Kahnawake Dispute Resolution Statistics

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Soon after eCOGRA had published its dispute resolution data for 2010, the Kahnawake Gaming Commission (KGC) has published similar statistics. eCOGRA is an audit agency whereas KGC issues licenses to online casino operators but both in their own ways are concerned with security and fairness for the online gaming player. eCOGRA has been publishing its reports for quite some time now, whereas this was the first such report from KGC.

Last year KGC had put in place systems and mechanisms to address issues of players' concerns like transparent and fair dispute resolution. This was to change the perception that KGC, one of the online gaming industry's biggest licensing jurisdictions, was lacking in player sensitivity, especially after the online poker super user scandal. The most important step taken by KGC was to appoint Micki Oster to operate an independent and unbiased dispute resolution service for players from online casinos and other portals licensed by the commission. This provided a much needed disputes resolution channel for players who had to otherwise accept the decision of the operator as final. Oster has an awesome reputation for pursuing fair gaming for several years and brings impeccable integrity to the table. This report is largely the result of Oster's efforts.

Oster's first annual report illustrates KGC's commitment to a more communicative and transparent dispute resolution policy. The introduction to the report says, "The Commission has issued its 2010 Disputes Resolution Summary, providing detailed statistics concerning the number of complaints received and addressed by the Commission from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2010. The Summary, and the information it contains, is a part of the Commission's ongoing commitment to effective player protection and to transparency in its operations." KGC adds that it would be willing to respond to questions, comments and concerns.

The summary provided follows a structure very similar to the reports of eCOGRA and that should be helpful for the online casino players. In the year 2010 a total of 607 complaints were received, of which 169 related to operators not in the KGC jurisdiction. Hence no further action was taken on these. 17 disputes were still under investigation at the end of the year. Most of these had been received in December. All disputes received during July or before have been resolved one way or another. Out of the 421 disputes resolved, 228 disputes or 54.6% went in favor of the player. 193 disputes or 45.8% were found to be baseless after due investigation. The report also categorized the reasons for the complaints. Of the 421 accepted disputes 81 were because of locked accounts, 173 were because of payments being withheld or delayed. 105 related to fairness issues and the balance 62 disputes were classified as miscellaneous.

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