SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR MONITORING COMPULSIVE BEHAVIOR AND FOR IDENTIFYING EARLY WARNING INDICATORS ACROSS MULTIPLE WEBSITES
Various embodiments provide systems for monitoring a plurality of users over one or more websites. Such systems comprise a memory and at least one processor configured to: (a) receive transaction information from the one or more websites for the plurality of users; (b) after receiving the transaction information: (1) determine norms of behavior based on the transaction information; (2) compare the one or more attributes from the transaction information for each individual user of the plurality of users against the norms of behavior; (3) identify individual users of the plurality of users as potentially problem users, the potentially problem users comprising each individual user of the plurality of users who has at least one attribute diverge from the norms of behavior; and (4) save information on the potentially problem users in the memory. Associated methods are likewise provided.
1 . A system for monitoring a plurality of users over one or more websites, the one or more websites being independent of each other, the system comprising:
a memory; and
at least one processor configured to:
(a) receive transaction information from the one or more websites for the plurality of users, the transaction information comprising one or more attributes identifying behaviors related to the plurality of users engaging in transaction activities on the one or more websites;
(b) after receiving the transaction information:
(1) determine norms of behavior based on the transaction information;
(2) compare the one or more attributes from the transaction information for each individual user of the plurality of users against the norms of behavior;
(3) identify individual users of the plurality of users as potentially problem users, the potentially problem users comprising each individual user of the plurality of users who has at least one attribute diverge from the norms of behavior;
(4) save information on the potentially problem users in the memory, the information comprising information on the at least one diverging attribute for each individual user; and
(5) compare the attributes of the transaction information with the attributes of the transaction information of confirmed problem users and identify similarities which could indicate potentially problem users and save such information in the memory.
2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor, after receiving a request from a website to identify whether a particular user is a potentially problem user, is configured to:
query the memory based on an identifier for the particular user;
determine whether information on the particular user has been saved in the memory; and
after determining information has been saved for the particular user, send a response to the website indicating the particular user has been identified as a potentially problem user.
3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more attributes comprise one or more of: (1) purchase amounts and frequency; (2) deposit amounts and frequency; (3) wager amounts and frequency; (4) limits set by the at least two websites on purchase amounts; (5) limits set by the at least two websites on deposit amounts; (6) limits set by the at least two websites on wager amounts; (7) limits set by the at least two websites on purchase frequency; (8) limits set by the at least two websites on deposit frequency; (9) limits set by the at least two websites on wager frequency; (10) limits set by the plurality of users on purchase amounts; (11) limits set by the plurality of users on deposit amounts; (12) limits set by the plurality of users on wager amounts; (13) limits set by the plurality of users on purchase frequency; (14) limits set by the plurality of users on deposit frequency; (15) limits set by the plurality of users on wager frequency; (16) history of self-exclusion for the plurality of users; (17) history of exclusion imposed by the at least two websites; (18) history of reactivation after exclusion for the plurality of users; (19) history of permanent exclusions for the plurality of user; (20) locations associated with the plurality of users; (21) number of devices used by the plurality of users and repeat usage of the devices; (22) dispute history for the plurality of users that comprise chargebacks, refunds, and declines; (23) ages of the plurality of users; (24) credit scores of the plurality of users; (25) time periods the plurality of users have been registered with the at least two websites; (26) history of plurality of users on amounts of winnings and losses; or (27) types of activities engaged in by the plurality of users on the at least two websites.
4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more norms of behavior are determined for one or more of the following behaviors: (1) amounts of purchases; (2) amounts of deposits; (3) frequency of deposits; (4) purchases by product type; (5) wagers by activity type; (6) amounts of purchases; (7) amounts of wagers; (8) frequency of wagers; (9) amounts of purchases by age ranges; (10) amounts of deposits by age ranges; (11) frequency of purchases by age ranges; (12) frequency of deposits by age ranges; (13) amounts of wagers by age ranges; (14) frequency of wagers by age ranges; (15) patterns of purchases; (16) patterns of deposits; (17) patterns of wagers; (18) proximity of a user's performance to a website's set limits; (19) proximity of a user's performance to the user's set limits; (20) profiles of net winnings to deposits; (21) profiles of net winnings to wagers; (22) profiles of net losses to deposits; or (23) profiles of net losses to wagers.
5 . The system of claim 4 , wherein the one or more websites comprise at least two websites.
6 . The system of claim 5 , wherein the one or more norms of behavior are specific to each of the at least two websites.
7 . The system of claim 5 , wherein the one or more norms of behavior are specific to one or more predefined groups of users.
8 . The system of claim 5 , wherein the one or more norms of behavior are determined based at least in part upon behavior of two or more users across a single one of the at least two websites.
9 . The system of claim 5 , wherein the one or more norms of behaviors are based at least in part upon behavior of at least one user or group of users across each of the at least two websites.
10 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one attribute diverging from the norms of behavior comprises one or more of: (1) escalation of frequency of purchases; (2) escalation of frequency of deposits; (3) escalation of amount of purchases; (4) escalation of amount of deposits; (5) escalation of frequency of wagers; (6) escalation of amount of wagers; (7) erratic behavior with respect to frequency of purchases; (8) erratic behavior with respect to amount of purchases; (9) erratic behavior with respect to frequency of deposits; (10) erratic behavior with respect to amount of deposits; (11) erratic behavior with respect to frequency of wagers; (12) erratic behavior with respect to amount of wagers; (13) erratic behavior with respect to frequency of chargeback requests; (14) erratic behavior with respect to frequency of disputes; (15) indication of exclusion from engaging in activities by one-self, by a website, or state; (16) indication of requesting help; (17) indication of defaults in use of credit cards; (18) indication of insolvency; (19) escalation of length of session time; and (20) escalation of cumulative length of session time over a predefined period.
11 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the at least one attribute diverging from the norms of behavior comprises an indication of requesting help, wherein the request for help is received after the system presents the user with an option to submit the request for help, the option being generated in response to at least one additional attribute diverging from the norms of behavior.
12 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the divergences from the norms of behavior are specific to individual websites.
13 . A method for monitoring a plurality of users over one or more websites, the one or more websites being independent of each other, the method comprising the steps of:
(a) receiving transaction information from the one or more websites over a network for the plurality of users, the transaction information comprising one or more attributes identifying behaviors related to the plurality of users engaging in transaction activities on the one or more websites;
(b) after receiving the transaction information:
(1) determining norms of behavior based on the transaction information by at least one computing device comprising at least one processor;
(2) comparing the one or more attributes from the transaction information for each individual user of the plurality of users against the norms of behavior by the at least one processor;
(3) identifying individual users of the plurality of users as potentially problem users, the potentially problem users comprising each individual user of the plurality of users who has at least one attribute diverge from the norms of behavior;
(4) saving information on the potentially problem users in a memory, the information comprising information on the at least one diverging attribute for each individual user; and
(5) comparing the attributes of the transaction information with the attributes of the transaction information of confirmed problem users and identify similarities which could indicate potentially problem users and save such information in the memory.
14 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising the steps of, after receiving a request from a website to identify whether a particular user is a potentially problem user:
querying the memory based on an identifier for the particular user by the at least one processor;
determining whether information on the particular user has been saved in the memory; and
after determining information has been saved for the particular user, send a response to the website over the network indicating the particular user has been identified as a potentially problem user.
15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the website prohibits the particular user from engaging in transaction activities on the website as a result of receiving the response indicating the particular user has been identified as a potentially problem user.
16 . A system for identifying at least one early warning indicator for potentially problem users, the at least one early warning indicator comprising a factor that predicts higher incidence of problem behavior, the system comprising:
at least one processor configured to:
(a) receive transaction information from at least two websites for a plurality of users, the at least two websites being independent of each other and the transaction information comprising one or more attributes identifying behaviors related to the plurality of users engaging in transaction activities on the at least two websites; and
(b) after receiving the transaction information:
(1) determine at least one norm of behavior based on the transaction information;
(2) compare the one or more attributes from the transaction information for each individual user of the plurality of users against the at least one norm of behavior;
(3) identify individual users of the plurality of users as potentially problem users, the potentially problem users comprising each individual user of the plurality of users who has at least one attribute diverge from the at least one norm of behavior; and
(4) develop the at least one early warning indicator, the early warning indicator being based on the at least one diverging attribute identified for the potentially problem users.
17 . The system of claim 16 , wherein the at least one early warning indicator comprises one or more of: (1) escalation of frequency of purchases; (2) escalation of frequency of deposits; (3) escalation of amount of purchases; (4) escalation of amount of deposits; (5) escalation of frequency of wagers; (6) escalation of amount of wagers; (7) erratic behavior with respect to frequency of purchases; (8) erratic behavior with respect to amount of purchases; (9) erratic behavior with respect to frequency of deposits; (10) erratic behavior with respect to amount of deposits; (11) erratic behavior with respect to frequency of wagers; (12) erratic behavior with respect to amount of wagers; (13) erratic behavior with respect to frequency of chargeback requests; (14) erratic behavior with respect to frequency of disputes; (15) indication of exclusion from engaging in activities by one-self, by a website, or state; (16) indication of requesting help; (17) indication of defaults in use of credit cards; (18) indication of insolvency; (19) escalation of length of session time; and (20) escalation of cumulative length of session time over a predefined period.
18 . The system of claim 17 , wherein the at least one early warning indicator comprises an indication of requesting help, wherein the request for help is received after the system presents the user with an option to submit the request for help, the option being generated in response to at least one additional early warning indicator being identified for the user.
19 . The system of claim 16 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to send the at least one early warning indicator to at least one of the at least two websites so that the at least one website can use the early warning indicator to identify potentially problem users from users visiting the website.
20 . A method for identifying at least one early warning indicator for potentially problem users, the method comprising the steps of:
(a) receiving transaction information from at least two websites for a plurality of users over a network, the transaction information comprising one or more attributes identifying behaviors related to the plurality of users engaging in transaction activities on the at least two websites; and
(b) after receiving the transaction information:
(1) determining at least one norm of behavior based on the transaction information by at least one computing device comprising at least one processor;
(2) comparing the one or more attributes from the transaction information for each individual user of the plurality of users against the at least one norm of behavior by the at least one processor;
(3) identifying individual users of the plurality of users as potentially problem users, the potentially problem users comprising each individual user of the plurality of users who has at least one attribute diverge from the at least norm of behavior; and
(4) developing the at least one early warning indicator, the early warning indicator being based on the at least one diverging attribute identified for the potentially problem users.
21 . The method of claim 20 , wherein the at least one early warning indicator comprises one or more of: (1) escalation of frequency of purchases; (2) escalation of frequency of deposits; (3) escalation of amount of purchases; (4) escalation of amount of deposits; (5) escalation of frequency of wagers; (6) escalation of amount of wagers; (7) erratic behavior with respect to frequency of purchases; (8) erratic behavior with respect to amount of purchases; (9) erratic behavior with respect to frequency of deposits; (10) erratic behavior with respect to amount of deposits; (11) erratic behavior with respect to frequency of wagers; (12) erratic behavior with respect to amount of wagers; (13) erratic behavior with respect to frequency of chargeback requests; (14) erratic behavior with respect to frequency of disputes; (15) indication of exclusion from engaging in activities by one-self, by a website, or state; (16) indication of requesting help; (17) indication of defaults in use of credit cards; (18) indication of insolvency; (19) escalation of length of session time; and (20) escalation of cumulative length of session time over a predefined period.
22 . The method of claim 21 , wherein the at least one early warning indicator comprises an indication of requesting help, wherein the request for help is received after the system presents the user with an option to submit the request for help, the option being generated in response to at least one additional early warning indicator being identified for the user.
23 . The method of claim 20 , further comprising the step of sending the at least one early warning indicator over the network to at least one of the at least two websites so that the website can use the early warning indicator to identify potentially problem users from users visiting the website.