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eCOGRA For Fair Online GamingBy: R. Kingsley, Wednesday September 10th 2008 24 Comments  Email  Print
eCOGRA is the acronym for e-Commerce Online Gambling Regulation and Assurance. It was established as a non-profit organization in 2002 for self-regulation of the online gaming industry. Though it was founded by Microgaming and 888.com it has retained an independent nature that is essential for its operations. In simple terms the function of eCOGRA is to establish benchmark fair gaming practices. It then audits the operations of those online casinos that so desire against these practices. If the online casino meets the requirements set by eCOGRA then its seal of approval of "Safe & Fair" is granted to those casinos. Online players can comfortably play at eCOGRA approved casinos because they are assured that they will not be duped. eCOGRA also engages in dispute resolution between its certified online casinos and players. The "Generally Accepted Practices" that eCOGRA judges online casinos by are grouped into three heads. Player Protection seeks that players get all the payments due to them in time. The online casino should have a clear and transparent way of accounting for the receipts from the players, crediting their winnings and bonuses and keeping track of the wagering requirements. The security of sensitive financial information like credit card numbers while it is transmitted over the Internet and while it is stored in the online casino's servers should be ensured. Another important aspect of Player Protection is providing players with all the required information upfront. The terms and conditions for the cashing the bonuses need special mention. Fair Gaming involves in assessing and assuring that the online casino is not cheating players by manipulating the software. The Random Number Generator that is responsible for dealing the cards or spinning the slots machines should actually perform acts that are random and do not depend on the wagers placed. Another aspect of Fair Gaming is to assess whether adequate steps have been taken to maintain server connectivity. Also assessed is whether online casinos have adequate back-up mechanisms and disaster recovery systems should things go wrong. Responsible Conduct covers some wider issues. Online casinos have been targets for money laundering operations and the problems over the UIGEA in the United States stem from this. Hence online casinos have to ensure that they have controls in place that prevent money laundering. Responsible advertising is another aspect of Responsible Conduct. Online gambling is a competitive business and casinos may be tempted to make claims that they do not fulfill. The eCOGRA audit assesses whether the online casino is fulfilling all its claims or not. Once an online casino has the eCOGRA seal of approval, players can be assured that the above-mentioned issues have been satisfactorily addressed. Such online casinos are less likely to give rise to disputes and provide a more congenial playing atmosphere. There are over 100 online casinos and over 20 online poker rooms that bear the eCOGRA seal of approval. Selection of Best eCOGRA Certified Online Casinos On Casino Advisor
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More eCOGRA Resources
- For more eCOGRA casinos and resources visit their website directly at www.ecogra.org
- Learn a bit more about eCOGRA here on Wikipedia (minimal eCOGRA information here).
- More Microgaming casinos that are eCOGRA certified - Click Here -
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I don't know all too much about this agency but from what I've read and understand about them they really do a fantastic job at auditing the industry well those casinos and gaming companies that carry the eCOGRA seal. It's very refreshing to know that there are some really honest players out there in the industry.
Don't really know too much about this ecogra agency but it seems as though they're reputable enough to me. None of the online casinos that I've been playing at are certified by ecogra though as far as what I can see about them carrying the seal on their websites. Oh well not sure how big of a deal it as as I'm happy with the casinos that I play at right now for the most part.
A very good organization that is trustworthy in my opinion and has a good set of values and standards that it appears as though they're really adhering to. I beleive that eCOGRA is one of the best regulatory bodies out there as of current.
eCOGRA has actually been of some help in resolving a few issues here and there and I have to say that they are by far the best player protection agency in existence as things currently stand. I'm very impressed with their level of professionalism and ability to see things though and get issues resolved.
I like eCOGRA I just read a press release they released about the whole Grand Prive debacle and it seems like they made everything right. It's really great to have these sorts of agencies on the side of the players!
Don't know much about them but they seem to be doing a good job seeing as most of the people who've commented here are happy with what eCOGRA is doing and has accomplished.
Personally I don't know very much about eCOGRA and their operations but I do know that they're a very pronounced organization that is getting a lot of PR which is a good sign for them as they're in the spotlight for being a group that's really making a difference in terms of properly regulating online casino gambling.
I've heard a lot about and in fact because of the fact that I've heard a lot about eCOGRA I decided to read up on them. I find that their mission is great and the fact that there's an agency that's bend on making the web casino gambling expereince more safe and secure for both operators and players is a great thing really. I'm impressed and will start playing at more ecogra certified online casinos in the future. In fact I think it's something that all players should look for who have the opportunity to is to play at casinos that are certified by a body like this as there really isn't many regulatory bodies that are as thorough as these guys are from what I've read and seen first hand actually.
I don't know an overwhelming amount about Ecogra but from what I've read about them as an organization who is motivated to regulate the industry and keep players safe I can only say bravo for their efforts.
I really wish that more of the US facing online casinos that were on Vegas Technology and RTG software were under the scrutiny of eCOGRA it would be great as there really isn't any body that can be approached for dispute resolution for casinos powered by software that still accept US players.
I beleive ecogra to be legitimate agency who has the interest of protecting both players and the industry alike and is not bias in either direction to nor the player nor the casino. I think that they do a good job and beleive that their value is definitely there.
I beleive in what eCOGRA is doing and think that they have proven themselves on several occasions and even so in situations where I had to rely on eCOGRA to rectify certain situations that I got into with various Microgaming online casinos that I've played at. I think that they are a trustworthy organization and I do again think that they are doing a great job!
I've been playing at eCOGRA casinos since eCOGRA was first established and actually those casinos that have become regulated and are under eCOGRA scrutiny I have been finding a lot of improvements to including more prompt payouts and more clarity on things where they used be a lot of ambiguity.
I trust that eCOGRA is a decent agency and thing that they do look out for the best interest of players. I've read on Casino Meister a few times how helpful they've been. It's good to see that there really is a player advocacy group that is in favor of protecting players. It's a shame it doesn't apply to casinos that are not certified by eCOGRA though!
I'm not a huge fan of eCOGRA or any of these agencies but only because I always feel that there are some bias. Especially in a case where the agency is founded by those who started one of the biggest software providers for the online casino industry out there. It's a good concept in theory but there must be some bias there.
eCOGRA's great in terms of dispute management and resolution I don't think there's an agency out there that compares to their abilities. I think that as a rule of thumb if you're able to play at an online casino that bear's the eCOGRA seal you're much better off then playing at an online casino that doesn't.
Sorry there seems to be some confusion and I may have come across the wrong way. I wasn't really intending on knocking eCOGRA but merely trying to point out that people should be skeptical regardless of this organization when they play. They should always test the waters before jumping in head first is really what I was trying to get at!
I have to disagree with you Judith. eCOGRA was founded on the principle that players need to be kept safe and online casinos need to adhere to policies and procedure that promote safe and fair gaming. I'm not sure if you know but eCOGRA is a non-profit and has definitely helped players including myself. Sure it may have been founded by those that had some involvement in the building of Microgaming as an enterprise but at the same time if you look at it other online casinos like 888.com among others are certified by eCOGRA as well... Anyways my point really is that they're objective and not in fact bias as you mentioned. If you can show me otherwise I'd love to see it.
I agree that eCOGRA is great concept in theory however the fact is that it was started by Microgaming executives so it must be said that there's at least partial bias and additionally that operators that are eCOGRA certified although fall under their scrutiny can surely get away with things.
As an authoritative body regulating the gaming industry I've always found that going though eCOGRA channels when in need of some sort of resolve has always worked out the best for me. Some people advise going though Casino Meister to dispute issues with online casinos but I must say that I'd advise anyone whose having an issue with an eCOGRA online casino to go though eCOGRA channels to try to come to some sort of resolve.
Playing at ECOGRA certified online casinos is definitely the way to go as far as I'm concerned. Only the most reputable and trusted online casinos are certified by them and additionally their process for certification is more stringent then most gaming licensing jurisdictions. I personally choose to play at casinos certified by ECOGRA. The one downside to it though is that it wouldn't appear as though there is any ECOGRA certified online casinos that accept US players as it's all Microgaming casinos 888.com and a few others.
I'm a firm believer that eCOGRA certified online casinos do add value to players and I personally prefer playing at casinos that are certified by a reputable governing body such as eCOGRA. Although I'm a huge Microgaming fan it would be nice to see other casinos that are non Microgaming and not 888 become eCOGRA certified. I suppose that most other casinos are not able to comply with eCOGRA's stringent probity checks and due diligence requirements or something...
As an avid player of online casinos I have found casinos that are eCOGRA certified are typically those that can be trusted far more then those that are not certified by any accrediting agency. I'm particularly a fan of Platinum Play online casino and Roxy Palace where I've enjoyed many hours gaming.
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eCOGRA is a great service and I know from personal experience that it works. Online casinos that carry the eCOGRA seal can definitely be trusted more so then those that do not and thus as a result you just figure that there should be much more of them but it's not the case. There are still tons of eCOGRA certified online casinos out there you just have to look for them or visit the eCOGRA website to find a listing of them all.