George Miller

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Reading Time: 2 minutes

Rapidly expanding content provider delivers data-driven sequel to improve on popular hit

Popular iGaming content provider BGaming is proud to announce the release of Merge Up 2, the long-awaited sequel to the hugely popular cluster-pay title, Merge Up. The new release elevates the original’s gameplay mechanics and design, using data-driven insights and research to give players exactly what they want.

The company has collaborated with Strmlytics, which provided factual streaming data and direct feedback from the streaming community playing Merge Up. These insights have enabled BGaming to enhance gameplay without losing the charm and appeal of the original title.

This data-first approach has resulted in a visually modernised and polished slot experience. Merge Up 2 features an eye-pleasing pastel theme, with simplified visuals and mechanics that are now even easier for players to read.

Gameplay has seen the most significant enhancements. Cell Multipliers are now a central part of the base game, while consecutive clusters can trigger the all-new Bomb symbols, an idea inspired by a more rewarding experience compared to the original title.

Bonus features have also been made more accessible. The Free Spins bonus is triggered with three Scatters, as opposed to four, while three Bonus Buy options now offer different entry levels for players with a brand new bonus with maximum potential.

Merge Up 2 also boasts an explosive math model, offering a 10,000x maximum win and an impressive 98% RTP, enhancing the overall entertainment experience.

Yana Drabianok, Game Designer at BGaming, said, “We aimed to keep the merging mechanic as dynamic as before and make it even more engaging, but in the end, we knew the game must also have a heart. Merge Up 2 is more than a set of soulless features – it’s a game made with love for detail. We want the feeling of it to be precisely that of a game with a soul: with a smooth flow, understandable rhythm, instant readability, and pleasant “micro-rewards” at every step.

Sebastian Khalighy, CEO at Strmlytics, said, “We are delighted to work alongside BGaming again, and we are excited to see how players react to Merge Up 2. Our data, expertise and research identified key areas improvements of the original gaming experience focusing on improving the overall player experience, and we believe the final product addresses all of them, both for the fans of the original and also new players.

Data-driven insights and player research are going to play a key role in gaming development in the coming years, and titles like Merge Up 2 are an excellent example of what they are capable of helping to produce.”

The post Land Colourful Cluster Wins in BGaming’s Merge Up™ 2 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.