888 Holdings Plc, the parent company of 888poker, has announced that it has recovered nearly $290,000 in funds from online-poker accounts found to have broken various rules on its global poker network during 2022 and has returned those funds to affected players.
According to an 888 Holdings statement, the company's game-integrity team identified violations of several types, though the largest categories involved the use of "bots" and real-time assistance (RTAs).
For all of 2022, 888poker refunded a total of $287,292 to 6,801 distinct players, or an average of about $42 per player. According to 888, the 2022 seizures represent a 32% year-over-year increase in the number of detections, though 888 did not specify the number of player accounts it had seized money from through the course of the year.
888poker, as with most other online networks, has not identified any of the cheaters publicly. In many jurisdictions, laws ban the public naming of perpetrators barring exceptional circumstances.
According to Matan Krakow, Head of Poker Offering at 888poker, "At 888poker, we take the issue of game integrity very seriously. This year, as a result of our continued investments in technology, cooperation of our players, and hard work of our teams, we have increased the detection rate of bot accounts, RTA and collusion to give back almost $290,000 to players.
"In the year ahead, we will continue to focus on this area to ensure that customers have a fair, safe, and entertaining experience when they play with 888poker."
888poker also stated that its progress in identifying online cheaters has been driven by an "increased investment in improving its detection capabilities, reflecting its broader efforts to ensure a safe, fair, and enjoyable poker experience for all players."
Featured image source: 888 Holdings
