Duncan Garvie Sounds the Alarm on Fake Suppliers Posing as Real Developers

Duncan Garvie, a well-known stakeholder in the gaming world and the person behind BetBlocker, has just warned about a fresh round of tricks in the online casino arena. 

Garvie Exposes Criminal Groups Behind Fake Games with Rigged RTP Settings

Garvie shared worrying news about crime rings that are busy making fake games to cheat players on a big scale. These copycat games, often looking like the real deal, have been caught with tweaked Return to Player (RTP) settings. Some even claim to have games with RTP rates as low as 0%.

Garvie pointed out that these bad actors are not just trying to shake up the market. They are going after the people who can protect themselves the least. He emphasized that these operations are full-on criminal groups looking to take advantage of people who do not know any better by offering them rigged games. Garvie said these fake games often show up on shady casino websites. They are being put out there without the proper licenses, oversight from regulators, or the testing that real games have to go through.

The games we are talking about are not just illegal copies of popular titles – they are made to trick players. One big problem is messing with the RTP settings. Real developers have to send their games to approved testing labs to check if they meet the right RTP.

However, these fake games do not go through this process. This lets criminals change the RTP, fooling players about their real chances of winning. Some of these phony games even say they have 0% RTP, which means players are paying just to watch the reels spin without any shot at winning.

Garvie Exposes ‘Bait and Switch’ Tactics Used by Fake Game Scammers

Besides the problematic RTP settings, Garvie highlighted the risk of “bait and switch” strategies these scammers use. These methods involve providing genuine games to most players but changing to fake versions when they target high-value players or when a player’s bet reaches a certain size. This approach ensures that the most profitable players have the highest chance to experience the fraudulent nature of these games.

The issue gets worse due to claims that ex-staff from big-name developers like Pragmatic Play have been nicking code to make these fake games. Some of these developers have even been pitching their stolen games to casinos as “no win” games, offering a setup where players get ripped off.

Garvie cautioned that these actions could damage the online gaming industry’s reputation in the long run. Garvie’s caution sheds light on how these criminal groups are getting smarter and the hurdle real developers face to stop them. As fake games become more common, players need to be careful when picking online casinos, especially those in markets without regulations.