eCOGRA Strives to Improve Player Confidence and Online Gaming

eCOGRA Strives to Improve Player Confidence and Online Gaming

In the eWorld of online gambling, casino reputation is King.
eCOGRA is a non-profit, non-partisan and totally international
organization, that allows legitimate players to feel comfortable
playing at casinos that have agreed to operate within certain
higher standards in order to receive and retain an eCOGRA Seal.
It provides participating casinos with a set of player-sensitive
regulations that are checked by independent inspection and
enforced by ongoing monitoring.

Established in 2003, with the first seals awarded in early 2004,
eCOGRA has demonstrated that it is a serious vehicle for
enforced, self-imposed regulation and quality assurance, despite
initial player apprehension about the “independence” of its
directors. A visit to any “watchdog” forum can confirm that by
and large eCOGRA measures up to its mission ” . . . to be an
independent entity that provides important player protections to
consumers, including that operators are honest, games are fair,
monetary deposits are safe and winning bets are paid in a timely
manner.”

Andrew Beveridge, eCOGRA’s CEO, has taken the time to discuss
eCOGRA, player advocacy and the online gambling industry with
us. Thank you and welcome, Andrew.

CGP: Andrew, what gaming software platforms (other than the
giant Microgaming) have been approved by eCOGRA?

Andrew: In addition to Microgaming, Virtual Holdings (the parent
company of Random Logic, software supplier to 888.com and
Pacific Poker) is also a founding member. A recently added
member is Ongame, software supplier to PokerRoom.com, so that in
effect we now have on board the two largest suppliers to the
online casino industry, and three of the top six suppliers to
the online poker business. In practical terms, that means that
seal operations handle well over fifty percent of the global
online casino and poker room business.

It’s important to understand that we don’t actually award the
seal to the software providers; it is the online gaming sites
that use the software of our members that are eligible to
receive the seal. However the review process does also include
probity checks on the software providers’ major shareholders and
management, a thorough inspection of the entire software
development environment and comprehensive testing for software
fairness.

CGP: When do you expect to have approved bingo and sportbooks
software and operators under The Seal?

Andrew: Ideally we’d like to be involved in the self-regulation
of this part of the industry, however it has been a significant
effort just to make sure we are adequately addressing the
regulation of online casinos and poker. Even in these areas it’s
a constant effort to make sure we stay abreast of new
developments, such as mobile technology and multi-player
casinos. With limited resources we’ll probably continue to focus
in the foreseeable future on casino and poker due to their
relative importance in the online gambling industry. In order to
maintain our own credibility and that of the approved sites, we
need to make sure our standards are thoroughly researched,
implemented and monitored, and there can’t be any shortcuts in
this process.

CGP: Are there any gaming softwares that have been specifically
disapproved? If so, what are they?

Andrew: Prior to a software provider becoming a member, we make
a preliminary assessement together with one of the independent
audit firms on our Audit Panel as to the organisation’s ability
to meet our standards. If compliance looks probable, then we’ll
proceed with the membership process which is only then followed
by the eGAP inspection. Each of our current members had to do a
fair amount of work in specific areas prior to submitting to the
eGAP inspection, and we provided guidance through much of this
process, which conceivably can take up to a year.

It’s worth noting that we’ve been approached by over 30 other
software suppliers seeking information about membership, but the
considerable financial commitment and effort required to comply
with our standards makes the membership application process a
little tougher than what these organisations may initially
anticipate.

CGP: How many Online Casinos have been denied the seal and have
any holders of the seal ever “lost” their seal?

Andrew: Most of the 55 approved casinos were denied the seal
following their first inspection. The process is such that the
audit firm highlights the areas of non-compliance, and the
casino is then provided with an opportunity to rectify these
areas. A follow-up inspection is then done on-site (as we
require substantiated evidence that there is appropriate
compliance) and ultimately the site will be awarded the seal
once they comply fully with our standards. These are serious and
detailed studies of every aspect of casino operation, with
particular emphasis on those that interface with the player, and
this demands both commitment and determination on the operators’
part to pass. In return, the operator gets not only our seal,
but a highly professional, independent business assessment of
the operation that can improve business efficiency and
performance.

To date no seal holder has lost the seal. Obviously we pick up
areas where compliance has slipped, but as long as the
infringement is not too material, and the will exists to address
it we provide the operator with an opportunity to rectify the
shortcomings within a limited time frame. Non-conformance
thereafter could well result in the seal being revoked, and I do
know that our independent directors who control the Seals
Compliance Committee would not hesitate to act if they thought
standards were being flouted.

Along with software fairness, information and player security
and payment standards, eCOGRA is also involved in the politics
and legalities of online gaming.

CGP: Andrew, in your opinion, what is the outlook for online
gambling legally? Is Great Britain any closer to licensing
online gambling establishments? What is eCOGRA doing politically
to affect online gambling positively?

Andrew: We’re not really active on the legal and political
front, and there are several industry trade associations whose
main focus is to satisfy the legal and political agendas of
their members which comprise software suppliers and operators.
eCOGRA is essentially about player protection, fair gaming and
responsible operator behavior. That being said though, we are
currently advising a number of jurisdictions in the area of
setting standards and the appropriate testing methodologies.

Developments in the United Kingdom are especially encouraging,
as provision has been made in the new Gambling Act for
interactive gambling, a new Gambling Commission has been formed
to draft and implement regulations, and offices have been
secured in Birmingham, England. The indications are that the new
controlling body, headed by Peter Dean who is highly experienced
in regulation is taking a consultative approach that bodes well
for the industry when it takes over in 2007.

Britain’s new controlling body for gambling will be officially
launched in October this year and is already planning to meet
the industry at the next Betting Show, scheduled for 19 and 20
October at the Birmingham NEC Pavilion.

There is no doubt in my mind that this will be serious and
highly professional regulation, and that is good for the
industry in Britain, which is increasingly being perceived as a
desirable jurisdiction for respectable businesses. It means more
protection for the player, and that’s a prime goal we can share.

Elsewhere, geographical jurisdictions (eCOGRA operates across
international boundaries) such as Alderney, Gibraltar and the
Isle of Man are all improving their regulatory climates and that
will hopefully encourage other licensors to follow suit and
improve controls and dispute handling.

The progressive developments in the UK are being closely watched
by other governments, and will no doubt have a beneficial impact
through this channel, too.

The United States remains, as always a confusing legal and
political climate where we are unlikely to see positive and
wide-reaching improvements in the recognition and regulation of
Internet gambling in the immediate future. But I remain
optimistic that the example set by the UK may help introduce a
more rational approach there.

The outlook in general is very encouraging in my personal view,
and we will continue to make available to others our
considerable regulatory experience should they wish to exchange
views with us. I think the growing number of large, successful
and professionally run online gambling companies that have
evolved is ideally positioned to complement this more regulated
environment, and we will see more industry consolidation with
this new maturity.

Most recently, eCOGRA has launched the Responsible Gaming
Initiative, with the full support of its seal holders. All sites
will be required to carry a prominent Responsible Gaming section
in which the dangers of under-age and problem gambling are
explained. 7 day “cooling off,” 6 month self-exclusion or
deposit limiting mechanisms will be provided for gamblers who
suspect they may be in difficulties. Staff will be on the alert
for playing and financial patterns that may indicate an
addictive gambler.

CGP: This seems a very admirable endeavor on the part of eCOGRA
and seal holders. Tell me a little about the new Responsible
Gaming Initiative. How do you expect it impact the industry as a
whole? Do you think the addicted or underage gambler will simply
avoid eCOGRA Seal Casinos?

Andrew: That is not our objective – our goal is to identify and
exclude underage gamblers as soon as possible, and provide
facilities whereby gamblers with a potential problem can test
themselves and then act accordingly to either give up gambling
altogether or exclude themselves for a safe period of time of
their choosing or limit their accounts. We want to ensure that
our seal casinos do not promote gambling to under-aged or
problem gamblers, and we seek to train our staff in the
professional indicators of a problem gambler so that appropriate
advice can be offered where necessary.

In short, our objective is to go considerably further than
merely placing a GA link or something similar on seal casinos,
although we recognise the excellent work such bodies do and will
continue to steer troubled players to them.

This is a complicated field, and we have followed our usual
practice of engaging with experts in our planning. We have
partnered with the specialised international G4 organisation
which has extensive experience and professional skills and is
helping us to construct policies and eGAPs, train casino
managements and introduce the diagnostic tests and Responsible
Gaming facilities for seal operations.

The bottom line here is that under-age and addictive gambling is
a dangerous element for the casino, the player and the industry;
it causes untold distress and financial hardship, it is morally
wrong to allow or encourage it and we are therefore committed to
taking serious steps to prevent it wherever we can.

CGP: What is next Andrew? Do you anticipate any standards and
seal opportunity for portalmasters and casino affiliates?

Andrew: Until now I think we’ve done a reasonably good job of
laying the groundwork for effective self-regulation of online
gaming, and I think our success is reflected in the performance
and reputation of the sites that have earned our seal.

I can’t see us setting standards for portalmasters and
affiliates as this is certainly not our area of expertise and we
need to remain focused on our principal objective of protecting
the player.

The next step is to make consumers more aware that there are
responsible organisations in this industry who are willing to
invest significantly to ensure the well-being of the players. So
the big focus in the near future is going to be on the marketing
and education front, but at the same time we’ll be careful to
ensure that our standards are continually enhanced and the seal
holders maintain compliance. Ultimately we’re aiming to
substantially improve the credibility of the industry as a
whole, and no doubt this will benefit all involved.

CGP: We have no doubt of the benefit as well.

Thank you Andrew for taking the time to inform us about eCOGRA,
its purview and its plans. Thank you especially for eCOGRA’s
continued efforts on behalf of players and improving the image
of online gaming as a whole.

Casino Gold Pages members wishing to address player issues
regarding any eCOGRA seal holder, listed below, can find the
guidelines and form here:

http://www.ecogra.com/dispute.asp

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