THE RESULTS
Cutting alerts by 72%, launching dual risk models, & accelerating reviews with AI-driven intelligence
Since adopting Unit21, Underdog Fantasy has transformed its AML and Responsible Gaming operations from a manual, fragmented process into a unified, data-driven program. What once lived across Slack threads and spreadsheets now flows through a centralized platform that connects alert generation, case management, and filing, all with a complete audit trail. The result is measurable efficiency and operational confidence at scale.
Alert backlogs that once exceeded a thousand have fallen by 72%, bringing the open queue to under 300 alerts at any given time. Analysts now build and adjust detection rules in minutes instead of waiting days or weeks for engineering support. Manual adverse-media checks that once slowed investigations are now performed directly inside the platform, saving hours per case and improving accuracy.
“Before Unit21, we were constantly buried under more than a thousand open alerts. Today, that number has dropped by 72%, and our analysts can focus on the alerts that truly matter instead of chasing false positives,” recalls Dariusz Kaczmarek, AML Ops Lead at Underdog.
Crucially, Underdog also implemented distinct Customer Risk Rating (CRR) models for AML and for Responsible Gaming risk. By running separate scoring frameworks—one focused on financial-crime exposure, the other on player-behavior and welfare metrics—the team can weigh each dimension appropriately and route workflow accordingly. This dual-model structure allows high-risk AML profiles to trigger enhanced due diligence, while the RG model flags behavioral concerns for review or outreach, rather than conflating both under a single score.
“Having separate risk models for AML and Responsible Gaming is a game-changer. With Unit21’s CRR, we can measure and manage each type of risk precisely, without compromising compliance or player protection,” Boland states.
In parallel, the AI Agent pilot within Unit21 has become a key driver of the next wave of efficiency. The feature automatically summarizes alerts and surfaces the critical behavioral and transactional context for analysts. Particularly in the RG workflow—where subtle patterns matter more than traditional rule violations—these summaries accelerate triage, enabling faster disposition and fewer false positives (with a projected 15–20% reduction once fully operational). And because Underdog maintains a “trust-but-verify” approach, meaning each AI-generated summary is still analyst-validated, the automated workflows remain defensible and audit-ready.
Together, these innovations have given Underdog a compliance foundation that’s faster, more flexible, and scalable, supporting jurisdictional growth and entry into regulated markets. With automated alert → case → filing workflows, explainable scoring models, and embedded intelligence, Unit21 continues to position Underdog to meet rising regulatory expectations with confidence and clarity.
TLDR: Results with Unit21
- 72% reduction in alert backlog
- Rule deployment cut from 2 weeks to under 5 minutes
- Built-in adverse-media checks save hours per case
- Custom Customer Risk Rating models for AML and RG ensure the right risks trigger the right workflows
- AI Agent pilot accelerating reviews with high-level summaries and 15–20% fewer false positives
- Unified alert → case → filing workflow improves audit readiness and regulator confidence
- No added headcount despite rapid growth in transaction volume
