How online casinos protect your data and cash

Tamas Kadar, CEO of SEON, tells Comparasino how his company helps online casinos tackle hackers and fraudsters and protect player data and cash

When playing online casino, you might be worried about the personal information and data you must provide when signing up for an account. You might also be worried about the security of your transaction when depositing and withdrawing. 

And why wouldn’t you be worried? We live in an age of cyber attacks and hacks, identity theft and fraud. 

The good news is that online casinos licensed by the Gambling Commission are required to put certain measures in place to protect your data and cash. This includes ensuring your data is stored in a digital fortress and that the payments you make can’t be intercepted by cybercriminals and fraudsters. 

To meet these requirements, most online casinos partner with specialist technology companies such as SEON as this is the most effect way to protect data and cash. To learn more about how these companies are helping your favourite brands protect your data and cash, we spoke to SEON Chief Executive Officer, Tamas Kadar. 

Online casino players are rightfully worried about the security of their personal data and the money they deposit into their wagering accounts. How do you help online casinos, and iGaming providers, protect this?

Data security is a significant concern right now. In the past decade, people have grown increasingly aware of the potential for their personal identifiable information (PII) to be stolen or misused online. This concern is particularly relevant in online casinos and iGaming, as it’s an area that fraudsters target. That’s why it’s essential for iGaming providers to ensure they provide robust data security to prevent fraud from occurring.

With SEON, iGaming companies get end-to-end protection against these risks, which helps to put customers and regulators at ease. Our solution leverages robust Know Your Customer (KYC) checks that enable the verification of new players to prevent identity theft, real-time activity monitoring to detect fraudulent behaviour, as well as the implementation of Anti-Money Laundering (AML) to check individuals against Politically Exposed Persons (PEP) and other watchlists to manage risk.

One of the things that makes SEON different is how we work to identify fraudsters. We utilise device fingerprinting and IP analysis to detect potential fraudsters by analysing their device characteristics and connection data. This is further enhanced with our digital footprint analysis, which uses data from digital and social networks to further validate user legitimacy and ensure that people can’t sign up for services with details that aren’t their own.

With SEON, iGaming companies also use real-time transaction monitoring that allows them to observe transaction patterns and behaviours to quickly spot and respond to suspicious activities. Best of all, this comes with the added benefit of customisable fraud detection rules and scores, enabling companies to create rules specific to the iGaming sector to identify and mitigate unique risks more effectively.

What threats do online casinos actually face when it comes to the player data and money they hold?

Identity theft and account takeovers (ATOs) are two of the most prominent issues faced by online casinos. Both attack forms involve the illicit leveraging of personal player data. Identity theft occurs when fraudsters steal players’ personal information to either create new accounts or hijack existing ones. Account takeover attacks refer to unauthorised individuals gaining access to and manipulating existing player accounts. Both are big threats, but not the only challenges facing iGaming providers today.

How has the threat landscape evolved in recent years? What are the biggest threats today?

In recent years, the threat landscape has become more sophisticated with advancements in technology and shifts in online behaviour. One notable trend has been the rise of bonus abuse and multi-accounting attacks. These types of fraud are relatively unique to the online casino sector and are increasingly exacerbated as the market becomes more saturated, with providers digging deeper to incentivise new customer sign-ups.

Fraudsters are constantly on the lookout for these welcome bonuses, but not because they want to sign up to iGaming services to play. Instead, they’re looking to exploit offers and claim bonuses and incentives that are available as one-time offers to new players only. If fraudsters are able to do this repeatedly, companies can quickly find themselves stuck between a rock and a hard place, required to either drop the offer or take the financial hit.

Today, bonus abuse costs the online gaming industry around 15% of its total gross revenue. At SEON, we work with major operators to help them to clamp down on this pressing concern. Recently, we partnered with a company and after just a few days, the ruleset we created for them stopped 30,000 bonus abusers from registering on their platform.

How does SEON’s technology help protect against these threats?

SEON is helping online casino operators protect themselves from a range of fraud and cybersecurity threats. Our technology is a game-changer in protecting iGaming operators from the issue of bonus abuse. Our solution scrutinises players’ digital footprints and spots red flags through such technologies as the use of VPNs, proxies, and Tor networks, that suggest attempts to mask identity and location.

SEON employs device fingerprinting to prevent the creation of multiple fraudulent accounts from the same hardware, targeting those who might manipulate systems to exploit bonus offers. Additionally, we monitor user behaviour for signs of fraud in real-time. These capabilities are bolstered by advanced identity verification processes, which make it much harder for scammers to scale their schemes.

Finally, we implement dynamic friction within our system, which can adjust the level of scrutiny based on the risk posed by a user’s actions, and sophisticated data analytics and machine learning. Built around powerful AI and Machine Learning technologies, SEON continuously refines its ability to detect and prevent fraud, ensuring that gaming platforms can safeguard their revenues while maintaining a fair play environment.

What actions can online casino players take to protect their data and cash?

Like with any online interaction these days, it’s always important to remain vigilant whenever disclosing personal information online. Perhaps the most basic, but effective measure, is the use of strong and unique passwords. A concerning amount of people still use the same passwords for multiple online accounts, which makes it far easier for fraudsters and opens individuals up to much more damaging fraud attacks.

It’s also wise for players to routinely monitor their account activity for any signs of unauthorised transactions or alterations, which can be early indicators of a breach. Finally, players should be vigilant against phishing attempts, which are often used as the first step in a much larger fraud attack. By adhering to these practices, players can not only enjoy their online casino play but also protect their financial and personal information from these threats.