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.

BetBlocker

New Turkish-language tool from BetBlocker extends service to 90 million additional people

Published

2 days ago

February 25, 2026

Wladimir P.

new-turkish-language-tool-from-betblocker-extends-service-to-90-million-additional-people

Gambling harm prevention charity BetBlocker today reveals the extension of their award-winning assistance into Turkish.

In 2025, BetBlocker saw a tremendous increase in support, with more than three hundred thousand individual users initiating a block throughout the year. This significant level of engagement has been made possible by the diverse array of languages into which the charity has translated its assistance.

Yesilay, the main Turkish support service, reports that requests for help with gambling are now surpassing those for alcohol, drugs, or tobacco, alongside significant uptake and harm among youth, making the launch of Turkish language support timely and relevant.

Founder and Trustee for BetBlocker, Duncan Garvie, offered these comments: “BetBlocker is genuinely excited to roll out our second language expansion of 2026.

We’ve experienced phenomenal uptake of the service over the last 12 months and figures hare steadily rising. One of the biggest drivers of that growth has been improving the accessibility of our support by meeting users where they are and offering support in the language that they’re most comfortable accessing in.

Alongside Turkey itself, there are substantial Turkish speaking communities across Europe, the Middle East and North America. It is our hope that this evolution of BetBlocker will ensure that a deeper level of support is available more widely across the Turkish diaspora.

BetBlocker would like to offer our deepest thanks to Fatmatuz Zehra Pehlivan, a Clinical Psychologist and researcher, who volunteers Green Cresent in the field of addiction treatment. Fatmatuz volunteered her time to help translate our app, and every Turkish language user we support owe her their thanks for the donation of her time and expertise.

As with many of the communities BetBlocker now supports, we would not be able to reach so many people without the kindness and generosity of field experts like Fatmatuz.”

The post New Turkish-language tool from BetBlocker extends service to 90 million additional people appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Anastasia Rimskaya Chief Account Officer at Aviatrix

Aviatrix Launches New Loot Boxes to Deepen Progression and Reward Paths

Published

2 days ago

February 25, 2026

Wladimir P.

aviatrix-launches-new-loot-boxes-to-deepen-progression-and-reward-paths

Aviatrix has launched a new Loot Box feature for its premier crash game, presenting collectible rewards, free bets, and progression bonuses aimed at boosting long-term player engagement.

Loot Boxes are granted through a daily rewards mechanism, with players obtaining them according to their in-game actions and advancement. Every box holds a variety of rewards, such as aircraft skins, complimentary bets, and aviation experience points.

The feature enhances Aviatrix’s developing loyalty system, providing players with fresh options to personalize their aircraft and earn rewards through continuous engagement.

Anastasia Rimskaya, Chief Account Officer at Aviatrix, said: “Loot Boxes are part of our wider vision for Aviatrix as a connected multi-game universe. As we expand our iGaming Metaverse, features like Loot Boxes add another meaningful layer to how players build their profile, customise their aircraft and earn rewards across the ecosystem.”

Unveiled in February, the Aviatrix iGaming Metaverse signifies the supplier’s shift from a standalone crash game to an integrated multi-title ecosystem.

Starting with the imminent debut of Aviatrix Second Chance and continuing with upcoming titles like Aviatrix Fruits and Aviatrix Mines, every game will utilize a single integrated player profile, progression system, and rewards and achievements framework.

The post Aviatrix Launches New Loot Boxes to Deepen Progression and Reward Paths appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Alec Gehlot Chief Executive Officer at PlaySignal

PlaySignal Debuts: Alec Gehlot’s New Sophisticated Responsible Gaming Platform

Published

2 days ago

February 25, 2026

Wladimir P.

playsignal-debuts:-alec-gehlot’s-new-sophisticated-responsible-gaming-platform

Alec Gehlot, previous senior executive at Optimove, has introduced PlaySignal, a responsible gaming platform aimed at assisting operators in identifying and addressing player risk promptly.

PlaySignal employs a traffic-light system featuring green, amber, and red signals to steer player conduct and indicate when behaviors start to enter higher-risk areas. The platform seeks to minimize avoidable exclusions by offering operators enhanced visibility of rising risks, while simultaneously giving players more understanding of how their actions are evaluated.

Leveraging behavioural analytics, PlaySignal tracks player actions during gameplay and displays information as distinct signals. This allows teams to act earlier and react more appropriately as risk evolves.

The product connects with current operator systems to assist responsible gaming, CRM, and compliance teams by providing a unified view of activities, encouraging a more uniform strategy among teams as regulatory demands grow in important markets.

Building on his time at Optimove, where he collaborated with operators on segmentation, retention, and user engagement, Gehlot recognized a demand for innovative tools to enhance player protection as regulatory and tax pressures mount in regulated markets.

The company launched PlaySignal at ICE earlier this year, where it was a contender in the Innovators Challenge, and initiated talks with operators in various markets. The initial launch will concentrate on the UK prior to global expansion.

Alec Gehlot, Chief Executive Officer at PlaySignal, said: “Regulation and taxation are only moving in one direction, and operators need new tools to adapt. Player protection can no longer be treated as a compliance obligation; it has to become a competitive differentiator.

“Regulated operators are under real pressure, particularly in the UK, and we believe giving them earlier visibility of risk is essential not just for protection, but for long-term sustainability.”

The post PlaySignal Debuts: Alec Gehlot’s New Sophisticated Responsible Gaming Platform appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.