Bonus abuse remains one of the most significant fraud challenges facing the iGaming industry, accounting for the majority of fraud-related losses. Speaking at ICE Barcelona 2026, Marc Burroughes, chief commercial officer at EveryMatrix, says operators can lose around 10%-20% of their marketing budgets to bonus abuse.
In conversation with iGB presenter Katie Goldfinch, Burroughes notes that while bonus abuse is widely recognised as a threat, it is often deprioritised by operators focused on rapid growth, particularly in newly regulated or emerging markets.
Using AI to tackle bonus abuse
Burroughes argues that traditional approaches to tackling bonus abuse that rely on manual processes to bonus abuse are no longer sufficient. These processes often spread across multiple departments and struggle to keep pace with increasingly sophisticated tactics, such as synthetic identities, proxy servers and deepfakes.
To address this, EveryMatrix has developed an AI-driven solution, Bonus Guardian. It operates continuously in the background, analysing player behaviour in real time and adapting as new patterns emerge. As more data flows through these systems, they become increasingly effective and “future-proof,” according to Burroughes.
Where it is hitting operators hardest
Bonus abuse is a global phenomenon, but its scale varies by region. Burroughes notes that the issue of bonus abuse is more significant in emerging markets, such as Brazil, compared to more mature jurisdictions like the US or Germany. High volumes of low-value bonuses, rather than high-value fraud, typically drive abuse in Africa.
Burroughes highlights that anti-fraud measures must not undermine player experience. By operating seamlessly at the back end, AI-based tools should allow operators to protect margins without adding friction for legitimate customers.
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