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Incognia, a location identity company, has announced entering the online gambling industry by offering geolocation and account security services.
The California-based company believes its technology will help gaming operators detect attempts at bettors placing bets outside of state lines, as well as a variety of other attempts to cheat state-level gaming.
Incognia CEO André Ferraz said in a statement on the company’s website:
“We are thrilled to bring several decades of combined experience building location technology to the growing US iGaming and Sports Wagering market. In addition to providing a more precise and resourceful geolocation compliance solution, we look forward to arming operators with a proactive fraud prevention signal that automates the use of location data and greatly reduces the need for manual fraud investigations.”
The company’s geolocation tech protects more than 200 million devices worldwide. Incognia has yet to announce any contracts with US gaming operators.
Location detection is part of a wide range of security services Incognia offers
The geolocation industry has exploded amid the United States’ gaming and sports betting boom. As states launch sports betting, for example, they need to be certain that only people physically located within state lines are using online gambling apps in that state.
Geolocation companies make that happen. Their technology allows them to detect a device’s location at an apartment level. If a bettor’s bedroom and bathroom are in Oregon (where sports betting is legal) but their living room is in California (where sports betting and online casinos are not legal), Incognia’s tech can help block your bet if you’re standing in the living room.
However, like many geolocation companies, Incognia’s services extend beyond simply locating a bettor’s device. It can detect a variety of attempts to circumvent location rules and gambling protections:
- GPS spoofing apps (meant to make it look like you’re in a location you aren’t)
- VPNs (using an IP address in a state where sports betting is legal)
- App tampering
- Identity theft
- Bonus abuse
- Collusion
- Proxy betting (betting for someone who isn’t in the state, then sending them any winnings)
- Payment fraud
Incognia aced GLI test
Last year, the company submitted its geolocation services to Gaming Laboratories International (GLI), a third-party firm that tests geolocation tech to assure accuracy.
GLI tested Incognia’s geolocation services on two Apple iPhones (11 and 13) and two Google Pixels (3XL and 5). It assessed how well the service could detect location as well as attempts to spoof each phone’s GPS.
GLI found that Incognia passed the test. The company’s tech detected when a user entered an excluded area (simulates an area where sports betting or online gambling is illegal) and attempted location spoofing.
“Incognia passed all (tests) with flying colors,” a GLI testing engineer noted in the press release on the company’s website. “I was surprised that I didn’t uncover anything that required fixing and retesting, because I always do.”
