Sumsub’s internal findings from 2023 to Q1 2024, showcase popular fraud schemes in online casinos and betting platforms
Sumsub today released its 2024 iGaming Fraud Report, with updated identity fraud numbers and predictions for the industry. According to findings, the most popular fraud schemes in the iGaming industry are bonus abuse, affiliate fraud, illegitimate chargebacks, money laundering and account takeovers.
Key findings of Sumsub’s 2024 iGaming Fraud Report include:
~ Between 2022 and 2024, fraud in the online gaming sector increased 64% year-over-year on average.
~ By country, Bangladesh leads the fraud charts in Q1 2024 with a whopping 8.5% of all applicants being fraudsters, followed by Indonesia (8%), South Korea (6.6%), Pakistan (6.1%), and Bosnia and Herzegovina (6%).
~ Selfie mismatch is the most frequent type of fraud attack in gaming, representing 73% of all detected fraud in Q1 2024.
~ AI-powered deepfake scams are advancing at unprecedented rates, having grown 10x between 2022-2023.
~ Money muling remains the most widespread fraud scheme.
“Due to the growth of sophisticated scams and increase in the overall fraud rates in the iGaming industry, simple KYC checks are no longer a guarantee of players’ genuine personas and platforms’ robust protection,” explains Kris Galloway, Head of iGaming Product at Sumsub. “To ensure companies best avoid fraud scenarios and remain safe and compliant, they must deploy user identity verification at the onboarding stage in addition to betting pattern analysis and ongoing transaction monitoring.”
According to Statista, in 2024, the revenue of the online gambling market is expected to exceed $100B. By 2029, the number of users is predicted to reach 281.3M globally. Between 2022 and 2023, fraud losses for mobile casinos and betting platforms totaled $1.2B. With regulations becoming stricter, leading to millions in fines paid by iGaming platforms every year and license revocations, it is obvious that businesses that choose to settle for minimal defenses will likely suffer heavy financial and reputational losses.
“A combined approach is the best bet against advanced iGaming fraud. Every step of the user lifecycle must be protected—from initial sign-ups to the withdrawal stage. That involves KYC, behavioral intelligence, device fingerprinting, database checks, and more. Sumsub combines all the necessary checks within its full-cycle verification platform tailored to the needs of gaming platforms and operators, ensuring advanced fraud protection and a smooth player journey”, adds Andrew Novoselsky, CPO at Sumsub.
The content of the report is based on detailed statistics and analysis of current fraud incidents (all internal data was aggregated and anonymized). iGaming and identity fraud experts from Sumsub and company partners also share their predictions for the industry, highlighting complex challenges related to different fraud schemes and practical measures needed to prevent them and protect businesses. To download the report for free, please visit https://sumsub.com/igaming-fraud-report/
