Lindsay Slader, SVP of Compliance at GeoComply, has seen firsthand how fraud in iGaming has evolved from simple spoofing attempts to complex, coordinated abuse schemes. In this interview, she explains how high-risk locations and bonus exploitation have become the new frontiers of fraud, why location intelligence offers a unique line of defense, and how the industry can balance compliance, privacy, and innovation in an increasingly fragmented regulatory landscape.
GeoComply often works in the background—unseen by players but critical to platforms. In a sentence, what do you think people misunderstand most about what GeoComply actually does?
Lindsay Slader: People often think we just check a user’s location, when in reality, we verify the integrity of that location by analyzing the entire digital environment to ensure a user is exactly who and where they say they are.
You analyze everything from user locations to device integrity to flag fraud, spoofing, or even bonus abuse. Can you share a moment when your technology uncovered something that surprised even your own team?
Lindsay Slader: Early on, we noticed a pattern of devices ‘location jumping’ hundreds of miles instantly, only to land in another legal jurisdiction and immediately start transacting. At first, it looked like simple spoofing. But our team realized it was a coordinated, high-tech fraud ring using a network of rented virtual machines and sophisticated software to jump between states, allowing them to abuse bonuses and make illicit transactions on a massive scale.
That discovery became the catalyst for one of our most important capabilities: High-Risk Location Detection. Today, we use advanced location intelligence to identify and block bonus abusers in real time. Traditional fraud signals like account IDs or payment details are easy to fake — but a fraudster’s physical location is much harder to hide.
Our AI now analyzes satellite imagery, granular location signals, and behavioral patterns — such as device resets and rapid account creation — to map precise fraud hotspots. This allows our clients to cut through the noise of everyday activity and zero in on genuine threats. Instead of reacting after damage is done, they can stop bad actors mid-play.
What began as a surprising anomaly evolved into a targeted, proactive defense. This is powered by more than 150 fraud analysts, data scientists, researchers, and engineers, whose expertise—combined with adaptive machine learning models—lets us respond to new fraud tactics in minutes, not months.
From VPNs to GPS spoofers to virtual machines, users are becoming more sophisticated. Has fraud evolved faster than regulation—and how does GeoComply stay ahead without slowing the industry down?
Lindsay Slader: Fraud is the single biggest compliance risk in online gaming, and GeoComply is at the forefront of stopping it. Regulations set the rules of the road, but it’s technology that has to enforce them—instantly and without disrupting the player experience.
We don’t just react to fraud after it happens; we proactively spot emerging patterns before they become industry-wide problems. While others depend on spoofable signals or after-the-fact detection, GeoComply delivers ground-truth intelligence that combines real-world location, device integrity, and behavioral risk data to stop bad actors in their tracks.
From onboarding to withdrawal, we identify and block fraud in real time, silently in the background, so legitimate players enjoy a fast, frictionless experience while fraudsters never get a chance to act.
There’s a fine line between security and surveillance. How does GeoComply think about user privacy while collecting such detailed device and behavioral data?
Lindsay Slader: Privacy is foundational to our mission of instilling confidence. We operate on a principle of data minimization—we only collect the absolute minimum data needed to fulfill our anti-fraud and compliance obligations. We are simply providing a ‘truth signal’—is this user located in a legal jurisdiction, and is their device’s integrity uncompromised? We’re a technology vendor, not a data broker.
In a fragmented market like the U.S., each state has its own rules. Is this patchwork of regulation creating innovation—or just unnecessary complexity?
Lindsay Slader: It’s creating both, but the innovation outweighs the complexity. The patchwork of regulation in the U.S. is undoubtedly complex, requiring a unique, state-by-state approach to compliance. However, this fragmented landscape has also forced us to build an incredibly flexible and robust technology platform.
We have to innovate constantly to meet diverse regulatory demands, which has ultimately made our technology the most powerful and adaptable solution on the market. This level of rigor is what has prepared us to scale our solutions beyond online gaming into other highly-regulated markets that demand the same level of integrity, such as fintech and digital streaming.
If we fast-forward five years, what role do you hope GeoComply is playing not just in iGaming, but across the broader digital trust ecosystem—finance, streaming, identity, and beyond?
Lindsay Slader: In five years, I want GeoComply to be recognized as the global gold standard for digital trust. Sophisticated fraudsters threaten every corner of the online world, and our mission is to stay ahead of them. Today, we are already the invisible layer of protection behind countless digital interactions—from opening a new bank account, to logging in seamlessly to a streaming service, to verifying a customer for a high-value e-commerce purchase.
We’re also deeply committed to expanding the use of our technology for social good. For example, today we donate our VPN detection database and financial resources to help combat child exploitation online—identifying VPNs used in the distribution of CSAM, supporting law enforcement in prosecuting offenders, and improving the data available to agencies and non-profits so they can strengthen enforcement and better protect children.
Looking ahead, our technology will continue to evolve into a critical part of the Internet’s core infrastructure, ensuring that every online interaction, everywhere, is safe, secure, and built on a foundation of confidence and integrity.
We’ve focused a lot on trust—how would you define trust in the iGaming industry today? Has it changed since you started covering this space?
Lindsay Slader: Trust in iGaming has evolved from being an internal operational concern to a shared industry responsibility. When the industry first launched, trust was about proving to regulators that we could comply with the rules.
Today, it’s about a much broader ecosystem of trust—the trust a player has in the platform to protect their funds and privacy, the trust a regulator has that operators are acting with integrity, and the trust that different operators have in each other to combat fraud as a united front. We’ve seen an incredible shift from competition to collaboration on issues of security, as everyone realizes that a safer internet for one is a safer internet for all.
With a background in digital media and a keen eye for emerging technologies, Ronaldo bridges the gap between players and platforms through clear, insightful reporting to the iGaming industry.
