Bonus abuse has traditionally been viewed as an isolated player problem; a sporadic challenge conducted by standalone bad actors.
However, the reality is that there are many faces of bonus abuse. Indeed, EveryMatrix, which has published a white paper on the issue, outlines four types of bonus abuser.
A solo ‘bonus hunter’ uses throwaway accounts and quick cashouts with wagering loopholes, multi-accounting and bonus parking. The ‘sports trader’ exploits differences between bookmakers or bonus rollover rules to lock in risk-free profits with automated betting scripts and cross-book hedging. Meanwhile, the ‘insider’ is a marketing infiltrator who leverages traffic laundering, fake conversions and referral farming.
However, it is the fourth profile – the ‘syndicate’ – that is of particular concern to operators. This opponent is organised, coordinated and able to circumvent systems on an industrial scale – from cash-out networks and identity spoofing to IP farming and bot armies.
The challenge of syndicates
Leveraging AI and automation, such syndicates are increasingly sophisticated and technology-driven, and are thought to account for a significant proportion of the overall problem. Notably, fraud schemes are now the fastest-growing area of organised crime, according to Europol – and the transactions involved in the online betting and gaming space ensure it is ripe for targeting.
“What begins as a minor issue can escalate into significant financial losses in a very short time”
Research has found that iGaming fraud rates doubled between 2023 and 2025, with 83% of industry professionals reporting an increase in the activity over the previous year.
These facts counter the narrative that bonus abuse is an isolated problem and a predictable cost – and such dangerous complacency could have significant consequences for operators.
“Today, bonus abuse is highly organised and built to scale,” said Tetiana Dychenko, chief technical officer, casino at EveryMatrix. “These are no longer isolated individuals acting alone. They are coordinated groups with dedicated teams constantly monitoring promotions, probing for vulnerabilities, and rapidly exploiting any weakness they uncover.
“The moment a loophole is identified – whether in bonus terms, game mechanics, or onboarding processes – the information spreads quickly across the network. What begins as a minor issue can escalate into significant financial losses in a very short time.”
Organised and sophisticated
While bonus abuse has become increasingly difficult to detect through traditional methods, the scale of the challenge is amplified by organised syndicates.
Manual interventions to monitor and mitigate the problem have a negligible impact when the fraudsters have graduated to incorporate AI, automation and synthetic identities into their activities.
“The challenge is that no human team can realistically analyse thousands of behavioural signals across thousands of players in real time”
Nearly eight out of every 10 operators have noticed an increase in AI-driven fraud, while deepfake fraud rocketed from a negligible 0.03% in 2023 to 0.79% in 2024, according to Sumsub. Moreover, some markets are experiencing particularly sharp growth in deepfake fraud. In Brazil, for instance, such rates are five times higher than in the US, and 10 times higher than in Germany.
In this context, Dychenko explained that while traditional manual reviews may provide a sense of control, they are often one of the biggest weaknesses in an operator’s fraud prevention strategy.
“Modern bonus abuse is rarely obvious,” Dychenko added. “It’s not triggered by a single red flag, but by dozens of subtle behavioural indicators such as unusual gameplay activity, suspicious deposit patterns, abnormal bonus usage, or session timings that seem slightly inconsistent.
“On their own, these signals may appear harmless. But when combined, they can reveal a much larger pattern of abuse. The challenge is that no human team can realistically analyse thousands of behavioural signals across thousands of players in real time.”
Fighting organised fraud with AI
While AI is being leveraged to commit bonus abuse, it is also being harnessed to fight organised fraud in online betting and gaming. The challenge, however, is to strike the right balance, according to Stian Enger Pettersen, head of casino at EveryMatrix.
“You can combat bonus abusers by creating strict wagering requirements and restricting certain games, but this will affect genuine players as well, so it’s not a good way to go,” he said. “Static rules stop where the playbook ends, but AI keeps learning, spotting new patterns, adapting and meeting bonus abusers on the same technological level.”
Dychenko elaborated on the point, adding: “This is where AI becomes essential. It doesn’t replace manual reviews; it enhances them. By filtering data and surfacing the most relevant cases, AI allows teams to focus their attention where it matters most, rather than searching blindly for issues hidden within massive volumes of player activity.”
AI-driven anti-fraud tools such as Bonus Guardian from EveryMatrix are helping an increasing number of operators to combat a problem that is both financially and reputationally damaging. The solution identifies and flags up suspicious behaviour long before it would be noticed by human observers – and gives operators the opportunity to act in critical moments.
The solution delivers a context-aware approach that integrates with operator systems, including payment processing and player account management platforms. Unlike generic anti-fraud solutions, it has been purpose-built for the complexities of bonus abuse detection and prevention. By continuously learning from real-time player behaviour and transactional data, Bonus Guardian helps reduce manual workload while minimising false positives.
Acting at the right time
Traditionally, fraud prevention strategies have focused on anti-money laundering (AML) controls and Know Your Customer (KYC) verification. However, with more than three-quarters of European operators saying that fraud occurs after customers have registered, it is clear the challenge has extended beyond the onboarding phase.
“Bonus abuse is often linked primarily to welcome offers, and while onboarding is certainly a high-risk stage, the reality is that the abuse doesn’t end there,” Dychenko explained.
“Highly sophisticated players and organised groups continue targeting ongoing bonus campaigns, free spins promotions, different rewards and even newly launched games. In many cases, the most advanced forms of abuse emerge later in the player lifecycle, when accounts appear completely legitimate. These actors build credibility over time before exploiting vulnerabilities.
“That’s why focusing solely on onboarding creates significant risk. Operators need continuous monitoring throughout the entire player journey, from registration through to long-term engagement, because bonus abuse is not a single event. It’s an ongoing behavioural pattern.”
Adapting to the challenge
Such agility is needed considering the difficulty in predicting how and when fraudsters will act.
Adapting to the challenge is therefore essential, with fraudsters continuously seeking new ways to circumvent systems.
“Bonus Guardian is far more than a traditional fraud detection tool,” Pettersen said. “Powered by AI, it acts as an adaptive protection layer that continuously evolves to respond to emerging threats and increasingly sophisticated abuse tactics.”
As fraud networks become more AI-driven and organised, AI-powered behavioural intelligence platforms such as Bonus Guardian are set to play a crucial role in delivering measurable results for operators.
