The landscape of online betting and gaming businesses has changed dramatically in recent years, especially with the emergence of new AI models since 2022. This surge in technology has empowered fraudsters, leading to significant repercussions for iGaming operators. According to Sumsub, from 2022 to 2024, incidents of fraud in the online gaming sector saw an alarming increase of 64% year-over-year, with bonus abuse becoming a prominent issue as fraudsters exploited promotional offers through AI, automation, and synthetic identities.
In response to this escalating challenge, EveryMatrix introduced Bonus Guardian in late 2025, a solution designed specifically to combat the advanced tactics of AI-driven fraud. "Bonus Guardian was developed in response to a clear industry challenge," explained Tetiana Dychenko, Chief Technical Officer for Casino at EveryMatrix. "Bonus abuse has evolved far beyond the capabilities of manual reviews and static rule-based systems. As organized fraud groups began utilizing AI and sophisticated behavioural strategies, we recognized the need for a dedicated solution."
This platform employs AI technology to analyze hundreds of signals, including gameplay patterns, deposit behaviors, wagering progressions, and bonus redemptions. Developed through collaboration among AI specialists, fraud experts, and casino professionals, Bonus Guardian addresses both the complexities of modern fraud and the practical needs of promotional campaigns.
Bonus Guardian assists operators throughout the promotion lifecycle, starting even before a campaign launches by aiding in the design of promotions that attract legitimate players while minimizing exploitation risks. Once active, the platform continuously monitors player behavior—across registration, deposits, gameplay, and withdrawals—to create behavioral profiles that help identify signs of non-genuine activities or coordinated abuse.
Detection of suspicious behavior triggers risk assessments for operators, offering detailed explanations of the contributing factors. Depending on the risk level, operators can take actions such as monitoring accounts, adjusting promotional eligibility, increasing wagering requirements, or holding withdrawals for further investigation.
Dychenko noted that the core strength of Bonus Guardian lies in its behavioral intelligence: "The platform analyzes hundreds of signals simultaneously and identifies complex relationships among multiple accounts that would be nearly impossible to detect manually."
While adhering to stringent KYC, anti-money laundering, and bonusing regulations presents challenges for operators, providing a seamless onboarding experience and appealing promotions is equally crucial. EveryMatrix has developed a solution that enhances the experience for genuine players while tackling fraud. Dychenko emphasized, "One of the platform's strengths is that it enables proportionate responses rather than binary decisions. Operators can align actions with their commercial objectives and risk tolerance, thereby protecting promotional budgets without adding friction for legitimate users."
Integrated within EveryMatrix’s EngageSuite Bonuses for casino and sports, Bonus Guardian fosters collaboration between marketing and risk management teams, enabling the design and adjustment of promotions with fraud-risk considerations in mind. This alignment translates into contextual controls tailored to promotion logic, a factor that differentiates Bonus Guardian by allowing operators to create enticing promotions that minimize abuse risk.
“Bonus Guardian aligns marketing and risk efforts towards a shared goal: maximizing promotional ROI,” Dychenko pointed out. Marketing teams can innovate compelling campaigns for user acquisition and retention, while risk teams gain insights into behaviors that can help identify vulnerabilities proactively.
By focusing on sustained player engagement through promotions like tournaments and loyalty programs, operators can create opportunities more appealing to genuine players rather than fraudsters, enhancing overall campaign performance and reducing promotional leaks. As Dychenko explained, protecting bonus investments directly contributes to profitability, especially in an environment where leakage can account for 10%-15% of bonus expenses amid rising taxes and stricter regulations.
The system’s flexibility sets Bonus Guardian apart, allowing operators to customize risk thresholds, workflows, and promotional rules that suit their brand, player segments, and strategic goals. This adaptability ensures operators remain responsive as bonus abuse methods evolve.
Dychenko conveyed the platform's intent: "From the outset, the goal was to build a learning system that evolves with new behaviors and operator feedback, adapting to sophisticated abuse techniques without demanding frequent rule updates from operators."
There is no singular measure of success in combating bonus abuse. Instead, operators should evaluate improved detection accuracy, lower false-positive rates, and quicker investigation times while identifying emerging abuse patterns early. The need for rigorous fraud mitigation is underscored by data from Sumsub, which indicates that bonus abuse comprises two-thirds of all fraud in the sector. Between the first quarters of 2025 and 2026, reports noted a staggering 350% increase in suspicious transactions in online gaming, with the average transaction value soaring to over €6,000.
According to the Online Gaming Fraud report by LexisNexis in March 2026, 78% of operators identify bonus abuse as the most significant fraud threat, while 57% report direct fraud losses as the most critical business impact.
“Behavioral AI that learns from millions of player interactions will be the future,” Dychenko concluded. As EveryMatrix continues to adapt Bonus Guardian, the goal is to not only address current fraud challenges but anticipate future threats while supporting effective, abuse-resistant promotions.
The rising impact of bonus abuse means that operators who proactively invest in addressing this issue now will be better positioned to shield their financial performance in a volatile environment.
