888poker Recovered Over $350k to Victims of Bots and RTA in 2023

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2023 was a big year for 888poker in many ways, as the operator showed it still has what it has to compete with the best poker sites out there, even more than two decades after first launching.

More than anything, the operator showed its commitment to creating and maintaining a safe gaming atmosphere for all its players by taking a strong stance against all cheaters in the poker world.

For the third year in a row, 888poker refunded thousands of players who were victims of cheating on the platform, while banning over 100 accounts suspected or proven of cheating in 2023 alone.

“Our continued progress in tackling bots stems from the understanding that it is crucial in order to ensure that 888poker continues to provide an enjoyable, safe, and level playing field for all our players,” said Matan Krakow, the Head of Poker Offering at 888poker.

Record Player Refunds in 2023 at 888poker

888poker has been sharing its reports on anti-cheating activities with the public for three years now, as part of a greater agenda to tackle cheating and increase transparency industry-wide.

The report for 2023 came out a few days ago and painted a picture of an operator that truly cares about its players and actively battles anyone trying to take advantage of the system or straight-up cheat others on the platform.

Over the past year, 888poker banned a total of 161 accounts for either running bots (automated gameplay programs) or using RTA (real time assistance) during play.

The use of bots has been banned in online poker for a long time, but has remained a big problem for the operators, as new bots are continually made and launched by those looking to take advantage of players who are looking to have a good time on online poker platforms.

RTA, on the other hand, is a newer concept, but one equally as damaging to the overall poker ecosystem, as it makes players using it nearly unbeatable in the long run and gives them an edge they simply don’t deserve.

A total of 4,068 players at 888poker were found to have been impacted by bots or RTA users and the operator refunded a total of $362,893 to these players over the course of a single year.

Exclusive story ‼️

🤖@888poker discloses statistics revealing the total amount reimbursed to those impacted by the use of AI or RTA last year 💻

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— pokerfuse (@pokerfuse) January 18, 2024

What’s more, about $250,000 of that money came straight from 888poker, as the funds could not be recovered from the banned accounts, which have been depleted of funds prior to getting banned.

Yet, the operator decided to make the players whole and ensure that any damages done by discovered bots or cheaters don’t affect their desire to come back and play poker against fair and legitimate opposition at 888poker.

A Lasting Commitment to Fair Gaming

888poker has been fighting the good fight against bots and cheaters for many years, but it took this even more seriously in 2021, when a global fight to uphold game integrity was started by several major operators.

That year was the first time 888poker publicly released a report with numbers of banned accounts, funds refunded to players, and other important data pertaining to game integrity.

In 2021 alone, over $100k was recovered and refunded to players, but that was only just the beginning of the company’s move in the right direction.

2022 was an even bigger year in this regard, and some $300k was refunded, while over 6,800 players got some money back as a result of being affected by bots or RTA/AI players that year.

With the 2023 numbers once again showing growth, it is clear that the problem of bots and RTA players still remains, but is being tackled in a serious fashion by the operator.

While the growing numbers do potentially warn of a geometric rise in the number of bot accounts out there, they could also simply indicate 888poker’s increased ability to detect and ban bots quickly and efficiently.

In either case, knowing that operators are looking out for the players and finding ways to ban those who are trying to endanger the ecosystem, while at the same time refunding those who have been damaged, is something that will definitely help a great number of poker players sleep better at night.

What’s Next for 888poker?

As poker solvers, AI, and other technology that can be used to solve poker on a mathematical level continue to improve, so do the opportunities for miscreants to abuse such technology.

In 2024, operators including 888poker will definitely face many new threats, such as those discovered by GGPoker and ACR Poker in recent weeks, as well as those already faced by 888poker in 2023.

Facing these threats will require vigilance and willingness to act on the operator’s part, but 888poker has demonstrated they don’t lack in either.

In 2024, we can expect to see plenty of new bans and seizures, hopefully in an even quicker fashion than last year, as the vast majority of the player pool remains committed to playing poker on the merit of their skills alone.

We expect more security updates from 888poker in the months ahead of us, as the operator continues to throw some of the most interesting online tournament series and some of the most profitable cash games in the industry on a daily basis.