Fraud Prevention in Sports Betting: Current Strategies and Challenges

By Snehel Bhatt 16 Min Read

Are you searching for the best blog on fraud prevention in sports betting? You have found the right place so look further no more. This blog covers all the important aspects of sports betting fraud and more.

Would you like to explore and get more insights?

Read along to uncover.

The Growing Concern of Fraud in Sports Betting

Studies, predictions and the shift from manual input to automation processes point to a brighter future for the sports betting industry.

Studies show that from 2024 to 2032, the use of betting apps will witness exponential growth. Market Research Future estimates a market size of about $173.87 billion in 2032.

However, as the market continues to flourish, attracting and engaging lots of investors and players, it becomes a target for sports betting fraudsters.

Common Types of Fraud in Sports Betting and Their Impact

Online gambling frauds are illegal activities to defraud or cheat either the players or online betting platforms. It also involves any activities by fraudsters that are against the governing rules of online gambling.

The common types of betting fraud include;

Account Takeover Online Betting Fraud

This is a very common fraud in sports betting apps and websites. It occurs when a third party gains access to a betting account. Usually, this occurs by stealing their login credentials, social engineering or by phishing scams.

The impacts of such events may include loss of funds and the stealing of personal user information.

Account Takeover Fraud Prevention In Sports Betting

There are some important steps to prevent OTA from happening. These include;

  • Implementing the use of strong passwords

According to Microsoft Support, strong passwords should be 14 or at least 14 characters long. It should combine with lowercase, and uppercase letters, including the use of numbers and symbols.

  • It is not advisable, nor is it a best practice for strong passwords to be names of persons, dates of birth, or characters. It should also not be the name of a product, a city or an organisation.
  • Enabling multi-factor authentication

Another method of preventing fraud in sports betting sites is implementing the multi-factor authentication security feature.

This entails that there is more than one way to log in to the betting app. It may include SMS, Email and WhatsApp verification as well as Google or other authenticator apps.

  • Monitoring their account activity regularly

Account takeover fraud prevention may also be enabled by constantly monitoring account activities.

This can be done by the user account owner who may put some monitoring measures in place. For example, linking emails to receive automated notifications for every login.

Bonus Abuse Online Betting Fraud

This is also known as promo abuse fraud in sports betting and it happens when there is an exploitation of terms and conditions for bonus offers.

The betting fraudster looks out for an offer and takes unfair and undue advantage. For example, a malicious user may open and own multiple accounts.

Bonus Abuse Online Betting Fraud Prevention In Sports Betting

The most effective preventive measure for this online gambling fraud is on the sportsbook operators. They have to put some type of limitations or restrictions on bonuses per IP address. 

While this has been implemented, they need to also put some modern technologies in place for automatic monitoring of player activities.

Credit Card Online Betting Fraud

Another online gambling fraud may take the form of credit card fraud. This is very common in online sports betting as most risks of sports betting fraud target the stealing of credit card details.

Once they get hold of credit card details from their victims, they use them for either deposits or withdrawals.

Credit Card Online Betting Fraud Prevention In Sports Betting

Once the user suspects malicious activities or cases of unauthorised log-in on their betting app accounts, they should quickly report to the admin or contact their banking institution to block transactions using their credit cards.

Bot Online Betting Fraud

So, here is how this one big fraud in online sports betting. Betting apps are created for humans to sign up, enter some important details and use the app for bet wagering.

However, some people create or deploy the use of betting bots or scripts and automate their whole betting process. These bots or scripts can infiltrate some aspects of betting, like virtual sports betting, study the algorithms and find ways to cheat the system.

Bot Online Betting Fraud Prevention In Sports Betting

Sports betting platforms can prevent such fraud in sports betting apps by deploying advanced tools for identifying bots. When these bots and the accounts they are attached to are identified, the sports book operators suspend them immediately.

Strategies for Fraud Prevention in Sports Betting

The prevalent growth of online gambling practices around the world makes the need for robust fraud prevention strategies in sports betting more critical. Let us look at some very important approaches for sports betting fraud prevention.

Understanding the Landscape of Fraud in Sports Betting

Fraud in sports betting takes many forms. These can go from sophisticated schemes exploiting regulatory loopholes to simple betting app scams. The rise of online platforms has only intensified these risks, making it crucial for stakeholders to stay vigilant and proactive.

But first, they need to seek reliable knowledge on the nature, trends and solutions of sports betting frauds. Understanding the landscape will give them insights and help in shaping their solutions towards preventing fraud.

Utilising Advanced Technology for Sports Betting Fraud Detection and Prevention

One of the most powerful strategies for fraud prevention in sports betting involves leveraging cutting-edge technology. Operators are increasingly investing in three things for best results.

These are;

  • Machine learning algorithms for carrying out analysis of different and changing betting patterns of users.
  • Real-time monitoring systems to effectively flag all suspicious activities in the betting apps to take quick action.
  • Deploying the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools to predict and prevent fraudulent behaviours.

These are all modern technologies that make it possible for sportsbook operators to implement modern fraud-preventing solutions in sports betting.

The tools can also gather and analyse vast amounts of data very quickly and automatically. With this, they can easily identify any potential threats and take the required action at the right time before they escalate further.

Transparency and Building Trust in the Betting Ecosystem

In this case, communication plays a major role as it is essential in combating online gambling fraud.  

Thus, all online betting platforms should establish clear channels of communication, and create effective for handling suspicious transactions.

They should also invest in getting updates and the latest information on sportsbook security and making them accessible to staff and customers.

Lastly, get all the needed resources on fraud prevention in sports betting and design educational materials for users. At the very least, most users should know about common betting app scams and scams and how to avoid them.

With all of the above in place, sportsbook businesses can create transparent and trustworthy platforms for everyone. And where there is transparency, they can easily build trust by empowering users to protect themselves against different betting app scams and frauds.

Collaboration Among Sportsbook Platforms and Providers

In every online business that’s a target of scams and fraudsters, collaboration is very important to overcoming the challenges.

Collaboration strengthens industries against different fraud types and the sports betting industry is no exception.

Given that the risks of fraud in sports betting affect the entire industry, sportsbook platform providers and operators need to come together to achieve three important things.

These include;

  • Information sharing between regulatory bodies and operators
  • Joint efforts to develop best practices for fraud prevention
  • Industry-wide initiatives to raise awareness about emerging threats

When there is strong collaboration between important stakeholders and major players in the industry, they can create a resilient ecosystem. An ecosystem that is very effective and strong enough to stand against fraud in sports betting.

Educating Online Gamblers on Fraud Prevention in Sports Betting

We strongly believe that this is a critical requirement and an effective strategy for detecting and preventing fraud.

Sometimes, the sports betting app development company and sportsbook operators go excellent jobs from their ends. They offer users very secure apps with all the important anti-scam tools in place.

However, users may not be well informed on strategies for fraud prevention in sports betting apps. Some users do not even know the basic things for ensuring security (use strong passwords, do not disclose your log and passwords and do not share your credit card details with anyone).

Solution to such a challenge is to invest in educating users on some important topics on sports betting security.

The topics should revolve around fraud detection and prevention techniques as well providing relevant materials that teach users about their roles in ensuring security on their devices and betting accounts.

The resources for users should also cover topics common betting app scams, common betting app scams, identifying suspicious betting offers and the importance of using licensed and regulated platforms

User knowledge empowers and enables informed decisions and avoids potential pitfalls in the world of sports betting.

Technology For Enhancing the Efforts of Fraud Prevention in Sports Betting

As the world of sports betting continues to grow and evolve, technology will always play crucial roles in different areas. One of the roles of technology is fraud detection and prevention to protect users and sportsbook operators.

What are these technologies?

Blockchain Technology and Transparency

Blockchain is one of the most significant advancements in the modern online gambling industry and it is driving transparency. In the gambling industry, blockchain offers a decentralized ledger tool that records all transactions are recorded in an immutable manner.

By this, the technology makes it easier to keep a watch over all fraudulent activities because it makes it difficult for them to go unnoticed. The transparency that blockchain technology brings to sports betting helps build trust among customers because everyone can monitor it.

This makes it an effective technology that efficiently helps to deter potential fraudsters from attempting to manipulate the system.

Machine Learning Algorithms

Another important technology for fraud prevention is a machine learning algorithm. These are modern tools for automating fraud detection in sports betting websites and apps. Machine learning takes the hassle off humans and pulls off better work.

It can be put on the watch for a 24/7 period and around the clock. It gathers varying data on user behaviours and can automatically detect when there is any suspicious behaviour.

Once it can detect suspicious activities on the betting app for any reason that poses a security threat, it takes quick action.

AI in sports betting security systems

From the machine learning algorithm, we move to AI. Although they can excellently work together towards a common goal. AI plays a critical role in the security of sports betting apps because it offers predictive analysis.

It offers its predictions by studying different systems and postures of the app to predict potential threats. It is like it looks out for loopholes and weaknesses that can get exploited and alert the right team for early actions. 

This, it helps to save costs and prevents the fraud from escalating to something big or very damaging to the betting platform and sportsbooks.

Biometric Verification Methods

All these new smart devices come with biometric verification features and functionalities for improved security and fraud prevention. This ensures that no one else can log into your betting app without using your thumbprint.

With the biometrics, only real account owners can gain access, place bets, make deposits and make withdrawals. Biometric technology leverages unique physical characteristics—such as fingerprints or facial recognition—to verify identities with unparalleled accuracy.

What Can Prometteur Do for You?

At Prometeur, we build the best sports betting apps with all the necessary technology tools for fraud prevention in sports betting in place. Wait! We do not just include them but explore the best ways to keep your users and your platform safe.

So, if you have a sports betting app and you want to do a review, test your security posture and see how you can prevent fraud, we can help. We also offer security services for betting apps, to help in fraud detection and prevention.

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