iGaming exclusion lists are generally known to the public as responsible gambling tools, as players are allowed to add their names to the lists and effectively ban themselves from playing at certain online gambling sites.
While American states with regulated gambling markets, including Pennsylvania, do offer such lists, the most recent case has to do with individuals being placed on an involuntary igaming exclusion list by the Pennsylvania online poker, casino, and sports betting regulator.
The latest meeting of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) included a discussion about seven individuals, all of whom were placed on the state’s involuntary igaming exclusion list for committing fraud.
Individuals who find themselves on the igaming exclusion list, voluntary or otherwise, cannot register or play at any of the regulated igaming sites in PA.
$27,000 in Damages Caused
Along with issuing licenses to the igaming operators and overseeing their work, the mandate of PGCB also includes oversight of actions taken by players at the state’s regulated sites.
Most recently, the Board found that seven individuals were found in committing fraud via online gambling sites in Pennsylvania using a number of different methods.
Most commonly, the individuals were found to create accounts with another person’s credentials, use that person’s or another person’s payment methods to make deposits, and then withdraw money into their own bank accounts or other payment methods.
Furthermore, a number of cases were found in which players requested refunds on their credit card charges despite the charges going through, in which case the refund charges can be considered fraudulent.
PGCB detailed seven particular cases of individuals who were involved in such behaviors in its recent press release . Each case was different and the value of the frauds was drastically different.
While some of the minor cases included players creating use of personal identification of other persons and withdrawal of as little as $300, the most significant cases included multiple refund requests to the tune of $10,000 and the use of other person’s personal identification and withdrawal of $12,600.
In total, the state reported damages of $27,168, all of which were allegedly recovered from the individuals who were placed on the involuntary igaming exclusion list.
The exact details of every case remain somewhat unclear, as does the further course of action and potential prosecution against the persons in question.
The Involuntary Exclusion List Keeps Growing
The involuntary igaming exclusion list is one of the tools PGCB has in its arsenal to fight against fraud of all types, and so far, it has been quite an effective one.
In total, the Board has placed 37 individuals on the list, 18 of which have been added over the last couple of months, indicating the Board’s dedication to eliminating fraud from igaming in Pennsylvania altogether.
According to reports, the number of reported fraud cases in recent months has been decreasing, but PGCB continues to double down on its commitment to maintaining high levels of game integrity, with the Board’s Director of Communications, Doug Harbach saying:
“We see a decent amount of fraud reports, but the majority are related to chargebacks and not necessarily more nefarious fraud.”
“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.”
