My 4-Month Battle with WPT Global Over a Massive (130+) Bot Ring
I am writing this post to provide a detailed account and a serious warning about the state of game integrity at WPT Global. Over the 6 months, I have identified, documented, and reported over 130+ accounts that I am confident were bots.
While WPT Global has confirmed many of my reports were accurate and has banned the accounts, their handling of the situation, their lack of transparency. I have exhausted my attempts to resolve this directly with them and they have now gone silent, refusing to answer my latest emails.
This will be a long and detailed post, but I believe the evidence speaks for itself. I also posted a less detailed post to reddit I also uploaded all emails to google drive so anyone can look through:
https://www.reddit.com/r/poker/comments/...
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1...
The Key Facts TL-DR
The Discovery: Starting on November 21, 2024, I began identifying and reporting bot accounts to WPT Global security.
The Scale: I ultimately reported over 130 unique accounts. These accounts showed blatant botting patterns, including playing 12+ hours straight, using identical stats, and even having the same person / images in there profile pictures / brand new accounts / using Chinese names meaning it was playing through either pokerking asia or wepoker apps, WPTglobal due to WPT not allowing Chinese characters and these apps require little verification/ They where all also single tabling / had the same rebuy pattern.
WPT Confirms The Cheating: On December 13, 2024, WPT Global confirmed my reports led to action, stating: "the accounts you reported have had their funds confiscated and have been permanently closed". They later confirmed on January 28, 2025 that a "notable number" of the accounts I reported were banned.
The "Bounty" Payout: WPT Global offered me "additional compensation" for my efforts, which amounted to roughly $3.85 per bot. They made it clear this was a "reward" from their 'Rewarding Integrity in Poker' program, not a reimbursement of my losses.
No Reimbursement for Losses: To this day, despite WPT confirming they confiscated funds from these accounts over three months ago, I have not been reimbursed for my direct losses against these confirmed cheaters.
Total Lack of Transparency: WPT Global has refused to tell me how many accounts were banned, how my losses will be calculated, or provide any timeframe for resolution.
Current Status: After I pressed for specific answers on February 1, 2025, I received only a generic "we will get back to you" reply, and they have ignored my follow-up message on April 12, Also contacted support which wasn't any help at all.
The Full Story: A Timeline of Reporting and Evasion
My experience unfolded over three months of near-daily reporting and frustrating, often-automated, email exchanges.
Phase 1: The Reporting Spree (November - Early December 2024)
I first contacted [email][email protected][/email] on November 21, 2024, stating "I feel like there are a few bots". My initial evidence was simple: "new accounts with the same kind of stats they are also playing over 8 hours a day".
This kicked off an avalanche of reports. By November 24, I had already found 23 bots in just three days. By December 12, I started a new email thread because the previous one had over 25 messages from me. I told them: "This is my 110th+ bot in 3 weeks. Reporting these bots / playing in games with these bots is costing me time and money". (This was only 1 stake in poker 5 10 20 5 straddle the stake I was playing possibly a lot more)
Throughout this period, I was providing screenshots and pointing out obvious red flags, but the replies were consistently generic, like: "We have escalated this case to our dedicated team for further review".
The process was so inefficient that on December 3, 2024, after I had sent yet another batch of bot accounts, a WPT Security representative effectively discouraged me from helping them further. They explicitly told me, "Kindly be aware, as we constantly are adding new reports, the review will take more and more time". I was being told by their team that my efforts to help secure their games were actually slowing down their own investigation, a direct contradiction to their email signature which asks players to "Help Us Maintain Fairness and Get Rewarded!
Acting on their feedback, I submitted a few more reports and then stopped all-together.
Phase 2: The "Confirmation" and False Hope (Mid-December 2024)
On December 13, I finally received a substantial response from WPT Security:
"Thanks to your comprehensive report, our team was able to confirm that the accounts were in violation of our Terms and Conditions. Whilst we can not share more details about the investigation, we can assure you that the accounts you reported have had their funds confiscated and have been permanently closed... Our team will now take the steps necessary to redistribute the confiscated funds to players who were negatively impacted."
They also mentioned they would offer "additional compensation" for my contribution. This gave me hope that the issue was being handled properly.
Phase 3: The Insulting "Reward" and Evasive Answers (January 2025)
On January 14, 2025, I received the email with the compensation offer: a token amount that I calculated to be about $3.85 per bot reported. I immediately replied, asking if this was for all 130+ bots and when the actual redistribution of stolen funds would happen.
On January 28, I received a long, corporate-speak email. Key points from WPT Global:
They acknowledged a "notable number" of accounts were banned, but claimed "not every account you submitted was verified as a breach".
They claimed many accounts were also flagged by their "own automated algorithms".
They stated the payment I received was not a refund, but a reward from their integrity program, which they claim is unique in the industry.
They stated refunds are not issued instantly and only processed after all procedures are complete, providing no timeline.
Phase 4: My Final Demand for Answers and WPT's Silence (February 2025 - Present)
On February 1, 2025, I sent a final, detailed email directly refuting their points and demanding clear answers. I asked:
"How many of the accounts were confirmed to be bots or breaching TOS?"
"When am I getting reimbursed for my losses against the confirmed cheaters?"
"How much am I getting back?"
"Which specific accounts were banned and what is still getting looked into?"
I pointed out the absurdity of their "algorithms" when I had reported bots that "stayed playing for 24 hours+ straight afterwards". I also stated:
"If you are going to reg lock people (so they can't spectate other tables) and not allow hand history's you need to do better every player has to rely on you guys for detection. Which you are clearly lacking in".
I gave them a deadline in hopes to prevent them from running me around in circles any longer to provide a substantive response before I took the matter public.
Their only response was another automated email: "We have forwarded your case to our dedicated team for further review". They have been silent ever since, having ignored the deadline and my follow-up message on April 14 and discord message trying to get a hold of them.
My Conclusion & Questions for You
WPT Global has a severe bot infestation that their security team is incapable of or unwilling to handle effectively. They rely on players to do their security work for them and then hide behind corporate policy, refuse to be transparent, and fail to make players whole after they have been cheated.
The fact that they confirmed cheating, confiscated funds, but have not reimbursed victims for months is unacceptable.
WPT Global's continued silence and refusal to provide a resolution have left me with no other choice but to make this public. My primary goal remains a full and fair reimbursement for the losses I incurred against the 130+ confirmed bots on their site.
I am posting this comprehensive account so that the community is fully aware of the serious risks on this platform and the unacceptable way this company treats players who report cheating. Be careful playing here.
I'd like to ask the 2+2 community:
Has anyone else had a similar experience with WPT Global's security?
Is a "bounty" of a few dollars, with no timely refund of losses, an acceptable industry standard for dealing with widespread cheating?
What should my next steps be? I've already mentioned regulatory bodies, but I'm open to advice.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. Please be careful if you choose to play on this site.
Thanks
Would this mean Club WPT Gold has a bot problem too? Or is the technology different between the two sites?
I have been concerned about a number of accounts on WPT gold playing around the clock - will PM
Excellent work.
Unfortunately, there are companies out there where, if you report a small security issue that is easy for them to resolve, they will be very thankful. But if you report a large security issue that is not easy for them to resolve, they become defensive and see you as a threat rather than an ally. Usually that happens with inept companies, or when dealing with inept employees at a company.
Good luck in your continued pursuit of this issue, but be prepared to be further stonewalled.
WPT Global: We have reviewed the numerous submissions you forwarded over recent months. We can confirm that a notable number of the accounts you reported were indeed found to be in breach of our Terms and Conditions
So, they admit that a "notable number" of the accounts Bob submitted were in breach, but they don't say the exact number. Wouldn't be surprised if almost all of reported accounts were bots.
They say that each report goes through some "rigorous internal investigation process, " but was it really so hard to temporarily suspend the accounts reported by Bob to prevent them from continuing to play against other legitimate users?
Bob: Do affected players get all lost money back or only confiscated funds?
I would also very much like this question to be answered by WPT
Bob: Even after I reported some of these bots they stayed playing for 24 hours+ straight afterwards, Some of these bots even had the same person on the profile picture on multiple accounts.
And yet, WPT claims they work tirelessly, use advanced something, and—most importantly—are proactive.
WPT Global: Our dedicated Bot Operations team works tirelessly to ensure that every player enjoys a fair and engaging gaming experience.
WPT Global: Our Game Integrity team works with advanced detection methods to monitor games proactively
Hey everyone,
I’d like to clarify that we’ve been proactively working with the OP and other whistleblowers despite his posts on Discord, Reddit, and here suggesting otherwise. We have banned and confiscated funds from a significant number of bots on a partner network—some of which were reported by OP. Our team has worked closely with our partners to close gaps that allow this group to register and operate profitably.
Please note that there is typically a lag of at least three months (often longer) before refunds are issued so we appreciate your patience as we follow our internal process. This delay ensures the case can be properly closed, allows time for appeals, and in special circumstances, for webcam reviews to be completed to avoid false positives. That said, we’re working to accelerate the process and plan to share more details about the case shortly. Typically we will not share details about the specific list of players banned, but the compensation is distributed proportionally based on losses to the offending players and we cover additional costs if confiscation amounts are not sufficient.
Regarding whistleblower rewards, we always pay this out of pocket and OP has already received compensation that is completely separate from player loss distribution. We also plan to issue another round of rewards to whistleblowers shortly. As with refund distribution, there is always a delay to ensure that investigations are fully resolved. Rewards are only calculated for confirmed cases and are based on the quality of evidence provided. Players who submit detailed reports with clear, actionable evidence receive more substantial rewards than those who simply spam screenshots of accounts they find mildly suspicious.
Jack
Would this mean Club WPT Gold has a bot problem too? Or is the technology different between the two sites?
Club gold is completely separate, there is no evidence of this "international" group operating there, especially given gold's strict in state KYC and tax requirements for withdraw. If there are suspicious accounts to report, you can dm me directly and I can forward to the gold team
Hey everyone,
I’d like to clarify that we’ve been proactively working with the OP and other whistleblowers despite his posts on Discord, Reddit, and here suggesting otherwise.
Jack
His posts suggest a large amount of initial cooperation between parties, but that has largely ceased in the last several months. Are you disputing that claim? If so, what evidence can you provide to show that work between your company and the OP continues to be proactive?
Hey everyone,
I’d like to clarify that I played midstakes cash games on WPT Global in 2023 and 2024 and was cheated out of thousands of dollars by bots and players blatantly colluding and I got nothing as a refund.
His posts suggest a large amount of initial cooperation between parties, but that has largely ceased in the last several months. Are you disputing that claim? If so, what evidence can you provide to show that work between your company and the OP continues to be proactive?
OPs last communication to our security mail was in early April to follow up about compensation. We haven't received any new reports since before this
And yet, WPT claims they work tirelessly, use advanced something, and-most importantly-are proactive.
Hey Max, I appreciate your concerns.
Our team has proactively reached out to the owners of this forum, Hand2Note, on multiple occasions to discuss collaborating to disabling H2N on our network since it is listed as prohibited software in our TOS, but we've received no response. This is especially important to us because we have evidence that H2N integrated with Deeplay/Botfarm to data mine, improve training, and run BOTs in online poker. This is particularly relevant to the case posted by OP
While it's unclear whether H2N is working directly with Deeplay from our end, it would be great to remove any speculation with proactive collaboration from your stakeholders. Please dm me directly or send an email to [email][email protected][/email] to connect us with the parties responsible.
Jack
Jack, thank you for the reply. I need to personally correct your statement.
This is not my experience at all. You haven't responded to my emails since February 1st, including the one I sent on April 12th. You also ignored my follow-up on Reddit and I received virtually no help from support on Discord. "Working with" is a two-way street; I experienced months of silence from you until I made this public, and I still have no email follow-up or a reply to my question on Reddit.
Players who submit detailed reports... receive more substantial rewards than those who simply spam screenshots of accounts they find mildly suspicious.
This feels like a direct attempt to downplay the hundreds of hours I spent trying to help secure your games. You ask for "deep proof," so let me explain the reality of what I was up against:
You deny us hand histories. Without these, comparing stats, the easiest way to prove bot behavior, is impossible for me.
You restrict spectating. I saw suspicious accounts at other stakes like 2/4/8, but was blocked from even seeing many of the tables to report them. Your policies actively prevented me from helping you more.
This left me with the only tools available. I didn't just send screenshots of "mildly suspicious" accounts; I detailed the specific patterns they were using across 130+ accounts. I even sent you information on how I believe they are bypassing your verification process. To dismiss that level of detail is absurd.
If screen shots aren't sufficient what is sufficient?
You are criticizing screenshot method while your own platform denies players the tools to do it any other way without breaking TOS. If I sent videos for hours of these bots just spectating them and seeing that patterns which in my opinion where pretty blatant you would you watch it?.
My reports were clearly actionable enough for you to investigate. It's time to stop downplaying my involvement and start fixing the issues.
All these messages are just you guys trying to fix PR before you go back to ghosting me again. It's easy to "get the wrong end of the stick" when your team provides no details. I wasn't even told what the recent $100 compensation was for, other than a vague message that "some user has broken TOS.". Recently I found out it was for the influencer that got banned.
Frankly, that small amount is a tiny part of the issue. I have no assurances from you because it feels like every message is worded to purposely avoid making any real promises. The messages I send to get some assurance gets ignored.
Please note that there is typically a lag of at least three months (often longer) before refunds are issued so we appreciate your patience as we follow our internal process. This delay ensures the case can be properly closed, allows time for appeals, and in special circumstances, for webcam reviews to be completed to avoid false positives. That said, we’re working to accelerate
Thanks for this message this is the best reassurance I have gotten this whole time.
I played WPT Global from late 2023 up to a month ago. From the 10/20/40 games up to 50/100/200. Since the new management and security took over, games have become progressively worse. Dozens of suspicious accounts appearing on a daily basis. I have no doubt in my mind the site has become rife with bots and collusion. The 'fairplay system' they advertise has also become completely corrupted. Pros who have a connection within the company or know how to cheat the system are able to get the VIP tag. So you'll often end up with a table of 7 - 8 pros. You'd think a brand like WPT would care more about fairplay and their reputation, but seemingly not.
we have evidence that H2N integrated with Deeplay/Botfarm to data mine, improve training, and run BOTs in online poker.
Players have speculated for long time but lacked of evidence. What you are stating is massive and some proofs would be awesome, if not them are just accusations
I was streaming and this happened. I reported it a month ago, sent the video link over 2 weeks ago, and have gotten nothing in return. Seems like a pretty easy case to solve. But I guess its more complicated than that.
I was streaming and this happened. I reported it a month ago, sent the video link over 2 weeks ago, and have gotten nothing in return. Seems like a pretty easy case to solve. But I guess its more complicated than that.
Could it just be a player that has zero idea how to play heads-up? Just throwing it out there. To me, that seems way more likely than a bot, since I would give a tournament bot creator enough credit that they would have a better heads-up strat than fold everything.
How is online even a thing anymore?
I was streaming and this happened. I reported it a month ago, sent the video link over 2 weeks ago, and have gotten nothing in return. Seems like a pretty easy case to solve. But I guess its more complicated than that.https://youtu.be/dPTwqG82dnc
Could it just be a player that has zero idea how to play heads-up? Just throwing it out there. To me, that seems way more likely than a bot, since I would gi
Could it be that they got disconnected?
When I lived in thailand i heard that if you are very dissatisfied with service you tip like one coin. That's kinda how i feel reading that you got $500 for 130+ bots
Great work, great write up, great efforts and I'm sorry you've had such a frustrating experience despite being such a stand up poker citizen.
4$ per account rewarded - that surely is unique to the industry - uniquely fucking insulting
That reward is especially egregious considering they are probably paying content creators 10x that for a 30 second ad read
not even 4 american dollars per bot account found and banned? Does WPT know you can barely buy a mcdonalds hashbrown with that much money nowadays?
