Ignition Casino has come under fire once again. This time, after making an official statement in response to Martin Zamani posting a video exposing a well-known Ignition Casino and Bovada Poker-based bot farm.
Following the statement from Ignition Casino, Zamani posted more alleged proof from the bot farm, calling out potential factual inaccuracies made by the poker and casino site. Most notably, Ignition Casino claimed that the bot farm was eliminated in 2022, whereas Zamani demonstrated that the bot farm was still generating battle plans in 2024 and likely beyond.
Ignition Casino official statement
The statement, released on Twitter/X, said the following:
We understand there may be concerns raised by a recent video circulating online and want to provide clarity.
“Ignition does not tolerate cheating or any behavior of any kind that undermines security in any way. Our first order of business is always to protect our players, and any activity taking place that undermines the integrity of our shared poker network or any other product is directly counter to how we operate.
The video in question is outdated, dating back to 2022. All accounts shown, along with associated accounts uncovered during review, have already been terminated.
Customer security and fair play are central to Ignition Casino’s mission and values. We actively monitor the network as well as our products and respond quickly when issues are identified.
Community feedback plays an important role in how we improve. In the past, concerns around late registration logic led to meaningful changes designed to strengthen fairness and customer protection.
Our players are what makes Ignition a destination for poker, we encourage your continued feedback so that we may offer you the best service possible.
Immediate backlash
The poker public blasted Ignition Casino, showcasing their evidence of nefarious activity on the website long after their alleged account bans in 2022.
Mobius Poker asked some hard-hitting questions in the following tweet, asking where the alleged confiscated money went.
ACR Poker Team Pro Rob Kuhn referred to the Brian Hastings video that we discussed when breaking the news about the bot farm. Hastings, a six-time WSOP bracelet winner, has posted several hands from Ignition Casino/Bovada Poker high-stakes tournaments, appearing to show clear collusion. These videos have all been posted over the last 18 months.
UPDATE: Since the original statement was released, Ignition Casino has not addressed the video in any further detail on social media or on their website.
Contradicting evidence?
While Ignition Casino claims the video is from 2022, Martin Zamani, who doxxed the video, showed battle plans from the actual bot farm, showing an Ignition Casino/Bovada Poker lobby from 2024.
This means that the bot farm was still operational long after Ignition Casino claimed it had removed the accounts.
In addition, high-profile online poker personalities “Snoopdoug” and Chase Davis have allegedly submitted multiple fair play check hits using the GTO Wizard anti-cheating tool, only to receive vague emails that don’t claim any responsibility.
Existing issues at Ignition Casino
While Ignition Casino and Bovada Poker made a name for themselves by advertising truly anonymous poker, that has become their downfall.
Account names are not available on the site, meaning that there’s no way to track your opponents. While that has its obvious upsides, the downsides pertain to player and site safety.
If a player knows they’re being cheated by certain players, they can report that player, make notes on them, and call them out in public forums. However, if you have an anonymous site, there’s no way to know if you’re sitting with a bunch of tracked, well-known robots until it’s too late.
