Partypoker’s battle to banish bots from its corner of the online poker industry has claimed another 48 virtual scalps.
As part of its ongoing series of reports into fraudulent activity, Partypoker published its latest kill statistics.
Although down on July’s 121 strikes, the online poker operator closed 48 fraudulent accounts last month.
More Money for Partypoker Victims
Breaking down the numbers, Partypoker confirmed 36 of the accounts were active on its dot.com platform. The remaining poker bots were eliminated from Partypoker.eu.
By closing the accounts, Partypoker recovered more than $180,000, and took its total number of kills since December 2018 to 649.
While there may still be more poker bots active on the network, the recent efforts have helped recapture over $1.1 million in stolen funds.
As well as helping its own players, Partypoker’s actions have inspired other online poker operators to follow suit.
Despite announcing its impending closure, the Microgaming Poker Network (MPN) recently released its own security data. The report didn’t divulge the actual number of poker bots apprehended. It did, however, show that 1.25 percent of active users had their accounts locked due to fraudulent activity.
Poker Bots Not an Isolated Problem
With online poker sites becoming more open, the hope is that consumer trust will be restored. Bots have long been a source of contention, but a recent report by Morgan Stanley suggests they could become a major problem.
Reviewing the evolution of artificial intelligence (AI), analysts believes consumer confidence in online poker could fall. As software becomes more advanced, the expectation is that people will feel they’re no longer receiving a fair deal.
If that happens, Morgan Stanley analysts believe it will reduce activity online and, in turn, the value of the top poker brands.
Even if AI-powered super bots aren’t a major concern right now, they’re a threat operators are taking seriously.
United Front Important for Poker
By publishing information about its efforts to keep players safe, Partypoker is helping itself and the industry at large.
However, for Rob Yong, more could be done. After touting the idea of an independent security body made up of poker’s largest brands, the Englishman launched Fairplay.
The initiative was his official call to arms. For him, a collective effort is the most effective way to eliminate poker bots from the industry at large.
Although cooperation between companies isn’t unheard of, sharing security data could be problematic. Regardless, Yong and Partypoker are eager to push the boundaries for the good of players and the future of online poker.
