Bonus abuse stands as a significant threat within the iGaming sector, leading to considerable fraud-related losses. During ICE Barcelona 2026, Marc Burroughes, the chief commercial officer of EveryMatrix's casino division, revealed that operators could see their marketing budgets diminished by approximately 10% to 20% due to bonus abuse. In a discussion with iGB presenter Katie Goldfinch, Burroughes emphasized that while the danger posed by bonus abuse is well acknowledged, it often takes a backseat among operators who are primarily focused on rapid expansion, especially in newly regulated or emerging markets.
Burroughes contended that outdated methods for combating bonus abuse, which typically rely on manual processes, have become inadequate. These traditional systems are often fragmented across various departments and struggle to address the increasingly complex tactics employed by fraudsters, including synthetic identities, proxy servers, and deepfakes.
To combat this issue, EveryMatrix has launched an AI-driven solution called Bonus Guardian. This technology operates continuously in the background, analyzing player behavior in real time and adjusting to emerging patterns. Burroughes stated that as more data is processed, these systems grow in effectiveness and become 'future-proof.'
The impact of bonus abuse varies globally, with emerging markets like Brazil facing a more acute problem compared to developed regions such as the United States or Germany. In Africa, for instance, bonus abuse is often propelled by a high volume of low-value bonuses rather than instances of high-value fraud. Burroughes underscored the importance of ensuring that anti-fraud strategies do not detract from the player experience, advocating for AI-based tools that protect operators’ margins without inconveniencing legitimate customers.
