Crypto Casino
Torrent Gear
Why casinos are required to store transaction logs
In iGaming, each money transaction is associated with game events and player identity. Transaction logs are an evidence base: without them, it is impossible to fulfill licensed AML/CFT requirements, pass an audit, resolve a dispute with a player or bank and maintain accurate balances. For a conscientious operator, logs are not an "archive," but a living system of control and trust.
Why is it required by license and law
1. AML/CFT и KYT
Regulators require identifying and documenting suspicious patterns (structuring, fast "depozit→vyvod," muling networks, GEO/BIN mismatch). Without full-fledged logs, it is impossible to submit the correct SAR/STR and justify decisions.
2. CCM/Age/Jurisdiction
Transactions must be related to confirmed personality, age and permitted geography. Logs record who performed the operation, when, where and for what means.
3. Audit and reporting
External test houses, payment partners and internal audits check the reproducibility of operations, the integrity of logs and end-to-end tracing "deposit → game → output."
4. Consumer rights and ADRs
When arguing with players or in ADR procedures, the log is the only objective source of truth: amounts, statuses, behavior before/after surgery, compliance decisions and risk services.
5. Financial statements and taxes
Correct reconciliation requires a log at each step: authorization, debiting/crediting, conversion, refand, payout, cancellation, fias. This protects both the operator and the player from "eaten" money.
What exactly to store: minimum sufficient model
Identification
UserID/AccountID, KYC status, country of registration/games, source of onboarding.
Payment identifier: masked PAN/BIN or token, wallet/IBAN, verification of ownership.
Transaction context
TxnID (for PSP), InternalTxnID, time (UTC, accuracy up to ms), channel/method (card, bank, wallet, crypto).
Amount/currency/exchange rate, MCC/product, status (authorized/captured/settled/refunded/chargeback/payout/declined), reason/failure code.
Linking to gameplay
SessionID, Round/Hand IDs, game type, total bets/payments for the period between deposit and withdrawal (play-through).
Risk and compliance
KYT tags (velocity, geo-inconsistencies, device/IP), results of sanction/PEP screening at the time of surgery, decisions (approve/EDD/hold), links to the case in case-management.
Operational tracing
Event source (webhook/polling/manual case), signature/record hash, ActorID (who changed the status), previous state.
Retention and Retention Policy
Active period: full logs in "hot" access for grocery and risk boards.
Archival period: compressed and signed protected logs in "warm/cold" storage.
Rotation: clear schedules and removal registers at the end of the term (taking into account AML/tax requirements of jurisdictions).
Data minimization: store "as much as necessary," mask sensitive fields (do not store PAN/CVV, use tokens).
(Specific timelines depend on jurisdiction and PSP/bank agreements; usually years, not months.)
Log security: how not to turn an asset into a risk
Immutability (tamper-evident): cryptographic chains of hashes/signatures, write-once or WORM storage.
Separation of environments: dev/test/prod; Prevent direct edits in prod logs.
Role Access (RBAC) and audit trail: Who read/exported/edited the metadata.
Encryption at-rest and in-transit; HSM/KMS for keys.
Monitoring of access anomalies: frequent uploads, freelance time ranges, mass samples.
Backup and DR plan: regular recovery checks.
How logs help in everyday work
1. Antifraud and chargebacks
Velocity controls are built from logs, carding and cash out are detected (deposit → minimum games → conclusion). In disputes with the bank, the log package is the main argument.
2. AML/EDD
Quick case assembly: funding sources, transaction history, geo/devices, anomalies - simplifies SAR/STR submission and reduces regulatory risks.
3. Responsible Gaming
Fixing the cancellation of conclusions, night marathons, race after loss, automatic lifting of limits - the basis for soft and hard interventions.
4. Finance and Reporting
Reconciliation with PSP/acquirer, search for "suspended" transactions, PAM wallet balance vs cash flow, reports to board and auditors.
5. Incidents and support
Support quickly responds with "where is the money": status, bottleneck (PSP/issuer/bank), ETA and next steps.
Processes and roles
MLRO/Compliance - final freezing decisions, SAR/STR, regulatory requests.
Risk/Fraud - rules, models, investigations, communications with PSP/banks.
Finance/Payments - reconciliation, reports, cash management.
Data/Engineering - logging pipelines, data quality, availability.
Support/VIP - correct communication, collection of documents (SoF/SoW), transparent statuses.
Internal Audit - independent checks of samples and processes.
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
There is no single key "game ↔ payment →" enter the required binding ID and write RoundID to history.
Manual adjustments of balance sheets are → prohibited; only corrective operations with signatures and justification.
Logs "live" in one tool → separate: raw (webhooks), ODS (normalization), ledger (wallet), DWH (analytics), case-management (investigations).
Not immutable → enable hash chains/signatures or WORM.
Weak retention/masking → clear deadlines, tokenization/masking, access to a minimum.
There is no DR plan → regular recovery tests and backup suitability reports.
Checklist for operator
Data
End-to-end ID and field completeness (see model above).
Timestamps in UTC, accuracy up to ms, NTP synchronization.
Masking sensitive details, tokenization.
Processes
Jurisdiction Retention Policy; registry deletions.
SAR/STR procedures, case templates, "four-eyed" on locks.
Regular EOD-reconciliation and alerts for discrepancies.
Safety
RBAC, access log, encryption, WORM/signatures.
DR-plan and recovery test, control of data export.
Vendor-dudiligens for PSP/KYC/KYT providers.
What is important for the player to know
Licensed operators have a history of your operations and gaming sessions; on request, support can be asked for status reconciliation.
Logs speed up honest payments and help prove the case in a dispute.
Document requests (KYC/SoF/SoW) and temporary "holds" are part of licensed security procedures that rely on logs.
FAQ (short)
Can the logs "correct" retroactively?
Should not: unchangeable logs, crypto signatures and end-to-end reconciliations are used. Any intervention leaves a mark.
Why take so long to store?
Licenses/AML/taxes require this. Deadlines are limited by retention policies and data laws.
Why log the game part for payments?
To distinguish fair play from "cash out" and quickly investigate disputes; logical link - the basis of compliance and anti-fraud.
Storing transaction logs is the foundation of the licensed operating model. It makes payments predictable, investigations fast, reporting accurate, and businesses resilient to legal, financial, and reputational risks. For the player, this means transparency and protection, for the operator - license compliance and trust of regulators, banks and partners.