Poker rarely makes it into the mainstream media, but a Bloomberg article on Friday has the poker community on Twitter abuzz. The story details the history and scale of a Russian bot farm, sparking a heated debate among poker professionals.The article, titled “The Russian Bot Army Taking Over Online Poker,” by Keith Kjell, exposes the activities of Bot Farm Corporation, a group based in Omsk.
The organization has tried to legitimize itself several times by selling bots to poker sites to maintain liquidity, and is now aiming to create a new model of rake-free poker in which players play against casino-controlled bots. PokerOrg Player Council member Joey Ingram wrote on X: “I can’t believe these guys gave themselves away to Bloomberg… Incredible journalism.” WPT Ambassador Tony Dunst called the article “disturbing reading.”
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The article states that by 2012, the Omsk group claimed to have created “probably the most advanced poker software in the world” and was running it profitably at every major poker site. Under the name Neo Poker Lab, the group entered bot competitions and attempted to launch a business teaching poker using the software. However, Neo failed to live up to expectations, and the company reverted to the Bot Farm Corporation, starting a franchising model and releasing its software as a mobile app in 2018.
The extent of the operation was revealed through leaks on a Russian poker forum and Telegram. According to Bloomberg, the leaks describe about 600 users operating accounts in Canada, China, India, Poland, and Sweden, using VPNs or local SIM cards to hide the operators’ true locations. The article also claims that the group, under the name Deeplay, sold bots to poker sites and clubs to maintain liquidity, and offered anti-bot protection to ensure that their bots were the only ones at the tables. The article does not claim that the major poker sites were affiliated with Deeplay. WPT Global President Alex Scott said in an interview, “You can’t run an online poker business without liquidity, and bots can provide that.” Scott added that the companies he worked for did not use internal bots, but he suspected that smaller sites might have used them.
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The big twist in this story is that the Omsk group is now trying to legitimize themselves again. emoji_u1f92e.svg They want to create a new model of online poker where players play against bots of similar skill levels. This would eliminate the rake, but create a casino-like game where players play against the “house.” Stay informed about changes in the gambling industry. Visit breaking news in gambling and don’t miss a thing.
