Industry News

As Online Gambling Legalization Expands, So Do Scams and Regulatory Issues

Published

6 years ago

January 30, 2020

iovation research finds large rise in bonus abuse, credit card fraud and self-exclusion reports

iovation, a TransUnion company, today released its 2020 iGaming Report. Now in its fourth year, the report analyzes more than four billion global online gambling transactions iovation screened for fraud indicators over the past 15 years.

Among the findings, bonus abuse was the number one reported fraud by iovation’s iGaming customers for the third year in a row, rising 72% from 2018 to 2019 (pg. 10). Gambling bonuses often include giving a new player house money to gamble or existing customers incentives to play more. Bonus abusers then use multiple accounts with different email addresses in order to claim the same bonus sometimes hundreds of times, which is often against gambling operators’ terms.

“Deposit bonuses can be a valuable tool for attracting and retaining players,” said Greg Pierson, TransUnion’s senior vice president of business planning and development. “Unfortunately, a few bad apples can abuse otherwise effective programs to the point of eliminating all their value.”

Another key trend in the report was the rise in self-exclusion (pg. 12). iovation received over 363,000 reports of player self-exclusion in 2019, a 63% increase over 2018. Self-exclusion is when a player admits they have a gambling problem and tells an operator not to allow them to gamble. The operator is now legally obligated to ensure the player does not resume gambling activities. In many instances a self-excluded gambler tries to set up a new account, many times with the information of another family member, when they have a change of heart. Or fraudsters set up a new account using a stolen credit card, deposit funds using that card and then self-exclude before the chargeback – a forced transaction reversal initiated by the cardholder’s bank.

“When looking at devices and accounts associated with self-exclusion reports in 2019, we saw eight times (three million) the number of devices and three times (1.2 million) the number of accounts in comparison to reports of self-exclusion. This paints a clear picture that those who self-exclude are not always walking away,” said Angie White, iovation product marketing manager. “Having multiple devices and accounts linked to self-exclusion reports could point to a self-excluded player trying to use another device to set up a new account or something more problematic like a fraud ring.”

Other key findings in the report include:

Credit Card Fraud Continues Climb: iovation iGaming customers reported a 37% growth in credit card fraud from 2018 to 2019. While operators look to stop credit card fraud, consumers expect reduced transaction reviews and unnecessary step-up authentication with their credit card transactions. (pg. 11)
Significant Majority of Transactions go Mobile: 79% of all iGaming transactions came from mobile phones and tablets in 2019, an increase of 13% over 2018. It’s clear consumers expect a mobile-first experience. (pg. 6)

“Providing a secure and friction-right mobile experience to onboard new players has never been more important for competing effectively in the iGaming market with new countries and states seemingly legalizing online gambling every week,” said Pierson.

Download iovation’s 2020 iGaming Report. To discuss it in person Feb. 4-6, visit iovation at the ICE London gaming technology event, stand N9-500. For more details about the findings, register for the Feb. 19 2020 iGaming Report webinar.

About TransUnion (NYSE: TRU):

TransUnion is a global information and insights company that makes trust possible in the modern economy. We do this by providing a comprehensive picture of each person so they can be reliably and safely represented in the marketplace. As a result, businesses and consumers can transact with confidence and achieve great things. We call this Information for Good.®

A leading presence in more than 30 countries across five continents, TransUnion provides solutions that help create economic opportunity, great experiences and personal empowerment for hundreds of millions of people.

About iovation:

iovation, a TransUnion Company, was founded with a simple guiding mission: to make the Internet a safer place for people to conduct business. Since 2004, the company has been delivering against that goal, helping brands protect and engage their customers, and keeping them secure in the complex digital world. Armed with the world’s largest and most precise database of reputation insights and cryptographically secure multifactor authentication methods, iovation safeguards tens of millions of digital transactions each day.

AI

Tugi Tark whitepaper puts AI iGaming support at €0.15 per ticket

Published

9 hours ago

May 6, 2026

Wladimir P.

tugi-tark-whitepaper-puts-ai-igaming-support-at-e0.15-per-ticket

Tugi Tark has released a 2026 whitepaper, The economics of AI-powered iGaming customer support, arguing that AI changes the unit economics of player support and can reduce costs compared with human-led operations.

The report cites “verified pricing” of EUR 0.15 per AI-handled ticket. It compares that with fully loaded employer costs for human support in Romania and Bulgaria of EUR 1.73 to EUR 1.88 per ticket. At a “realistic” 70% AI containment rate, the whitepaper claims a blended cost of about EUR 0.67 per ticket, which it describes as roughly a 64% reduction versus a human-only baseline of EUR 1.88.

Tugi Tark says its analysis draws on Eurostat 2024 labour cost data, published research on AI chatbot benchmarks, independent iGaming player behaviour research, and operational data from its own deployments. The company estimates operators can achieve a 55% to 75% reduction in total support expenditure, and argues AI can absorb volume spikes—such as during major sporting events—without additional hiring or training lag.

Harpo Lilja, founder and CEO of TUgi Tark, said: “In 2026, the ‘wait-and-see’ approach to AI is costing operators millions in unnecessary overhead. We aren’t just talking about chatbots; we’re talking about a fundamental shift in the unit economics of player retention.”

The whitepaper also frames customer support as a retention lever, stating that payment issues account for 52% of ticket volume and that slower response times drive churn. It claims a 0.5 percentage point churn reduction could retain an additional 500 players per month for a mid-sized operator, translating to €200,000 in annual revenue based on an assumed €400 Player Lifetime Value. Tugi Tark also claims AI agents average ~7 seconds for first response versus ~60 seconds for human agents, and outlines use cases across Responsible Gambling escalation, KYC/AML workflows, and GDPR-aligned data sovereignty.

The post Tugi Tark whitepaper puts AI iGaming support at €0.15 per ticket appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Game Development

Games Global outlines May slot roadmap with Snowborn, AreaVegas and Just For The Win

Published

10 hours ago

May 6, 2026

Wladimir P.

games-global-outlines-may-slot-roadmap-with-snowborn,-areavegas-and-just-for-the-win

Games Global has published its May content roadmap, highlighting new slot releases from Snowborn Games, AreaVegas Games and Just For The Win, and a continued push to reuse established mechanics across its studio network.

The supplier said Area Link and Power Combo will feature prominently in May’s launches. AreaVegas Games’ Area Link Chilli uses six chilli symbols above the reels tied to bonus modifiers that can trigger individually or together, including cash prizes and fixed jackpots, multipliers, instant collectors and value boosters.

Games Global also pointed to Just For The Win’s Bison Ridge Power Combo, where Link&Win is combined with Power Combo to create what it described as a more varied bonus structure.

Snowborn Games’ Volcanic Fortune is positioned around bonus modifiers such as collectors and multipliers, plus a Treasure Chest meter designed to build towards higher-value bonus outcomes.

David Reynolds, Director of Games Strategy and Partner Management at Games Global, said: “Our studios bring the craft, and May’s roadmap puts that on full display. It’s built around extending global franchises into new titles across our network, which is how we deliver breadth without compromising quality. The result is a pipeline that gives operators choice and players variety.”

The post Games Global outlines May slot roadmap with Snowborn, AreaVegas and Just For The Win appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

charity-lotteries

ZEAL posts 6% Q1 2026 revenue growth as EBITDA dips on investment spend

Published

10 hours ago

May 6, 2026

Wladimir P.

zeal-posts-6%-q1-2026-revenue-growth-as-ebitda-dips-on-investment-spend

ZEAL Network SE reported higher first-quarter 2026 revenue despite what it described as a weak jackpot environment, while profitability softened as the company increased investment. Revenue rose 6% year-on-year to €54.3 million (2025: €51.1 million). EBITDA fell to €15.5 million from €17.7 million.

“The first quarter of 2026 shows that we are consistently executing our strategy even in a weak jackpot environment: our core business is growing, and we have continued to invest in diversifying our business model,” says Andrea Behrendt, CFO of ZEAL. “Through targeted investments in new charity lotteries such as the Dream Car Raffle, we are laying the foundation for sustainable growth that is less dependent on jackpot cycles. The slightly lower EBITDA compared to the previous year is primarily a reflection of these measures.”

In the core lottery segment, ZEAL said average monthly active users increased 5% to 1,575 thousand (2025: 1,507 thousand), while new registrations climbed 11% to 274 thousand (2025: 247 thousand). Lottery billings edged up 1% to €268.0 million (2025: €264.7 million). The lottery gross margin improved to 17.8% (2025: 17.1%), with lottery revenue up 5% to €48.7 million (2025: €46.3 million).

ZEAL also used Q1 to prepare a new in-house charity lottery product. The company said it launched the Traumautoverlosung (English name: Dream Car Raffle) on 14 April 2026, its third charity lottery in Germany after freiheit+ and the Dream House Raffle.

In Games, ZEAL reported revenue up 14% to €3.9 million (2025: €3.4 million) after expanding its B2C portfolio to more than 740 titles. ZEAL said higher marketing costs (+13%) and personnel expenses (+21%) reflected continued investment in scaling charity lotteries and Games alongside the core lottery business.

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