How bonus fraud has evolved into a high-tech arms race
Bonus abuse is one of iGaming’s most persistent and misjudged problems. It lies at the nexus of player behaviour, technology, promotion design, and fraud, costing the business billions per year. However, for many operators, it is still a “black box”, something they know is negatively impacting profits but find difficult to identify, forecast, or manage.
Ed Dickerson, Director of Product – Greco (Gameplay Risk Management) at Fast Track, shares his insights in an exclusive interview with SiGMA News during the ICE Barcelona Summit 2026 in Spain. He discusses bonus abuse strategies have stayed the same despite advances in technology, why gameplay data is the most reliable indicator, and how operators need to shift from reactive measures to smarter, player-level decisions. He warns that overly strict controls risk driving players to the black market and stresses that the real challenge lies in understanding player value as much as tackling fraud.
Organised fraud networks
The same promotional mechanics: deposit matches, free spins, cashback offers still underpin player exploitation today just as they did years ago. What has changed is everything surrounding those mechanics.
Dickerson explains by utilising Artificial Intelligence (AI), changing payment methods, and increasingly sophisticated tools, fraudsters are now able to react as quickly as operators.
Emerging markets, where operational sophistication lags, are particularly vulnerable. Dickerson adds, “What changes is everything around it, the technology, the fraud processes, the verification and when there’s a big gap in sophistication, that’s when you see huge explosions of bonus abuse.”
The cat-and-mouse game
Operators are still underestimating how quickly fraudsters adopt the same technologies meant to stop them. AI-driven detection systems are now commonplace, but so are AI-driven countermeasures.
Each time the industry closes one door, abusers shift to another: from e-wallets like Skrill and PayPal to challenger banks such as Monzo and Revolut; from basic device spoofing to more advanced fingerprinting evasion. Yet throughout all this change, one thing stays constant: the underlying gameplay behaviour.
Dickerson explains, “It’s always been a cat-and-mouse game, the bonus abusers move, the operators follow, and then the abusers move again.”
Gameplay as the true signal
Device fingerprinting, identity verification, and payment analysis are essential but they are not enough. According to Dickerson, these tools primarily stop traditional fraud, not bonus abuse. A player can spoof devices, IPs, identities, and even payment methods. What they cannot reliably spoof is how they play.
Gameplay reveals intent. Whether the player is a seasoned abuser, a casual user who has “figured it out”, or even a VIP exhibiting overlapping behaviours, the mathematical reality of their actions remains consistent.
Dickerson observes, “You can look completely genuine from a fraud perspective. But you can’t spoof your gameplay, the way you play always shows what you’re trying to do.”
Engagement over outcomes
Fast Track’s risk engine focuses on theoretical value rather than outcomes. Bonuses do not have a single fixed value, their value changes depending on how each player uses them.
A casual player may convert a welcome bonus at 10 percent, a VIP at 50 percent, and a skilled bonus abuser at 90 percent. It is behaviour, not luck, that makes the difference. Operators can now determine the actual cost of their promotions by computing the notional, long-term expected value of a bonus based on gameplay patterns.
With the release of True Value, Fast Track can now enable operators to manage their bonus strategy with precision budgeting, smarter player selection, and early detection.
Dickerson adds, “One bonus doesn’t have a single value. The value changes for every player based on how they play it.”
Identity and market gaps
Crypto casinos, once the “Wild West” of bonus abuse, are tightening controls by incentivising verification. Without some form of identity control, even a small bonus value becomes infinitely exploitable through automated account creation.
Regulatory environments, market maturity, and operator philosophy all influence the appropriate action. Some jurisdictions allow confiscation; others do not. Some operators prefer deterrence, others education.
Greco’s role, Dickerson describes, is to surface accurate, real-time intelligence so operators can automate or escalate actions based on their own risk appetite.
Building a sustainable player ecosystem
Poor understanding of bonus abuse often leads to overcorrection. Withdrawal freezes, excessive wagering requirements, restricted payment methods, and confusing bonus exclusions hurt everyone, especially genuine players.
Dickerson argues that these knee-jerk reactions degrade player experience and drive users towards the black market, where friction is lower and UX is often better.
Dickerson stresses that “Good players and bad players all get affected. Players don’t stop gambling, they just go somewhere else.”
The future: Smarter signals, not final victories
Fraud never disappears. It adapts. Abusers blend in using real devices, bank accounts, and identities shifting into blind spots. Operators who base their tactics on gameplay intelligence and expected value rather than following surface-level signals will be the ones who succeed.
According to Dickerson, “You never completely win this game. You just remove the weakest forms of fraud and push it into your blind spot. The key is knowing what to expect from your bonuses and spotting very quickly when something isn’t behaving the way it should.”
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