INTERNATIONAL POKER GIANT AWARDED eCOGRA SEAL
Following
closely on the heels of eCOGRA’s recent approval and acceptance of
poker software supplier Ongame as a member, the online gambling
regulatory body has announced the award of the `Play It Safe` seal to
PokerRoom.com.
The international online poker giant boasts over 3.8 million global
players from more than 140 countries and these will now have the
benefit of eCOGRA regulations governing every aspect of poker
operations from fair gaming to timeous payouts and efficient customer
service.
The award of the seal followed weeks of intensive onsite probity
and systems inspections by an independent professional services group,
which will continue to review and monitor the business activities of
PokerNetwork and PokerRoom.com, including the central clearing house
operations and anti-collusion measures.
The award of the first poker seal has significant implications for
the booming online poker industry, representing as it does real and
enforced self-regulation.
Ongame-owned PokerRoom.com becomes the 56th venue in a global
regulatory framework within which 55 top online casinos powered by
leading companies Microgaming and Casino on Net operate, handling well
over fifty percent of the online casino gambling market.
eCOGRA CEO Andrew Beveridge says the successful PokerRoom.com
accreditation is an important milestone for both the poker industry and
his organisation. `This is the first application of independent
regulations to elements within the online poker industry,` he said
`PokerRoom.com is a highly respected brand handling a significant
proportion of the international online poker market, and their
commitment to player protection and responsible gaming through the G4
organisation is well known.`
The eCOGRA initiative is open to all and provides practical player
protection through a carefully developed set of regulations that are
applied through third party international professional services
organisations to member casinos and poker rooms.
Online gambling operations that successfully pass the inspection
are identified by the eCOGRA `Play It Safe` Seal, awarded by the three
independent directors on the eCOGRA Board who control the
organisation`s operational activities.
The eGAP regulations cut across political and geographic barriers
to address every aspect of online casino and poker room activity,
including FATF-relevant money handling procedures, fair gaming,
responsible gambling and efficient customer service.
The London-based staff of the regulator includes a Fair Gaming
Advocate to whom players can appeal if any disputes cannot be settled
at casino or poker room level.
Patrik Selin, CEO of PokerRoom.com commented: `This is the
culmination of tough, detailed on-site inspections and probity checks,
but we believe it is an important step forward for our PokerNetwork and
partners, and for the industry as a whole. Real and practical
regulation such as eCOGRA offers has benefits for everyone, protecting
the players and at the same time enforcing high levels of professional
and business conduct at both the software provider and poker room
level.`
About PokerRoom.com
PokerRoom.com was introduced in 1999 as one of the first poker
rooms on the Internet. Initially the company launched with `play money`
only and have continually developed and improved its services for its
members. In 2001, PokerRoom.com introduced real money games and has
since introduced a number of new casino games and innovations. At
PokerRoom.com there are classics such as Texas Hold `Em, other poker
and casino games available with just the click of a button. In
addition, PokerRoom.com is the only online poker site that offers a
java version of the game and doesn’t require downloads, so members can
play from PC, Mac or Linux computers.
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