Around 28% of the US population participates in online gambling daily. But while millions of genuine players are chasing big wins, there’s also a growing shadow audience. Fake player accounts are a growing concern globally — according to our 2025 iGaming fraud outlook, around 40% of new accounts are found to be high-risk upon registration in Europe and Asia.
These aren’t just harmless bots filling lobbies. Fake player accounts can exploit bonuses, commit fraud and even put entire platforms at risk. For operators, spotting them quickly is the key to protecting revenue and maintaining trust.
Why Fake Players Are a Growing Threat
Fake players ruin the gaming experience. When bots and multi-accounting tilt the odds, players catch on fast — and they won’t stick around to lose more money. Once rumors of unchecked fraud spread, they drive away loyal users and slow new signups, pushing the business into a spiral of shrinking reputation and revenue.
In such a tightly regulated industry, even a handful of fake accounts slipping past unnoticed can trigger heavy penalties — as seen when Sweden’s regulator revoked Global Gaming’s license after uncovering compliance failures.
Fake players also drive financial strain. Many are funded with stolen cards, and each fraudulent deposit eventually returns as a chargeback, forcing operators to repay the money while absorbing steep fees. At scale, these same accounts can mask money laundering, with illicit funds cycled through seemingly ordinary play before being cashed out.
Wary of elevated chargeback ratios and AML risks, payment processors may respond with higher fees, frozen reserves or even severed relationships. Without reliable payment channels, deposits and withdrawals stall — and the entire business model begins to unravel.
Common Signs of Fake Players
Fraudsters often exploit bonuses and move illicit funds within iGaming platforms using dozens or even hundreds of fake player accounts. Fraud at this scale always leaves a trace:
- Multiple accounts from the same source: Large clusters of signups from shared devices, IP ranges or repeated contact details.
- Short-lived identities: Disposable emails, burner phone numbers or accounts with no real digital footprint.
- Unnatural behavior patterns: Rapid-fire logins, nonstop bonus claims or gameplay activity at improbable hours.
Key Methods to Detect Fake Players in Online Gaming
While a snapshot can capture a moment, it rarely tells the whole story. Fraud detection works the same day: looking at data in isolation might not raise any alarms until it’s too late. Fraudsters are experts at blending in, and a single signal often isn’t enough to expose them.
That’s why modern fraud prevention relies on layered detection, a multidimensional approach in which each signal builds a comprehensive user profile, adding context to each interaction. If a fraudster bypasses one layer, another is ready to catch them all.
- Device Intelligence: Examining the devices used to access accounts can reveal suspicious activity. Fraudsters often rely on emulators, rooted or jailbroken devices or multiple accounts tied to a single device.
- IP and Location Analysis: IP addresses and geolocation data often expose inconsistencies. Fraudsters use VPNs, proxies or TOR networks to mask their real location, creating mismatches between the IP, the device and the registered account details.
- Digital Footprint Analysis: The quality of a player’s digital identity is a strong indicator of legitimacy. Disposable email addresses, VOIP numbers or newly created accounts are commonly tied to fake players.
- Behavioral Biometric: Behavioral biometric systems use machine learning (ML) and real-time data to build accurate user profiles. They establish baselines of normal behavior and continuously compare new activity to detect anomalies.
- Velocity Checks: Velocity rules monitor the speed and frequency of actions such as account creation, deposits, withdrawals or bonus claims. Unnaturally fast or repetitive actions signal coordinated fraudulent activity.
Discover the latest fraud tactics in iGaming and how layered detection stops abuse without adding friction.
Read our guide
Stop Fake Players With SEON
Layered detection is most effective when it quietly strengthens defenses in the background, catching fraud without disrupting play. This balance is critical in iGaming, where frictionless experiences directly impact revenue. Gamers expect instant access, seamless onboarding and uninterrupted play — any added friction risks churn and lost spend.
By combining signals from multiple sources, SEON paints a clear picture of player intention: blocking fake players at scale while ensuring genuine users enjoy the secure, streamlined journey they expect.
Frequently Asked Questions
Fake players are accounts created with fraudulent intent, often using bots, stolen IDs or synthetic identities to exploit platforms.
Fake players create financial risks through chargebacks and regulatory scrutiny, but can also ruin fair gameplay by manipulating outcomes. Over time, this frustrates genuine users and causes reputational damage that’s harder to fix than lost revenue.
Fake players often show unusual patterns, such as multiple accounts from the same device, inconsistent IP locations or accounts with no real digital footprint. Their behavior may also seem unnatural, like rapid-fire actions, scripted moves or systematic bonus abuse.
Fraud detection platforms, behavioral biometrics and bot detection software help operators spot fake players before they cause harm.
