Many online poker players remember the “superuser” scandals that have erupted over the past couple of years. Millions of dollars were lost in the commission of these scams and only through the diligence of the online poker world did they ever come to light. What if there had been software in place that would have detected these violations and stopped them before it had started?
This may be something that not only the online poker world but also the entirety of the online gaming world will be able to do right now. On Tuesday, a software development company in Israel announced that they have developed a program that will detect online cheating in real time, allowing for online poker rooms and casinos to put an end to such actions.
CogniSafe Ltd., which is based in Tel Aviv, has developed a program that will run alongside the software that online rooms run and is now available for online rooms to purchase. The software, called PitBoss, has the ability to prevent cheating from online bots, online advisors, software cheats, software hacking, insider information and even collusion. During the announcement of this innovative software program Shmuel Konfoty, the Chief Technical Officer at CogniSafe, stated, “We are excited to be able to offer a complete solution to online cheating that works across a large variety of game types. Whether gamers are playing card games such as poker, board games such as chess or almost any other form of game, we have a proven solution to any potential cheating scenario.”
In an exclusive interview with Poker News Daily, Mr. Konforty went into further detail about the software and how it works.
PND: How does PitBoss work over such a diverse gaming spectrum as online casinos and poker rooms?
SK: The PitBoss knowledgebase is an elaborate data model within a mathematical frame, combined with communal knowledge parts shared by all games and game specific parts. Because of the large amount of shared rules, movement and policies, adding new games to the same knowledge base is relatively fast and easy. Adding blackjack to the existing program, for instance, only took two days.
PitBoss is based on a cheat detection engine that is rooted in semantics. The engine recognizes specific sequences, most of which have been pre-defined. In addition, it is able to handle variant sequences or even custom ones across most game types.
PND: Is it correct to assume that the PitBoss software reads more of the behavioral aspects of players?
SK: In addition to the behaviors of the players, PitBoss “reads” the game logic and processes within the game. If players are concerned that we’re taking information about them, CogniSafe does not forward any user data that is not directly related to the detected cheat, only the cheat type and the name of the user.
PND: What advantages does the real time aspect of detection give to an online casino or poker room that would use the PitBoss software?
SK: Real time detection enables the operator to reduce the damage that an online cheater and according to the operator policy. For example, with PitBoss’ detection of a potential cheater, it can cancel a money transaction to the suspected cheater. By using PitBoss, the operators of online casinos and poker rooms can also increase retention of players as they are in a safe and secure environment.
PND: Would the PitBoss software have been able to detect the scandals and other issues that have plagued online poker over the past few years?
SK: Without a doubt. It could have been done it in real time and alerted the operator of the particular poker room or casino as to the suspicious event as they occurred.
PND: What support have you had from the online gaming industry in the creation of the PitBoss software?
SK: We consulted with experts in the industry in order to become familiar with the domain. This allowed us better information in order to help build the knowledge model. It also provided details into the various “cheat families” that are out there today.
PND: How will PitBoss find new ways of cheating or people who are trying to work around the program?
SK: There are very few new things under the sun. Each cheating method, be it old or new, is related in some way to a known “cheat family” by its content or by its mechanism. PitBoss is able to detect these new cheat mutations and classify them in a autonomous way. This technology is the core of CogniSafe’s IP and patents.
