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The Ultimate Guide to Online Gambling Fraud and Casino Scams

The house always wins, almost always. People are captivated by complex schemes to cheat casinos out of money, as seen in Ocean’s 11 and such. But what are the possible repercussions of these kinds of initiatives in the actual world? 

Over $53 billion was earned by the American gambling market in 2021, an increase of 21% from 2020. Some accuse certain casinos of playing dirty, like the recent claim by a man from NJ that Golden Nugget Casino defrauded him of hundreds of thousands of dollars by utilizing illegal dice. Casinos do, however, also lose money every year to scammers and those who figure out how their games work. 

But what are the most typical casino scams and online gaming fraud schemes, and how are they carried out by con artists? 

Online Gambling Fraud

With online casinos, playing is simpler, but sadly, cheating and being cheated upon may also be simpler for players, despite all the technology that goes into preventing cheating in online gambling. The most typical kinds of online gaming fraud are listed below. 

First-Party Fraud

When gambling online, it’s simple to spend and lose more money than you anticipated. Even if the transactions were genuine, first-party fraud occurs when a user dissatisfied with their losses submits a chargeback through their bank. The online casino loses the initial income as well as any further processing costs or penalties when chargebacks are accepted.

Player Collusion

In this scheme, a group of people uses spoofing of location to make it seem as though they are scattered around the country when in reality they are all in the same place. The participants then sign up for a typical online casino game, like poker, and utilize their physical connection to influence the outcome of the game in their favor. 

CNP Theft

When a criminal obtains a victim’s credit card information to use in transactions that don’t require a physical card, such as those made over the phone or online, this is known as CNP or “card not present” fraud. When CNP fraud occurs in online gambling, it typically involves a fraudster using another person’s credit card to make purchases, which is also referred to as identity theft. 

Using Multiple Accounts

Criminals that commit multiple account fraud open many accounts in order to take advantage of bonuses, generate profits, and con other players. Fraudsters may set up many accounts on a single device, but a fraud farm is a far more typical setup. 

Brick-and-Mortar Casino Scams

Casinos that may be seen in person are among the industries that are watched over the most. Casinos invest in hundreds of surveillance cameras on their gaming floors and elsewhere, making it easier for them to identify scammers and resolve disputes, just because cheating can be so detrimental to them. 

Insiders

In this kind of gambling scam, the victims pay an insider to covertly tilt the scales in their favor. The casino and the other players stand to lose money due to phony victories without knowing that they are playing against multiple opponents. 

Concealed Computer Fraud

Because they are more adept at probability and prediction than the typical person, computers are extremely useful to gamblers. Players may more precisely forecast the chances in games like roulette and adjust their bets by using a hidden computer. 

Concealed Camera Fraud

Knowing what’s in the cards may make a huge difference when it comes to gambling. In this type of scheme, a participant or a paid bystander places a camera in a strategic location to covertly film the dealer’s hand. 

In other cases, the dealer could also be on it and shuffle more slowly in order for a camera to catch on the action. The camera-wielding accomplice then devises a covert method of informing the other players at the table of the card order, sometimes using hand signals or even Bluetooth earpieces.