Affiliate marketing fraud is a big problem in iGaming.
Fraud is a growing problem, especially in high-paying industries like iGaming. Recently, Lee-Ann Johnstone and Leanna Klyne, Agency Director from Affiverse, together spoke with Rich Kahn, co-founder of Anura, to explore the issue and find ways to help affiliate managers protect against this growing concern.
Rich shared some shocking figures: iGaming companies can lose millions every month to fraud, with up to 70% of traffic found to be fake. Fraud is rampant in iGaming because of high CPA payouts, making it an attractive target for fraudsters. These scams range from fake accounts set up to trigger payouts to credit card fraud where criminals use stolen cards to grab bonuses and cash out before being caught.
Why is iGaming so vulnerable?
Certain practices make iGaming more open to fraud. For instance, many iGaming companies connect with affiliates over Skype, where verifying real identities can be difficult. Also, the rush to find new players often means testing unverified traffic sources, which can bring in both real players and fake ones.
Leanna explained that her team sees common scams, like affiliates who use fake names or create accounts that meet CPA criteria, then vanish. This costs companies dearly because payouts are made before managers can spot the red flags.
How fraudsters stay ahead
Fraudsters are clever. They know how CPA setups work and exploit them, often taking advantage of gaps in back-end tracking. By the time companies discover fraud, they’ve already paid out thousands.
One tactic Rich described is the use of stolen credit cards to make deposits, collect bonuses, and then withdraw funds, leaving the company to handle the losses.
Anura aims to stop these schemes before they start. Their tools flag suspicious traffic as soon as it lands on a website, picking up on bots, malware, and other fraud indicators. This stops fake accounts from even being created, which means fewer unnecessary payouts and cleaner traffic.
How Anura detects fraud early
Anura’s system works by detecting bad traffic immediately. Rich explained that Anura uses high accuracy to block only truly fraudulent users, with a 99.99% success rate. This prevents issues like false positives, where legitimate players are wrongly marked as fraud. For iGaming, where mistaken blocks mean real lost revenue, this accuracy is crucial.
Setting up Anura is quick and easy, with options like a tag on the website or a Google Tag Manager integration. This means no complicated technical setup. Unlike other tools that give traffic a general score from 0 to 100, Anura focuses on clearly identifying fraudulent traffic, saving managers from misinterpreting data.
Why blocking fraud helps companies grow
A common misconception is that fraud detection can slow down growth. Rich disagrees, saying that early fraud prevention actually lets companies reinvest their budgets in reliable partners, boosting ROI.
Leanna then added that it’s more valuable to have fewer, high-quality players than large numbers who never bring real value. To check out a new affiliate, Leanna suggested basic checks like a quick Google search, looking them up on LinkedIn, or asking for a video call. For those with limited resources, testing traffic in small batches can also help flag quality issues early, reducing risk.
The benefits of using fraud detection tools
Small teams often lose a lot of time manually tracking down fraud, which could be spent forming new partnerships. Anura’s tools give real-time traffic insights, allowing teams to focus on growth instead of spending their days reviewing backend data.
When new customers come to Anura, they often have doubts due to past issues with other fraud solutions.
Rich explained that many expect software to just “work.” We trust software like Excel to do math correctly without rechecking, but fraud detection software can require careful interpretation. Anura offers trials so customers can see its accuracy firsthand, which reassures them that it’s blocking only fake visitors, not genuine players.
The surprising amount of fraud in programmatic ads
Rich shared that many ad networks, even trusted ones like Google and Facebook, contain up to 50% fraudulent traffic.
A good affiliate with honest intentions may still bring in low-quality traffic from where they source it. Often, fraudsters initially send high-quality traffic to get approved, then sneak in fake traffic, knowing that larger volumes are harder to review manually.
Many companies attempt to handle fraud detection in-house, but it can be an expensive approach. In-house systems require data lakes, backend checks, and dedicated fraud teams, which can add up fast.
Anura’s solution pulls data from hundreds of clients, making it more effective at finding fraud quickly and cost-effectively. The tool also lets managers see which affiliates are providing clean traffic, so they can focus budgets on partners delivering real value.
Turning fraud detection into an advantage
Fraud detection isn’t just about blocking bad actors; it’s also about improving ROI. Anura helps iGaming companies get rid of wasteful traffic, turning fraud protection into an opportunity to grow.
With its user-friendly setup, highly accurate detection, and real-time data, Anura gives companies the confidence to expand without risking their budgets. In a high-stakes industry like iGaming, where customer growth and protection must go hand in hand, Anura’s tools are a game-changer.
For more information, and to start a free trial of the tool, head over to Anura’s website.
