Approov has warned that the World Cup could become the first major proving ground for AI-driven betting fraud, with its network monitoring identifying early signs of such activity.
The mobile security firm said attackers are using AI scraping tools to collect odds, line changes, bonuses and other betting data at scale, giving automated operators an advantage in fast-moving markets. It said the same methods could support arbitrage, bonus abuse and coordinated betting across multiple sportsbooks.
Approov's analysis focuses on online sports betting during globally watched tournaments, where heavy volumes and rapid shifts in live markets can make irregular activity harder to detect. It said the risk is especially acute in live in-play betting and micro-markets such as first-scorer bets, goal or point totals, and player-specific propositions.
The warning comes as scrutiny of integrity issues in sports betting continues to rise. Approov cited figures from the International Betting Integrity Association showing 300 suspicious betting alerts in one year, up 29% from the previous year, while the body tracked 1.5 million matches across more than 80 sports.
It also pointed to Sportradar data identifying 1,116 suspicious matches in 2025, with AI-based analysis flagging suspicious matches 56% more often year on year. Approov said those figures reflect the wider use of AI in risk management and surveillance, but that similar tools can also be used for manipulation.
According to the company, AI systems can identify betting windows most open to exploitation, promotions most vulnerable to abuse and market types where automated activity can have the greatest impact. That creates a growing challenge for regulated betting operators, which rely on trust, monitoring and transparency to maintain confidence in their markets.
Ted Miracco, chief executive officer of Approov, said the concern is not limited to technical abuse.
"AI scraping gives attackers a way to collect odds, line changes, bonuses, and other publicly exposed betting data at scale. That information fuels arbitrage, bonus abuse, and coordinated betting across multiple operators," Miracco said.
Approov said this creates two immediate problems for sportsbooks: market distortion, as automated actors can move faster than human bettors, and a growing perception that ordinary users no longer have a fair chance.
If that view takes hold, operators may face a commercial as well as a security problem. Betting apps depend on users believing the market is orderly and outcomes are not being tilted by bots operating across several platforms at once.
Rising pressure
Approov said major tournaments can serve as a testing ground for new forms of abuse because they combine global attention with sharp pricing moves and heavy betting traffic. It said techniques proven during the World Cup could then be refined for later use at other large events and in other consumer markets that rely on real-time pricing.
The company described a shift from smaller-scale automated abuse to more organised activity by well-resourced scrapers, arbitrageurs and betting syndicates. In its view, the spread of off-the-shelf AI tools lowers the barrier to entry while making coordination across regions and operators easier.
Miracco said betting groups have little time to respond.
"With the World Cup rapidly approaching, operators don't have the luxury of gradually upgrading defenses... AI can also improve manipulation. It can identify which props are easiest to exploit, which betting windows are most volatile, and which customer segments or promotions are most vulnerable to abuse," Miracco said.
Approov said operators should move critical odds and promotional data behind authenticated application programming interfaces instead of leaving them exposed on public pages. It also called for stronger bot detection, including adaptive rate limiting, device and browser fingerprinting, and session risk scoring.
Another recommendation is closer integration with cross-operator integrity systems that allow suspicious activity to be linked across platforms. Approov also called for real-time dashboards focused on major event markets to flag unusual betting correlations, synchronised line movement and high-frequency account behaviour.
Beyond betting
While the analysis centres on sports betting, Approov said the underlying issue extends further. It argued that AI scraping methods developed in one sector can be adapted to other markets where speed, pricing and consumer access determine outcomes, including ticketing, travel deals, retail promotions and other time-sensitive transactions.
It said the core risk is that automated systems can gather and act on market information faster than ordinary users, widening the gap between human consumers and machine-led operators. If users conclude that humans cannot compete, confidence in the system will weaken, it added.
Approov's proposed longer-term response is based on tighter identity and device verification, continuous monitoring and stricter controls over every API request. The company said operators should verify that applications are genuine, check whether devices have been tampered with and treat all requests as untrusted until validated.
The warning leaves sports betting operators facing a familiar technology dilemma in a more urgent form: the same AI tools that help detect suspicious behaviour may also make abuse cheaper, faster and harder to spot.