Partypoker Makes Online Poker Safer Again by Killing 121 Bots

Kaycee James

2 years ago

Partypoker’s war against online poker bots is showing no signs of slowing down as its latest attack has killed off 121 fraudulent accounts.

Partypoker has closed down another 121 bots and handed back more than $175,000 in refunds. (Image: Eteknix)

Since it enlisted a new team of security experts, Partypoker has been hot on tracking down cheats.

During the latest cull, $76,267 was seized from 89 accounts using bots on Partypoker.com. The remaining 32 accounts were registered to the operator’s dot.eu network and contained a total of €88,351/$98,169 in illicit funds.

Partypoker Wins Another Battle but War Continues

Commenting on the action taken, Partypoker said the latest haul was the result of work carried out in July. All funds have since been redistributed to players and the team are now investigating a fresh batch of leads.

To help make Partypoker the “safest place to play online poker,” players are being urged to speak up. By emailing the security team (reports@partypoker.com), the company promises to take all reported incidents seriously.

In shutting down 121 bots last month, Partypoker almost tripled its June tally. It also takes the number of successful account closures since December 1, 2018, to well over 400.

Moreover, the security team’s efforts have recovered more than $1 million for affected players.

Helping Make Online Poker Safer

Critics will argue the stats prove bots are more of a problem in online poker than operators are willing to admit. However, even if that’s the case, Partypoker is clearly trying to tackle the issue.

Even if it doesn’t succeed in catching every cheat, it’s setting a precedent. Indeed, Partypoker associate Rob Yong has called for a joint effort to tackle bots and fraudsters.

Calling the likes of PokerStars to arms, Yong believes a cross-site coalition would improve online poker as a whole. Although he’s yet to put any formal plans in place, the Brit has tentatively named the group Online Poker Against Cheating (OPAC).

Even if Partypoker can’t convince its peers to share resources, its actions can’t be ignored. By providing more transparency, it’s simultaneously creating new standards.

Regardless of whether other online poker sites follow suit, players are still benefitting from a safer environment at Partypoker.