Glossary

Best identity verification solutions for preventing player bonus abuse at signup

Player acquisition in the iGaming industry is highly competitive, and many operators rely on welcome bonuses, free bets, and promotional offers to attract new players.

However, these incentives also attract fraudsters. Criminals often attempt to exploit promotions by creating multiple accounts or using fake identities to repeatedly claim signup bonuses.

For gaming operators, the challenge then lies in balancing fast onboarding with strong fraud prevention. If verification checks are too strict, legitimate players may abandon registration. If controls are too weak, however, fraudsters can easily exploit promotions.

Identity verification platforms help address this challenge by combining identity proofing, fraud signals, and risk scoring to detect suspicious users during registration.

Some of the most widely used identity verification solutions for preventing player bonus abuse include GBG, Ondato, SEON, and LexisNexis Risk Solutions.

What is player bonus abuse in iGaming?

Bonus abuse occurs when users exploit promotional offers by creating multiple or fraudulent accounts. Common tactics include:

Multi-accounting, where one person registers multiple accounts to claim repeated bonuses
Synthetic identities created by combining real and fake identity data
Coordinated fraud rings where groups exploit promotions at scale
Fake documents used to bypass identity verification checks
Automated signups using bots or scripts

These attacks can result in lost promotional budgets, increased fraud investigation costs, higher payment chargebacks, and reduced marketing ROI. To reduce this risk, operators deploy identity verification tools that detect suspicious signals before an account is even created.

How do identity verification solutions prevent bonus abuse?

For example…

Duplicate account detection flags when the same person registers more than once by matching identity data, addresses, and contact details across accounts.
Device fingerprinting identifies automated signups and repeat registrations by recognizing browser, device, and network signals shared between accounts.
Account linking connects accounts through shared signals such as the same email, phone number, IP, or payment method.

GBG: An identity solution for global iGaming and bonus abuse prevention

GBG provides an identity platform called GBG Go, which is designed to help businesses verify customers, detect fraud signals, and manage compliance requirements within a single system.

The platform includes 110+ identity, fraud, and risk modules and supports ID verification in gaming across 195+ countries.

For gaming operators, GBG Go also helps detect bonus abuse during registration by combining identity verification with fraud intelligence signals.

Key capabilities

Multi-account and duplicate account detection: GBG Trust, a cross-industry dataset built from billions of transactions across 28+ sectors, detects suspicious data anomalies, high-velocity submissions, and synthetic identity indicators in real time, with a 96% identity fraud detection accuracy.
Location and device intelligence: GBG's digital address verification detects locations linked to multiple accounts and compares submitted addresses with IP or device location signals, revealing attempts to create multiple accounts using manipulated location information.
Email and mobile intelligence: GBG flags disposable email domains, email addresses linked to suspicious behavior, suspicious phone numbers, and recent SIM swaps, so operators can spot bonus abuse across devices.
Risk-based onboarding: GBG Go generates a risk score from 1 to 100 for each signup, letting operators route higher-risk registrations through additional verification steps while genuine players register quickly.

“Fraudsters are savvy and are always searching for vulnerabilities, whether it’s through your systems to steal data, or to using a platform to target players with social engineering, phishing scams and more. This is where having a strong identity verification platform with advanced tools makes such a difference. For example, sharing consumer intelligence between iGaming businesses is a great way to beat bonus abuse cheats.” – Rebekah Jackson, Global Director of Gaming at GBG

GBG also offers...

Global coverage

8,500+ global ID types (as well as Digital IDs) across 195 countries
Global and local data sources across 50 countries
450 PEPs, sanctions, and adverse media watchlists

Comprehensive identity verification

Identity data matching
Document authentication
Biometric verification and liveness detection
Age verification

Configurable onboarding workflows

Pre-built, adaptive verification journeys
Adjustable risk thresholds based on player risk level and regional nuances
A/B testing and actionable insights to reduce drop-offs and maximize pass rates

Compliance with confidence

450+ PEPs, sanctions, and adverse media watchlists & AML monitoring
KYC and KYB solutions
Ongoing monitoring capabilities to adapt to changing risk, behavior, and regulatory exposure over time

These tools allow operators to detect suspicious registrations and meet compliance requirements while maintaining a smooth onboarding experience for genuine players.

Here are some other IDV solutions to consider:

Ondato

Ondato provides AI-powered identity verification solutions designed to automate customer onboarding and compliance processes. The platform combines document verification, biometrics, and regulatory screening tools.

Core capabilities

Document verification: Users capture an image of their ID document. AI systems extract and verify the information using OCR and document authenticity checks.

Biometric verification: Facial recognition and liveness detection confirm that the person presenting the document is physically present.

Video and NFC verification: Video-based verification and NFC passport scanning provide stronger identity proofing for higher-risk cases.

Compliance and identity lifecycle tools

Ondato also provides tools that support regulatory compliance and identity monitoring.

These include:

Customer due diligence (CDD)
Age verification
Registry checks
Sanctions screening
Politically exposed person (PEP) screening
Adverse media monitoring
Regulatory reporting

The platform supports verification workflows across 190+ countries and is designed to align with regulatory frameworks such as FATF guidance, NIST standards, GDPR, and eIDAS.

Integration options include:

Verification links for remote identity capture
Web and mobile SDKs
APIs for custom onboarding flows

SEON

SEON provides a fraud prevention and AML compliance platform designed to detect fraud across the customer lifecycle. The system analyzes 900+ first-party data signals to identify suspicious behavior.

Key features

Digital footprint analysis: Email addresses, phone numbers, and IP data are analyzed to determine whether a user has a legitimate online presence.

Device and behavioral intelligence: Browser, device, and network signals help detect automated signups and multi-accounting attempts.

Identity verification: Document verification and biometric checks confirm identity ownership.

AML and compliance screening: Continuous sanctions and PEP monitoring help maintain regulatory compliance.

Fraud detection tools

SEON also includes tools that help fraud teams investigate suspicious activity:

Detection of multi-accounting and fraud rings
Network analysis linking accounts through shared signals
Custom rules and risk thresholds
Automated alerts and reporting tools

LexisNexis Risk Solutions

LexisNexis Risk Solutions provides fraud prevention and identity verification tools designed for regulated industries, including online gaming. The platform combines digital identity intelligence, fraud detection, and compliance tools across the player lifecycle.

Key capabilities

Identity verification and onboarding: Fast identity checks help operators verify players while reducing onboarding friction.

Fraud detection and multi-account prevention: Risk signals help identify duplicate accounts and bonus abuse attempts.

Affordability and financial risk assessments: These tools help identify signs of financial vulnerability and support responsible gaming requirements.

Global identity intelligence: Operators can access identity data sources that support expansion into new gaming markets.

...and more, such as Persona, Socure, or Sumsub.

Pitfalls to avoid when choosing an identity verification solution

Selecting the right identity verification provider requires careful evaluation.

Here are some common mistakes to avoid:

Relying on a single verification method rather than layered identity proofing
Choosing platforms with limited geographic coverage
Using multiple disconnected vendors that increase operational complexity
Applying static verification workflows that treat all users the same
Selecting providers without fraud intelligence networks

The most effective platforms combine identity verification, fraud signals, behavioral analysis, and risk-based workflows within a single system. GBG Go is one such example.

Final thoughts

Bonus abuse is a major challenge for gaming operators: fraudsters often attempt to exploit promotions through multi-accounting, synthetic identities, and coordinated attacks.

Identity verification platforms help reduce this risk by detecting suspicious signals during the signup process.

By combining identity proofing, fraud intelligence networks, and risk-based decisioning, these solutions help gaming operators reduce bonus abuse while maintaining fast and user-friendly onboarding experiences for legitimate players.

See how our GBG Go platform works: Reach out to GBG to book a demo.

Sources:

Disclaimer: Information relating to third-party products and companies referenced in this article is based on publicly available sources and official publications at the time of writing. While reasonable efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, product features, positioning and company information may change and GBG does not guarantee that all information remains current or complete.

Nothing in this article constitutes an endorsement, recommendation or ranking of any third-party provider. Readers should consult each provider’s official website and conduct their own assessment before making any purchasing decisions.

To request an update or correction, please contact press@gbg.com

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