I’m a poker player, and have been for a long time. As a result, I’d like to think I have at least some ability to tell when somebody is bluffing. Or at least when there might be some sort of disconnect between image and reality, and the “story” my opponent is telling with his or her bets and raises isn’t quite adding up.
I found myself thinking about the art of bluff-catching recently while following a discussion of bogus online gambling sites on Victor Rocha’s most recent episode of The New Normal.
The More Brazen the Bluff: Trying to Spot Shady Gambling Sites
Rocha is Conference Chairman of the Indian Gaming Association, and on his weekly webcast addresses various issues of interest to tribal gaming. The California-based show debuted in June 2020 during the first months of Covid-19, when the phrase “new normal” was being evoked at every turn.
The focus then was how the tribes were adapting to casinos having to close and then reopen with all sorts of new precautions in place. On this recent episode, Rocha and his co-host Jason Giles, Executive Director of the IGA, discussed the rise of fake online gambling sites purporting to be tribe-owned. The pair had former Bureau of Gambling Control agent Tyler Burtis on as a guest to talk about how these sites fool customers into thinking they are legitimate by borrowing tribes’ names and logos.
“Very emboldened, very brazen,” said Rocha of these nefarious operators. That reminded me a little of the old “strong means weak” concept in poker, where a bluffer who looks and acts confidently might appear to have the goods but in fact is holding a crummy hand.
He and the others outlined different ways the sites not only prey on unsuspecting players, but also do damage to the tribes’ brands and reputation. These sites pose other problems, too, like undergoing no regulatory oversight, having “AML issues” (anti-money laundering compliance), and players’ info getting passed around and exploited by scammers.
“This is just straight fraud,” said Burtis.
The Growth of Legal Gambling Inspiring the Scammers
Given the rise of legal online gambling, including real money online casinos in some states and online sportsbooks in many more, it is understandable that a few — or maybe more than a few — non-regulated, non-legit sites might be able to escape notice and blend in with the crowd.
That was a point Burtis made when noting how such scams are likely more effective in states that have legalized online gambling, as would-be customers are conditioned to see promos and advertising inviting them to sign up, deposit, and play.
Think about it. You encounter an online casino. It looks appealing with a decent game library, and you are looking over how to sign up. You see a big logo up top of a gaming tribe whose name you recognize, say one that operates a casino in your state. That logo is perhaps reassuring, giving the site a surface-level appearance of legitimacy. But in truth the tribe has nothing to do with it.
A familiar, friendly logo or brand name can be a convincing “poker face,” in a way.
Regulators Begin to Push Back… and Others Should, Too
As the panel noted, some state regulators are starting to pay attention. In late April, the Missouri Gaming Commission issued a Consumer Protection Alert warning about the rise in fraudulent online casinos. The MGC notes how ads for these sites on social media use photos from retail casinos’ websites to make them appear legit. The Michigan Gaming Control Board has also been busy sending cease-and-desist letters to unlicensed operators and asking people to report suspicious activity.
Rocha and the others think the American Gaming Association and National Indian Gaming Commission ought to be putting out alerts as well. They additionally think the tribes and casinos whose brands are being used could also be more “proactive” about warning people away from the faux ads. They think social media sites and app stores can be better at shutting down scammers, too.
Learn to Protect Yourself from Fake Online Casinos
Bonus.com only promotes legal online gambling sites, so you can always check here to see what we’re saying about some new operator you come across in your Facebook or X feed. That includes real money online casinos (only available in a handful of states) and other kinds of online gambling sites such as social and sweepstakes casinos. We vet all of them carefully, signing up for accounts and playing on them ourselves and ensuring their legitimacy (and legality) before suggesting anyone try them out.
The bottom line, though, is that we players have to look out for ourselves. Get familiar with what legal sites are doing in terms of getting licensed and regulated. Learn the laws in your state, too, and know that if your state doesn’t allow real money online casinos, promos from sites saying otherwise are necessarily going to be suspect.
Always be aware of the possibility that a fancy new and inviting site might not be what it appears. It could be bluffing.
In poker, when you have correctly sussed out a bluff, that’s when you want to put your chips in the middle. In the case of these illegal operators bluffing us, though, we must recognize what’s going on and say, “I’m out.”
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