How BetMGM catches manipulated IDs that manual review let through
BetMGM, one of North America's largest regulated sports-betting and iGaming operators, uses Incode to verify every new player across the U.S. and Canada. Automated identity verification runs inside the sign-up flow, clearing genuine players in seconds and catching the manipulated and counterfeit documents that manual review had been approving. The same check is tuned to each market's rules and covers the BetMGM, Borgata, and Party brands.
of documents caught as tampered
of genuine players approved on the first try, fully automated
growth in monthly verifications as a new state launched, with no added review staff
brands on the same verification, without a new build per market
Pioneering the online gaming industry
BetMGM is a market-leading sports betting and gaming entertainment company, and one of North America's largest regulated sports-betting and iGaming operators.
A joint venture of MGM Resorts and Entain, BetMGM runs the BetMGM, Borgata, and Party brands across the U.S. and Canada, in markets where every new player must be verified. The company makes unforgettable moments of sports and gaming more personal, powerful, and fun through digital technology and evocative player experiences.
BetMGM runs three brands across the U.S. and Canada, in markets where every new player must be verified. Automated identity verification is how the company meets each regulator while clearing genuine players the moment they sign up.
Verify every player, market by market, without letting fraud in
BetMGM's previous identity vendor kept humans in the loop to verify every document, and the cracks were showing on both sides of the check.
Three problems compounded:
-
01
Manual review was slow
Reviews could take several minutes per player, and players abandoned sign-up while they waited.
-
02
Manual review was porous
Manipulated and counterfeit documents passed human review and were approved, at a direct financial cost.
-
03
AI raised the stakes
Attackers began submitting AI-generated and injected imagery: synthetic documents and faces built to defeat a check that was only ever designed to catch a human forger.
The operator that verifies players fastest and most accurately keeps them; the one that is slow or leaky loses them, or loses money to fraud. BetMGM wanted a solution that cleared genuine players in seconds and caught the fraud its manual review kept approving.
Automated identity verification, built for regulated markets
BetMGM replaced its previous vendor with Incode, choosing full automation over humans in the loop. Identity verification runs inside its sign-up flow, tuned to each market it enters.
Biometric identity at sign-up
Identity Verification
A player scans a government ID and takes a live selfie. Incode reads and validates the document, then confirms a live, present person who matches it. An automated pass-or-fail replaces the human reviewer.
Tuned to each market's rules
Age, document-expiration, and accepted-document rules are configured per market, so BetMGM meets each regulator as it launches. The same verification extends to a new state or province, and to the Borgata and Party brands, without a new build.
Catches manipulated and counterfeit documents
Automated forensic checks read a document for signs of tampering and manipulation that a human reviewer clears under time pressure. This is where the fraud a manual process had been approving started getting caught at the door.
Returning players, re-verified
Authentication
Authentication re-verifies a returning player with the same biometric check used at sign-up, protecting accounts against takeover without adding friction.
Deepfake defense, next on the roadmap
Deepsight
Deepsight, Incode's deepfake defense layer, targets the newer threat directly: AI-generated media, synthetic faces, and injection attacks. It is the next layer on BetMGM's roadmap, so the check will hold against fraud built to beat it, not only against a human forger.
Genuine players clear the check the moment they submit; the fraud that manual review had been approving is stopped at sign-up instead of surfacing as a loss later.
How it works
Fraud caught, players cleared, no added staff
From minutes to moments
Near-instant automated decisions replaced reviews that could take several minutes per player, so genuine players stop abandoning sign-up while they wait.
Scale without headcount
When a new state launched, monthly verifications grew without adding review staff: automation absorbed the added volume.
Certified, benchmarked accuracy
Incode's passive liveness detection is independently iBeta certified (Levels 1–3), and its face recognition accuracy is evaluated in the NIST FRTE 1:N benchmark.
Privacy is the architecture
Incode made privacy a founding conviction long before regulation or the market asked for it. Its AI-first identity verification reduces fraud while remaining private and compliant.
Testimonial
“Automated verification catches the manipulated documents our manual review was clearing, and clears real players in seconds.”
Compliance Officer · BetMGM
Frequently asked questions
Questions specific to the BetMGM story
Still have questions? Talk to an expertHow does BetMGM verify new players at sign-up?
A new player photographs their government ID and takes a live selfie inside the sign-up flow. Incode confirms the document is genuine and that a live, present person matches it, then issues an automated pass or fail with no human reviewer in the loop.
Why did BetMGM replace manual document review?
Human review could take several minutes per player, and players abandoned sign-up during the wait. It was also porous: manipulated and counterfeit documents were approved, at a direct cost. BetMGM chose full automation to clear genuine players quickly and stop that fraud at sign-up.
How does the verification adapt to each regulated market?
Rules for age, document expiration, and accepted documents are set for each market, so every launch satisfies its regulator. When BetMGM enters a new state or province, or extends to the Borgata and Party brands, the existing verification carries over rather than requiring a new build.
How does BetMGM catch manipulated and counterfeit IDs?
Automated forensic checks examine each document for evidence of tampering, the kind a time-pressured human reviewer can miss. Roughly 9% of submitted documents were caught as tampered once the automated check was in place.
How does BetMGM protect returning players' accounts?
Incode Authentication runs the same biometric check from sign-up whenever a returning player is re-verified, guarding accounts against takeover while keeping the experience light.
What results has BetMGM reported since automating verification?
About 9% of documents were caught as tampered, 97% of genuine players were approved on the first try with no human in the loop, and monthly verifications grew 3x as a new state launched without added review staff. Three brands run on the same verification.
How is BetMGM preparing for AI-generated fraud?
Deepsight, Incode's deepfake defense layer, is next on BetMGM's roadmap. It screens for AI-generated media, synthetic faces, and injection attacks, the newer threats that a check designed for human forgers was never built to stop.
What's next
See how Incode secures betting onboarding
Verify every player, satisfy every regulator, and catch the documents manual review lets through.