eCOGRA TAKING IMPORTANT STEP TOWARD ASSURING IMPORTANT ONLINE PLAYER PROTECTIONS - SEALS TO BE RELEASED SHORTLY
LONDON
– January 28, 2004 – During the International Casino Exhibition 2004
(ICE), one of the world’s largest gaming shows, eCOGRA today announced
that its first seals for online casino operators would be brought to
market within weeks. eCOGRA seals are intended to provide online
players with high levels of assurance of fair, honest, and responsible
online gaming.
Andrew Beveridge, chief executive of eCOGRA, said the awarding of
eCOGRA seals is imminent as applicant web site operators continue to
adopt polices and procedures to comply with eCOGRA’s eGAP standards.
“We didn’t rush into this,” Beveridge said, “in every instance each
applicant had work to do in order to meet eGAP requirements.”
According to Beveridge, eCOGRA’s independent directors are making
final determinations with regard to the initial eCOGRA applicants.
eCOGRA’s independent directors are reviewing final responses by
applicant operators and the audit panel with regard to questions
surrounding the release of eCOGRA’s first seals. “eCOGRA’s independent
directors felt strongly that no seals would be awarded until worthy
sites understood and fully complied with our standards.”
“Operator response to eCOGRA has been tremendous, and the growing
number of eCOGRA applicants assures us that the first seals awarded
will represent a turning point in the industry’s movement toward
increased player protections and improved credibility,” added
Beveridge.
eCOGRA, which stands for e-Commerce and Online Gaming Regulation
and Assurance, is a non-profit organisation based in the United
Kingdom. The organization was established last year with backing from
the online gaming industry’s leading software providers.
Gaming sites that apply for the seal must use software supplied by
a member of eCOGRA and must comply with the eCOGRA Generally Accepted
Practices (eGAP), as documented by a review of the site’s procedures by
eCOGRA’s Audit Panel. The sites will also be checked for player
protection policies, technical capabilities and anti-money laundering
measures. eGAP is broken into three key components that provide for a
strictly monitored playing environment: Player Protections, Fair Gaming
and Responsible Conduct.
“eCOGRA’s eGAP requirements are intended to be a forever improving
set of good practices, which will be an important tool toward assessing
and continuously improving player assurances and security systems,”
said Michael Hirst, eCOGRA chairman and independent director. “eCOGRA
is working to substantially raise the bar upon which performance and
player protections are assessed within the online gaming industry.”
To guarantee eCOGRA’s autonomy from software providers and
operators, the seals compliance committee is comprised of three
independent directors who are not representative of the member software
providers or casino operators. These directors are Michael Hirst OBE,
former Chairman and CEO of Hilton International; Bill Galston OBE,
former Chief Inspector of the Gaming Board for Great Britain; and Frank
Catania, a former Assistant Attorney General in the State of New Jersey
and Director of the New Jersey Division of Gaming.
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