The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board has made a concerted effort to hold individuals accountable for attempting to cheat. During the PGCB’s monthly meeting on Wednesday, it put seven more individuals on the Involuntary Interactive Exclusion List for online gambling fraud.
The incidents span from creating multiple accounts to using the identification of others to make accounts.
Despite the amount reported, PGCB Director of Communications, Doug Harbach, told PlayPennsylvania last month that fraud cases have been decreasing in the state.
Fraud cases totaled more than $27,000
According to the PGCB, the cases discussed during this month’s meeting were found to be fraudulent in the following ways:
- An individual used a fraudulent scheme to obtain an online account or accounts in another person’s name and identifiers, placed funds into these accounts utilizing other persons’ payment methods, and without engaging in any gaming activity, managed to have funds withdrawn from the fraudulently-established account or accounts directly into their own bank account
- Requested and received a refund for a disputed credit or debit card transaction from a card issuer even though that refund was fraudulent
The state was scammed out of $27,168, combined, from the seven cases, which has been ultimately recovered.
The PGCB detailed each case in a press release:
- Two separate online sports wagering accounts were created. The personal identification and credit cards of other individuals were used to withdraw $300.
- Created 13 separate online casino-type games accounts using the personal identification and credit cards of other individuals, and withdrew $545.
- Six separate online sports wagering accounts were created using the personal identification and credit cards of other individuals, and withdrew $1,000.
- Created four separate online sports wagering accounts using the personal identification and credit cards of other individuals, and withdrew $1,123.
- Two separate online sports wagering accounts were created. These used the personal identification and credit cards of other individuals, and withdrew $1,500.
- Illegally requested and received six chargebacks to a credit card associated with an online casino-type games account totaling $10,100.
- Created one online sports wagering account using the personal identification and credit card of another individual, and withdrew $12,600.
37 people on Involuntary Interactive Exclusion List
The PGCB is steadfast to holding those responsible for fraudulent activities in Pennsylvania. In the release, it announced that a total of 37 people have been added to the involuntary interactive list.
Even though that number is expected to climb as the months continue, Harbach said that cases have been decreasing. The PGCB has required operators to implement Multi-Factor Authentication and Know Your Client process, which has helped the cause.
The regulator is currently evaluating new and improved processes “that will aid us further in fraud prevention,” Harbach told PlayPennsylvania last month.
The PGCB placed 11 people on the involuntary iGaming list last month, and seven this month, which is an improvement. However, no matter the amount of cases, the PGCB is cracking down on such activity.
“We see a decent amount of fraud reports, but the majority are related to chargebacks and not necessarily more nefarious fraud,” Harbach said last month.
“At the same time, fraud is fraud and the PGCB has begun placing individuals who engage in any such behavior on the involuntary exclusion list to prevent the bad actor from repeating that activity on other operators’ websites.”
The PGCB is not taking fraudulent behavior lightly, which keeps the integrity of gambling in the Keystone State.
