In an era where digital threats are becoming increasingly sophisticated, the iGaming industry faces a relentless battle against fraud and cyberattacks. To combat this evolving landscape, European Gaming recently spoke with Chris Blake, Director at Firesand, about their new product, Firesand Shield. This cutting-edge security solution has been developed to tackle the complex tactics of modern fraudsters and hackers head-on.

In this interview, Chris Blake provides an in-depth look at how Firesand Shield was created specifically to combat the rise of account fraud, explaining how these attacks are becoming more automated and stealthy. He details the product’s multi-layered approach that goes beyond traditional bot detection, integrating seamlessly with operator platforms while delivering powerful real-time intelligence. Blake also discusses how Firesand Shield not only protects against fraud but also helps operators meet stringent regulatory requirements in highly regulated markets. Finally, he shares his vision for the future, outlining how Firesand is committed to staying one step ahead of a constantly changing threat environment.

Firesand Shield was developed to combat the rise of account fraud within the iGaming industry. How are these attacks evolving, and what level of disruption are they causing?

Account fraud is becoming more sophisticated. Attackers now use highly automated ‘low and slow’ techniques that avoid detection by mimicking normal user behaviour, which allows them to evade detection, as well as exploit platforms at scale.

In another change, rather than brute force attacks on platforms, we’re seeing credential stuffing attacks powered by breached data and botnets. This is where nefarious actors will use stolen databases of known usernames and passwords to try and gain access to accounts.

The outcome of this is that these attacks can cause significant impacts on operators. Compromised accounts lead to chargebacks, bonus abuse, regulatory issues, and player attrition.

Firesand Shield was built specifically to address these challenges at the level the industry demands. It goes beyond standard bot detection by recognising behavioural indicators that traditional tools miss, using a multi-layered approach that combines analytics, reputation intelligence, and real time risk profiling.

Our proactive, intelligence-led defence ensures that operators have a significant advantage in preventing fraud, maintaining platform integrity, and crucially, preserves a seamless player experience.

How does Firesand Shield integrate with operator platforms and back ends to deliver a seamless solution? 

Integration can take part via two methods, that are both unobtrusive to the day-to-day activities of a platform. A classic API integration sees operators connect core user workflows, including login, registration, password reset, to Firesand via RESTful APIs. Firesand returns risk scores based on credential health, unusual behaviour, and IP location mismatches.

In addition, through both OAuth for enterprise SSO and simple username and password logins, we can facilitate access to a live dashboard provides visibility into login trends, potential attacks, and detailed metrics.

How can Firesand Shield help operators reduce regulatory risk, especially in highly regulated jurisdictions like the US, UK, or mature European markets?

Modern regulations demand active threat detection, prevention, and response, not just passive tools like firewalls or CAPTCHAs. There are demands now to prove you can detect, prevent, and respond to credential-based threats that potentially compromise platform integrity.

Firesand Shield supports this with real-time detection of threats, human-led attack identification, and unwanted actors.

As well as identifying potential threats, our built-in dashboards offer real-time reporting, instant access to logs and forensic data, and are created to ensure that all reports are audit-ready, with one-click data exports. This removes the operational burden of post-incident analysis, and allows operators to demonstrate control across their estate, satisfying regulators and clients alike.

It all aligns with best practices under various regulations, such as GDPR, gambling commission rules, and state-level cybersecurity legislation in the US. Firesand Shield is not just a fraud prevention tool, but a powerful compliance ally.

What kind of real-time fraud intelligence and threat response capabilities does Firesand Shield offer for operators managing large-scale player traffic during peak events?

Big sporting events, casino promotions, or game launches are prime targets for attackers. They use the surge in traffic as cover for credential stuffing, account takeovers, and bonus abuse. These aren’t just bot driven, but increasingly human-led or blended threats designed to bypass legacy defences.

Firesand Shield is built for high-volume, high-risk environments, delivering real time results under pressure, and automated mitigation at scale.

With traffic pattern monitoring that detects abnormal spikes in activity, or dynamic reputation scoring, where traffic from known malicious sources can be blocked, the product allows for real time decision making that assists operators. Firesand Shield goes beyond detection, allowing for immediate responses all controlled from our dashboard.

Even during peak events, Firesand Shield ensures system performance is unaffected while delivering the fraud protection and data required to protect players, satisfy regulators, and maintain operational integrity.

With an outlined roadmap of improvements to Firesand Shield, can security software keep pace with the ever-changing landscape of bot-driven fraud attacks?

Absolutely, and it must. The landscape of account fraud, particularly bot-driven attacks, is evolving faster than ever. Attackers continuously adapt, using more advanced automation, machine learning, and even human fraud farms to bypass traditional defences. Static, rules-based systems quickly become outdated. That is why Firesand Shield is built as a living platform with agility at its core.

Our development roadmap is shaped by continuous threat intelligence, client feedback, and industry trends. Upcoming enhancements include:

• Additional bot detection
• VPN detection
• Adaptive risk-scoring algorithms, tuned in real time to each operator’s unique traffic patterns
• Machine learning models that evolve as attacker tactics change
• Expanded breach intelligence feeds to flag compromised credentials faster
• Operator-led rule customisation, allowing real-time tuning without code or downtime
• User hygiene scoring, offering visibility into the health of player credentials across your platform

What makes Firesand Shield different is that it is not just reactive, but proactive and predictive. We’re not waiting for attackers to act. Instead, we are constantly learning from data across the iGaming ecosystem and pushing updates to stay ahead.

Built with regulatory frameworks in mind, we have strived to produce a solution that counters multiple pain points experienced across the industry that can have severe effects on operations if bad actors are successful with their intentions.

For operators and regulators alike, this means confidence that Firesand Shield is not just fit for today, but also ready for what’s next. Security software can and must keep pace, and our roadmap ensures that Firesand Shield leads that charge.

In the dynamic and rapidly evolving world of esports, a new chapter is being written at BETER with the appointment of Adam Conway as the General Manager of Esports. A veteran with over a decade of experience at SIS, where he was instrumental in shaping their esports and trading strategies, Conway brings a wealth of knowledge and a fresh perspective to his new role. In this exclusive interview, we delve beyond the surface-level discussions and get a frank, insightful look into the core issues driving the esports betting industry today.

Conway offers a deep dive into the burgeoning trend of fast-bet esports, examining its growth trajectory and its place within a regulatory framework that is still playing catch-up. He sheds light on the crucial interplay of computer vision, cutting-edge integrity technology, and live data, explaining how these elements are forging the next generation of betting models. The conversation also turns to BETER’s impressive scaling, revealing how the company manages to host over 500,000 monthly events while maintaining an exceptionally low integrity breach rate of under 0.01%.

Furthermore, Conway outlines the strategic importance of key markets such as the US, Latin America, and the APAC region in the future evolution of esports products. This Q&A is a refreshing departure from the usual industry fluff, offering a candid look at both the commercial drivers and the compliance challenges. Conway provides his unique perspective on what regulators often misunderstand about micro-markets, making this a must-read for anyone interested in the future of esports betting.

You spent more than a decade at SIS where you oversaw its trading desks and in-house tournaments. Why after such a long and successful period with the company, did you decide to jump ship to BETER? And what are you hoping to achieve with BETER?

Fast-betting content for esports and sports was pioneered by BETER, which soon became the in-demand provider of this type of content to operators worldwide. Being offered the chance to lead its esports division was an opportunity I knew I was best placed to take, so I couldn’t turn it down. Naturally, it was a tough decision to leave SIS, a company where I spent more than a decade working my way up through senior roles such as Head of Trading and Global Head of Esports and Competitive Gaming, but all good things must come to an end, and for me, the scale of the opportunity and the timing were just right.

In terms of what can be achieved, it’s about building on the incredibly strong foundation that is already in place. This has been done by being a trailblazer in the fast-betting esports content space and bringing next-generation products to market, such as its flagship ESportsBattle tournaments, which set the industry standard. It covers multiple disciplines, including eFootball, eHockey, eBasketball, and most recently, eTennis, with contests held in dedicated facilities located in three countries. Across these titles, BETER has more than 300 semi-professional athletes on its books, just to give you an idea of the scale of the operation. We deliver live streams, real-time data, and odds for more than 35,000 exclusive ESportsBattle events each month, and we are on track to scale that to 500,000 events annually. But this will only be possible because of the passion, commitment, and dedication of the BETER team, while maintaining leading uptime and margins from a trading perspective.

This sheer volume ensures operators can consistently provide a wide range of engaging content, tailored to the interests of their players. And despite the scale, only 0.01% of matches are flagged for investigation as suspicious, thanks to our dedicated Integrity team, which operates around the clock with a clear framework and robust oversight tools.

Additionally, BETER offers a powerful Esports Odds Feed, delivering market-leading odds with the highest uptime for more than 450 tournaments globally. This includes over 40,000 pre-match and live events annually across popular titles such as CS2, Dota 2, League of Legends, Valorant, and more. Our coverage spans tournaments from Tier 1 to Tier 3, accounting for up to 95% of all available contests. Odds are calculated using official data and refined by our in-house team of more than 130 expert traders.

As you can see, BETER is the most promising fast-betting content provider in the industry. Its scale is unmatched across esports and sports products, locations and venues, monthly event volume, athletes, and the calibre of its trading team. But most importantly, this is only the beginning. I see tremendous potential to further expand BETER’s portfolio and transform it into a true industry powerhouse, leveraging my 20+ years of experience to help drive that vision forward.

The scope and scale of your tournaments are unrivalled, with thousands of contests taking place each month with the goal of offering even more. But how are you elevating your offering beyond the quantity of contests run, and how do you ensure you continue to meet the highest standards of quality?

Being able to offer enough events to fill gaps in operators’ offerings is a powerful advantage, especially when it comes to selecting a reliable content provider. However, volume alone isn’t enough to keep bettors engaged 24/7, particularly when catering to Gen Z and Millennial audiences.

That’s why we constantly diversify our offerings by adding disciplines and experimenting with new formats. For example, our eFootball content includes three formats (2×4, 2×6, and Volta), while eBasketball is available in two formats (4×5 and 4×8).

We’ve also recently launched eTennis tournaments, making BETER the first provider to bring such content to the market. This allows operators to stand out with a truly unique product. We’re starting with around 400 monthly events, with plans to scale up to 2,200 by year-end, featuring various match formats across two concurrent 24/7 streams.

It`s just a small part of our broader product development roadmap. We’re actively exploring new opportunities and assessing the potential value we can deliver to partners across the Atlantic. Among the most promising additions to our tournament lineup are eBaseball and American eFootball—two disciplines that align well with the preferences of key target markets and can be seamlessly launched and integrated thanks to our technical capabilities and dedicated professional team.

We’re also focused on delivering a more engaging and comprehensive bettor experience by expanding the number and variety of available markets. Our trading team is currently working on integrating player props, corners, card markets and more into our fast-betting offering, designed to bring more thrills and boost bettor retention.

Our expansion spans all key markets: North America, Latin America, APAC, and Europe. However, global reach also requires continuous product validation and adjustments, particularly in terms of localisation and compliance with local regulatory policies. That’s why we prioritise stability, transparency and reliability—qualities that operators consistently demand. Because of this, ESportsBattle maintains one of the highest uptimes in the industry, exceeding 90%, while also delivering a sustainable operator margin of 7.5%.

In response to partner demand, we’ve also begun offering fully branded, dedicated eFootball tournaments. These give operators the ability to further differentiate themselves and engage bettors more effectively.

BETER team at the EGR B2B Awards 2025 — proud winners of the Esports Betting Supplier award

What integrity safeguards do you consider absolutely essential today, given your pioneering work with sub-second latency streams and on-camera referees? And where do you still see cracks that technology or policy must address?

There are very few cracks left, thanks to the outstanding work of our dedicated Integrity team, which is now over 20 strong and led by Andrii Nekrutov, our Chief Integrity Officer, who brings more than 20 years of experience in law enforcement and security. Integrity is the cornerstone of our operations, and we uphold the principles of fair play across all tournaments and matches.

We’ve developed a comprehensive, multi-pillar approach to integrity, which includes onboarding, education and prevention, regulations, monitoring, investigation and prosecution. We also collaborate closely with law enforcement agencies, sporting bodies and federations.

We maintain a holistic approach to corporate governance, supported by an integrity certification system, multilingual and multi-platform educational programs, our proprietary Integrity Incident Database and Operations Centre, dedicated whistleblowing platform and more. These measures have collectively earned us several accolades, including the Safer Gambling Award at this year’s European iGaming Awards.

To bring all these initiatives together, we developed Integrity+, our proprietary digital platform designed to prevent match-fixing, support athletes and uphold fair play. Powered by AI and accessible across all devices, Integrity+ seamlessly integrates education, reporting and real-time risk management into a single, comprehensive tool tailored to the needs of today’s sports professionals.

Additionally, we recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) and became a member of the Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC, also receiving its Gold Standard Accreditation. As part of that process, ESIC conducted a thorough review of our operations, including physical studio security, access control, surveillance and CCTV coverage, communication device restrictions, event oversight, personnel requirements and game settings. We successfully met all their criteria.

Trading is now very much a data game, but that hasn’t always been the case. Looking back, which single data signal had the greatest impact on pricing accuracy and what underrated metric will you deploy at BETER to keep your esports traders ahead of the competition?

Without a doubt, the automation of scouting through Computer Vision has been a game-changer, and it’s something I’ve made a top priority since joining BETER. This technology, which is set to go live soon, is fundamental because it delivers both speed and precision in trading processes, a combination that’s no longer optional in today’s market.

Looking ahead, the next frontier for us is machine learning. By embedding it into our trading models, we’ll be able to continuously refine and optimise our strategies, unlocking deeper insights, increasing responsiveness, and ultimately delivering greater value to our operator partners and their players. It’s not just about staying ahead—it’s about setting the pace.

Globally, it seems regulators are getting more comfortable with esports but remain cautious about micro-markets. What is it about fast-betting products that some regulators don’t like and how are you looking to educate them as to how the product can be offered responsibly?

As a provider of fast-betting products, it is our responsibility to work closely with regulators, not only to meet their rigorous standards but also to ensure we partner exclusively with official operators and aggregators who hold the necessary approvals in their respective jurisdictions.

For instance, in securing vendor registration in New Jersey, we worked hand in hand with the Division of Gaming Enforcement to obtain the required approvals to deliver our content to local operators and players. We have taken the same collaborative approach in other regulated markets such as Buenos Aires and Peru, where we also maintain the necessary licences and certifications.

In every case, our commitment to integrity has helped reassure regulators that our content is fair, secure, and compliant. We have also demonstrated how we support our operator partners in offering our content responsibly, with our Integrity and Trading teams working side-by-side with partners’ teams.

Of course, it’s essential for operators to offer the experiences players are seeking— increasingly fast-bet products for esports. By partnering with BETER, they can meet this demand while being fully confident in the fairness, integrity, and safety of the content they offer.

Welcome to HIPTHER Community Voices, where we sit down with industry leaders to discuss their journey and vision. Today, we’re joined by Jurijs Rapoports, the Chairman of the Board and COO of Tonybet.

With a career spanning over a decade in iGaming and technology, Jurijs has a reputation for building high-performing teams and driving operational excellence. His strategic leadership has been instrumental in Tonybet’s success, focusing on global market growth and operational efficiency. He’s known for balancing big-picture vision with hands-on execution, empowering his teams to excel while actively engaging with the broader iGaming community.

Since taking the helm of Tonybet SIA in 2024, Jurijs has been guiding the company’s next phase of strategic growth, solidifying its position as a major competitor in the international iGaming landscape. We’re excited to dive into his experience and insights.

Tonybet has made a name by sticking to the rules. What drives your commitment to full licensing, even in markets where others cut corners?

We don’t make light of our license acquisitions, that’s for sure. There are a lot of reasons for this, but most importantly it supports our main goal to give the best experience possible to our users.

We hold several licenses worldwide since 15 years of running the business, such as Canada and the Netherlands, both of which have particular requirements to enter the market. With our experience to follow the law to the letter and operate in various places, we are then seen more as trustworthy. As a brand, it’s gaining us a respected name in an industry usually surrounded by stigma. The fact that we can promote ourselves as a licensed operator is like showing our badge of honor. We show to our players, new or existing, how reliable we are. Our dedication to cultivating this trust creates meaningful, long-lasting connections with them.

That also reflects in our marketing strategies, from adding legal lines to reminding players to game responsibly, keeping in mind the rules set for us. As a result, we’re driven to give premium entertainment where player safety and comfort is indispensable. Overall, it pushes us to be adaptable and creative. Yes, it is a difficult path to take, but we hold onto the belief that it will lead us to sustainable, long-term success.

In an industry where shortcuts are common, what does “doing things right” actually look like at Tonybet?

We know we’re “doing things right” when more and more players are being trusting and loyal through the little improvements, rather than game-changing ways, in all the things we create. Even in strengthening our brand, we always take a closer look at the market.

At Tonybet, we always show to our players that we treat them as a community. When it comes to promoting our platform, we portray iGaming as a valid and meaningful form of leisure. As long as it’s done responsibly, there’s no shame in doing so. But as we’re all aware, there are more operators that opt for shortcuts, making things worse for the very few that truly care for the market and understand the importance of complying with regulations. There are even several cases of non-compliant campaigns that are still practiced to this day and spread around. This kind of exploitation cannot continue any longer than it should have. Changes must be made. That’s why we consistently do what we do. By advocating for responsible gaming, safety, and mutual respect for our players, we encourage others to turn in a more ethical direction.

Fraud is a growing threat. How is Tonybet using machine learning and tech to stay ahead of bad actors?

Fraud is something that will not ever stop. It’s an inevitable force that should not be dealt with passively. But thanks to machine learning models, real-time monitoring is possible and much more effective against bad actors. At Tonybet, we have a combination of solutions in our systems, including behavioral analytics, device fingerprinting, geolocations, and many more. We also collaborate with trusted third-party vendors that provide us tools and global intelligence that give us security advantages.

Of course, these tools could only go so far without training the very backbone of the company. So, we also adopt practices like red teaming, audits, and internal stress testing.

We don’t have a one-size-fits-all solution. We’re always evaluating our systems to check for blindspots.

Can you share an example of when your risk or player protection systems helped prevent a potential crisis or high-risk situation?

There was one time we detected a group of 400 newly registered accounts acting strangely. These accounts shared the same device fingerprints, with IP overlaps and identical gameplay patterns, such as adding small bets right after redeeming a welcome offer. This is a common behavior of coordinated bonus abuse. Our fraud detection system flagged the activity within hours of them becoming active. Without our high-tech solutions, it might take days or even weeks for one person to connect all the dots manually. Our team acted quickly, freezing the accounts and reporting the incident within the same day. In the end, we prevented over €30,000 in potential losses, kept the promotions going, and went back to business as usual without any PR nightmare.

It was a great example of how the right technology doesn’t only make us respond faster: it allows us to act early, protect the business, and prevent honest players from being affected.

Gamification is a buzzword—but what does it mean to you? What new features are in the works to keep players engaged and entertained?

True, gamification is all the rage nowadays, a marketable catchphrase in the industry. But to us, there’s more to it than that. We have a tagline “We’re here to play,” that we place in all of our promotional campaigns. It’s our main philosophy to be dedicated to creating what’s fun and exciting for people. To bring a grand experience where players would think and feel our platform is just like playing in a real casino. Gamification makes this feat possible. So to us, it plays a big role.

Gamification is part of our USPs. We invested a lot on it for our platform. Alongside the use of AI, players can see a personalized gaming lobby based on their preferences. Another gamified feature is the Daily Missions, created for those who only have little time to play but still being able to get rewards by accomplishing simple tasks. Our VIP program, on the other hand, was also refined by gamification for our loyal players. Both casino and sports-betting have some sort of VIP levels that makes the overall gameplay more engaging and interactive. These are available in our platform and mobile apps already and they get updated based on user feedback.

With the pace of tech and regulation accelerating, where do you see Tonybet in the next five years?

By then, Tonybet would be in a leading position as a reliable operator for both regulators and users. I’d want our brand to be known for delivering a casino and sports-betting platform that managed to balance being fun and yet also trustworthy.

Part of our roadmap is to continue refining our product using AI and other cutting-edge tools available to us. We’re always looking for new and better ways to personalize the experience for our users, something as intuitive and innovative as Daily Missions, which is one of our standout features.

When it comes to accessibility, we will continue reaching out with our existing players and make sure our services are available to the right people. We will be leveraging affiliates and Google search channels for this one.

There’s this vision we have to become a market driver that highlights how important white-label operators are for player comfort and security. So in everything we do, we will keep on promoting responsible and safe gaming practices, and helping players embrace them every step of the way.

A huge thank you to Jurijs Rapoports for joining us and sharing his insights on responsible gaming, operational excellence, and Tonybet’s commitment to building a brand rooted in trust.

His perspective on how adherence to regulations and player safety isn’t a hurdle, but a foundation for long-term success, is a powerful message for the entire industry. It’s clear that under his leadership, Tonybet is not just playing the game, but also working to change it for the better.

HIPTHER Community Voices is a platform dedicated to highlighting the leaders, innovators, and visionaries shaping the future of the iGaming and tech industries.

If you’re a member of the HIPTHER Community and have a story to tell or an opinion to share, we want to hear from you! Reach out to us to be featured in our next interview.