Industry-first partnership prevents multi-accounting, smurfing, boosting, and other fraudulent forms of gaming

Daon, the Digital Identity Trust company, is providing ESL FACEIT Group (EFG), the world’s leading esports company, with solutions to improve gamer experiences, stop identity fraud, prevent financial loss, and combat challenges such as smurfing, boosting, and other negative activities that are enabled by multi-accounting. In this industry-first partnership, Daon delivers its identity verification and authentication solutions in a single SaaS platform to address the increase in fraudulent gaming.

Daon is providing EFG with full electronic Know Your Customer (eKYC) through its web onboarding app, along with face-only registration with its software development kits (SDKs) and watchlist and duplicate lookup. As esports expands globally, with reports predicting the industry will grow to a value of USD 5.74 billion by 2030, the industry will need a universally-proven solution to combat the customer satisfaction issues it’s facing due to fraud. Fraudsters are using multiple accounts to subvert existing processes for dealing with inappropriate activity and disguising themselves to be paired against lower-level opponents, increasing their chances of winning. These players create a negative environment for other players, even going as far as taking cash prizes away from those who are less-skilled, causing organizers to suffer from real financial losses.

Daon’s identity proofing and verification solution leverages biometrics to minimize friction and maximize compliance while onboarding new customers. Since the integration with EFG began, Daon has verified tens of thousands of gamers globally, processing 700 types of ID documents from more than 100 countries. Consumer data is protected by innovative defenses, including encryption, and user information always remains secure and private. The partnership will also strengthen Daon’s presence in the esports market.

“The rapid growth of esports, although positive for the industry, comes at a cost. Gaming sites need to be prepared to offer users industry-leading technologies in order to combat fraudulent behavior,” said Clive Bourke, president of EMEA and APAC at Daon. “Daon’s identity proofing and authentication technologies will help prevent wide-scale gaming fraud while promising gamers a frictionless and more equitable competitive experience.”

“EFG is inviting players to get verified to help in the first major step towards building a more trusted community for all. Verified players are recognized with a badge on their profile and visibility boosts. In the future, verification status will be required to access specific competitions and part of the experiences on FACEIT,” states Maria Laura Scuri, VP labs and community integrity at EFG. “Enabling players to be accountable for their accounts and building the most trusted gaming community is a key goal for us and our community. With Daon’s digital onboarding and authentication solutions, we are working to realize this and creating a more equitable esports experience for everyone."

Using Daon solutions, EFG customers will have two ways to register: full identity proofing with a selfie plus an ID document, and face-only proofing with a selfie. Both require the customer to provide consent, confirming that all information transfers are in compliance with GDPR and other international regulations. Once proofed, the system will verify the user’s identity and they will be authenticated via live facial scan each time they login. Customers' personal information is protected and stored securely on Daon’s European Data Centers in a way that renders the information meaningless if accessed by outside sources. This user-friendly process is fast, secure, and free.

To learn more about Daon and the EFG integration, click here: https://www.daon.com/resource/esports-identity-proofing-is-the-name-of-the-game/

About Daon

Daon, the Digital Identity Trust company, enables market-leading organizations worldwide to easily and accurately proof, verify, authenticate, and secure customer identities at every trust point across the entire customer lifecycle. With industry-leading identity proofing and biometric authentication technologies at its core, Daon’s technology ensures that customer identities are accurately verified, safely secured, and easily recovered. By mitigating fraud, reducing friction, and ensuring regulatory compliance, Daon helps businesses deliver a seamless customer experience, increase customer satisfaction, and reduce cost. Daon delivers these solutions through its AI and ML-powered platforms, chosen by leading companies in financial services, telco, travel & hospitality, and other industries to secure and process hundreds of millions of digital identity transactions daily. Learn more at www.daon.com.

About ESL FACEIT Group

ESL FACEIT Group (EFG) is the leading esports and video game entertainment company dedicated to creating worlds beyond gameplay where players and fans become community. EFG is built on a legacy of world-renowned brands including ESL, FACEIT, DreamHack and DreamHack Sports Games, providing innovative ecosystems for global communities of players, fans and creators around the games they love. Working alongside leading partners, brands and global IPs, EFG operates an unmatched portfolio of live events, digital platforms and developer tools that reach and engage millions of gamers worldwide. For more information visit www.eslfaceitgroup.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230615543410/en/