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The Big Game: perfect target for cybercriminals?
In 2022, the BlackByte ransomware group published a 292MB file containing sensitive information from the San Francisco 49ers. Like teams, venues and vendors, bookmakers are also in danger as they handle a large volume of personal data in the run-up to major events, during the events themselves and in the aftermath.
With the Big Game coming up soon in Arizona, Sumsub, an all-in-one verification platform that secures the entire customer journey with customizable KYC, KYB, transaction monitoring and AML solutions, has outlined what to expect and how to avoid threats associated with major events.
Expected traffic increases
Last year’s Big Game registered more than 101 million viewers according to the Nielsen consultancy. American fans avidly continue to bet on major sporting events as more and more states legalize gambling following the removal of a federal ban. By the end of 2022, the online betting industry registered a growth of two billion dollars, driven by sports pools.
Based on its experience with traffic spikes at major sporting events, Sumsub expects to see a traffic increase of more than 83% at sportsbooks around the last game of the football season.
“Though major sporting events attract much-desired traffic to betting platforms, cybercriminals and scammers increase in number as well, so bookmakers need to take extra care. Manual verification is not optimal because, with the increased user traffic, onboarding time grows accordingly, so the best choice would be to find a trusted all-in-one verification provider offering an advanced automated solution for KYC, AML and anti-fraud,” said Andrew Sever, co-founder and CEO of Sumsub.
As user traffic increases and verification takes longer, it can be tempting for betting platforms to cut some expenses. This is especially true for bookmakers used to performing manual verification, which can take more than 24 hours under normal circumstances and much longer during big events. Bookmakers know that if verification takes too long, users will go to the competition. As a result, they may be willing to sacrifice verification accuracy for speed.
However, this type of compromise inevitably leads to regulatory sanctions. For example, Entain, the owner of Ladbrokes, was fined £17 million ($20.6 million)—the largest ever fine in the UK—for failing to enforce player security and anti-money laundering measures.
Surge in fraud
Fraud is increasing in the gaming sector. In Q1 2022, fraud increased 50.1% compared to Q1 2021. There was also an 85% increase in fake account registrations compared to Q4 2021. The upcoming Big Game is expected to attract even more fraudsters.
The list of fraud schemes that bookmakers experience is extensive:
- arbitrage betting
- multiple accounts
- identity theft
- account takeover
- money laundering
- affiliate fraud
Cybersecurity threats
“Big sporting events and hacking go hand in hand and the bigger the event, the more threats there are. Attackers can be individual hacker groups looking to make a quick buck or politically oriented groups wanting to steal sensitive information,” added Andrew Sever.
Cyberattacks range from hacking into match broadcasts and security cameras to stealing the personal data of athletes, organizers and spectators. More attention needs to be paid to collecting and storing user data securely, as well as increasing the overall resistance of betting platforms to hackers.
Best ways to avoid threats while enjoying high traffic?
During major sporting events, the challenge for bookmakers is to onboard users without reducing approval rates, all while remaining AML (anti-money laundering) compliant and maintaining security.
The solution is to create an automated verification flow that allows users to easily onboard and go through extra checks only where and when it really matters. Below is a list of checks bookmakers can employ at each stage of the customer journey. There are also some suggestions on how to make this flow even more agile:
Request a minimum number of checks at the time of registration. When a user registers for the first time, platforms may limit verification procedures to collecting names and checking phone numbers or email, and verifying the user’s Social Security Number (SSN). This way, the user becomes familiar with the service and is more motivated to go through the full verification procedure when he really wants to place a bet.
Deploy simplified checks when appropriate. For low-risk users, bookmakers can introduce a simplified check using a single document, as long as it contains identity and address information. This allows users to avoid uploading additional documents to verify their address, thus increasing approval rates.
Add additional checks when users make their first deposit. This could include bank card verification and facial biometric check to ensure that the true cardholder is making a deposit.
Introduce facial recognition to prevent fraud. Doing this at the onboarding stage combats multi-accounting. Adding biometric verification when users log in or recover their account ensures that fraudsters can’t hack it. And it’s often even more important to use it at the stage of withdrawal of funds, which is where more fraud tends to occur.
“Adding these checks to the flow reduces verification time and still ensures security. For example, Kaizen Gaming moved from manual verification to Sumsub’s automated solution, reduced their average onboarding time to 1 minute 39 seconds and increased its overall performance by 350%, all while eliminating fraud,” concluded Sever.
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Plaza Hotel & Casino to host Las Vegas’ inaugural “Wing Bowl®” with first qualifying “Wing Off” event on July 4 at 6 p.m. at Carousel Bar
The Plaza Hotel & Casino is bringing to Las Vegas the iconic “Wing Bowl,” the premier chicken wing-eating competition that was founded in Philadelphia in 1993. The main event, Wing Bowl 2026®, will take place on Feb. 7, 2026, and the first qualifying “Wing Off” event will take place at Carousel Bar at 6 p.m. on Friday, July 4, and it is free to the public to attend.
The first and second place eaters in the July 4 qualifying event will move on to the February contest. The Plaza will also award $1,000 to the person who eats the most Buffalo wings in 10 minutes on July 4. The July 4th qualifying event is one of several that will be held in Las Vegas and Philadelphia in the coming months to compete in the Feb. 7 event at the Plaza.
The main event on Feb. 7 will host a live audience of hundreds of attendees in the Plaza showroom and reach an even wider audience through online broadcasting. With a $5,000 cash prize at stake, 20 competitors will battle it out in three rounds of intense wing-eating action. This competition will feature both amateur and competitive eaters.
The February event will also feature the Wingettes, the cheerleaders of Wing Bowl who escort contestants on stage and bring energy, glamour, and charisma to the event. They will be selected through an exclusive online and live audition process later this year.
William Hill Sportsbook is a partner sponsor of Wing Bowl, and additional sponsorship opportunities are available by contacting
N1 Puzzle Promo is a unique campaign on the iGaming market from N1 Partners for partners that runs until the end of 2025. Their slogan – “Why drive when you can fly?”, points to the grand prize. What exactly can you win? Keep reading to find out.
N1 Partners, one of the top affiliate programs with Tier-1 brands, is running the N1 Puzzle Promo. Registered partners run traffic – PPC and ASO, SEO traffic, Facebook, and other channels – and earn puzzle pieces. The more pieces you collect – the better chance to win the main prize… a HELICOPTER!
Everyone has a shot at victory. Let’s meet Media Buying Agency Gipsy, now in the top-3 of the N1 Puzzle Promo.
Partnership Background
Media Buying Agency Gipsy and the N1 Partners affiliate program have worked together for many years. Over time they have built smooth processes, strong relationships, and solid analytics.
Ariadna, CBDO of Gipsy MBA, says: “It feels like we’ve worked together forever, but we started handling large volumes only last year.”
Formula for Growth
Traffic from Gipsy to N1 Partners’ products grew very hard the past year. This rise comes from high-converting offers in Tier-1 GEOs and attractive CPA terms. Partners also get access to analytics and consulting from the program.
Ariadna, CBDO Gipsy MBA: “We use quality approaches and track analytics regularly. Fast communication with our affiliate manager also helps a lot.”
N1 Puzzle Promo: Experience and Top Products to Scale
Gipsy works with PPC, FB & UAC traffic. All these sources count in the N1 Puzzle Promo:
- PPC & ASO – 1 puzzle piece for every 40 FTD
- FB & other* – 1 puzzle piece for every 100 FTD
*Social media, SMS, Email, UAC, In-app
Ariadna, CBDO Gipsy MBA: “We joined the N1 Puzzle Promo in April, almost from the very start. The prizes inspire us, especially the helicopter. We didn’t change our traffic sources—we just scaled up and tested new sources and GEOs. Over time we tried every product; now we focus on N1bet, Jet4bet, Slotlords, Slotmafia, and Retrobet.”
Today Gipsy MBA is in the top 3 by puzzle pieces, and the team is determined: “Seeing the volumes we run to N1 Partners, we hope to stay in the TOP and grab some prizes. We already hold a top-3 spot for puzzle pieces, so we aim to keep growing,” – commented Ariadna, CBDO Gipsy MBA.
If they win, the Gipsy MBA team plans to fly their Robinson R22 Beta II to Australia to chase seagulls. Where will you fly?
Industry leaders agree new extension to data and streaming partnership that will see FIRST – Best in Sports turbo-charge global growth and boost annual revenues for Genius Sports
FIRST – Best in Sports, the Tier 1 provider of sports betting solutions, and Genius Sports, the leading sports data and technology company, today announce that they have extended their landmark partnership that will see Genius Sports continue to deliver its industry-leading betting data and streaming technology to FIRST – Best in Sports.
As part of the new agreement, FIRST – Best in Sports will distribute Genius Sports data and streaming content to its expanded B2B network and grow the data company’s volume, reach and annual revenues in a major way as it brings partners onstream in Latin America, with Brazil as a major focus.
- FIRST’s growth in Brazil and leading position as a LATAM-focused sportsbook solution will be further enhanced by Genius’s focus in South America.
- This includes coverage of Brazil’s Serie A, Serie B, Campeonato Paulista, Mexico’s Liga MX and the Primera Ligas in Uruguay, Ecuador, Bolivia, Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Paraguay.
The deal extension is part of a comprehensive agreement between two companies that are setting industry standards for the speed, accuracy and depth of their online sports betting offerings. The new partnership also sees FIRST become the official betting partner of Genius Sports, with the group set to recommend FIRST – Best in Sports to operators seeking fully-managed sports betting solutions.
Tom Light, CEO of FIRST – Best in Sports, commented: “We have been working with Genius Sports for many years, and I am delighted to be extending and deepening our relationship with such an industry leader. FIRST – Best in Sports and Genius Sports represent the gold standard in their respective fields and the new agreement will enable us to continue growing revenues for Genius Sports as we launch new partners and expand our network. We look forward to providing the most complete and data-rich solution to sports betting operators in the world’s fastest-growing markets.”
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