Smart tech can drive fight against gambling harm, AML risks
A smart system supporting an iGaming platform is increasingly being seen as a useful tool in addressing problem gambling and financial crime, as operators face growing pressure to detect harmful behaviour earlier and respond in real time.
When it comes to harmful behaviour, money laundering remains one such major concern in iGaming. Estimates from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and Financial Action Task Force (FATF) consistently place money laundering at two to five percent of global GDP, equating to $800 billion to $2 trillion annually.
There is growing recognition across the industry that problem gambling, AML, and player privacy may be better approached as interconnected risks, rather than separate challenges.
Speaking exclusively to SiGMA News at the Global Game Connect in Sri Lanka, Satyam Dubey, an iGaming consultant and white-label solution provider, pointed to a shift already underway, from static rules-based systems towards real-time behavioural monitoring.
Identifying the ‘problem player’
Defining a “problem player” is often less straightforward than it appears. According to Dubey, such users are typically identified through inconsistent financial behaviour.
“We can help operators build platforms that can identify these players, restrict their activity, and send them notifications… that way, those players can be identified and prevented from making further losses,” Dubey noted.
He stressed, “These players often do frequent deposits with short intervals, losing, chasing losses, they have done a very big loss, and then they deposit a huge amount again and keep betting.”
Industry studies find that only a small number of users are high-risk, but these users cause most of the losses and risk for operators.
Moving beyond static rules
Platforms are now expected to spot these warning signs early and step in before losses grow. Dubey notes that a key upgrade in backend systems can help operators move away from fixed thresholds towards dynamic monitoring.
“One must always believe in real-time clarity rather than relying on static rules,”
– Satyam Dubey, iGaming Consultant
He explained that advanced detection systems now track different behavioural indicators, like how often deposits are made and how long sessions last, in real time. When these systems spot ongoing risk patterns, they send alerts so operators can respond quickly. This shift shows a major industry change, since older rule-based models are no longer enough to handle the complexity of modern fraud and the challenges of high-volume transactions.
Balancing monitoring with privacy
As tracking what players do grows, so do concerns about keeping data safe and ensuring users trust the system. And so, observers note that tracking should only cover transactions and how people play games.
“A strong system must track transactions and gameplay patterns, but not personal conversations or unnecessary personal data. The goal is to detect risk through statistical patterns,” he added.
Operators typically receive risk warnings instead of full personal profiles, and all data is protected by coding that meets higher standards.
Patterns mask financial crime
One of the more complex challenges is the overlap between compulsive gambling behaviour and financial manipulation. He outlined a typical scenario where funds are deposited, low-risk bets are placed to mimic legitimate activity, and access is then shared for withdrawal elsewhere, effectively using the platform as a transfer channel.
“Users may place very low-risk bets before withdrawing funds. At first glance, this may appear to be unusual gambling behaviour, but it can indicate transactional laundering,” Dubey warned. “Without tracking login geography, device consistency, and withdrawal destinations, such activity can be difficult to detect,” he added.
A unified approach to risk
According to Dubey, the solution lies in integrating AML into the broader responsible gambling framework. Operators are increasingly required to account not only for player welfare but also for the financial integrity of every transaction moving through their platforms.
For experts, the two responsibilities have always pointed toward the same place. “Financial integrity and player protection are increasingly interconnected,” he said. “You cannot separate them and expect either to work properly.” Whether the broader industry moves in that direction at pace remains to be seen. But the data, as experts puts it, is already there.
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