eCogra , which stands for ecommerce and Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance, is an internationally known accreditation testing agency. It was established in 2003 in London, England. It has the responsibility of making sure that casinos conduct business in a legal manner.
The organization has many other goals as well. For example, it monitors underage gambling, enforces honest advertising among casinos, ensures fair gaming practices for players, stops criminal behavior in the gaming industry, and makes sure that players get accurate payouts in a timely manner.
Global Gambling
eCogra created a list of generally accepted practices that global casinos should abide by if they want to receive accreditation. The rules are there so that casinos can run legitimate and honest businesses. The rules were also created to protect gamblers. The organization tackles the problem of how to regulate global gambling. Not only does eCogra have to come up with standards for the whole world, but it also has to enforce these standards too.
eCogra Accreditation
eCogra has given accreditation to over 200 casino operators. It is a non profit group that doesn’t personally gain anything by giving accreditation to various online casinos throughout the world. The company has a staff of highly competent auditors and computer specialists. It also has plenty of seasoned gambling experts who are there to help them be the gaming police for the world.
eCogra inspects each approved casino on an annual basis to ensure that it is following all generally accepted practices that were set forth by the organization. Each site is tested to determine if it pays quickly, provides protection for players, protects gambler information, operates in a legal manner, and other important things. However, gaining accreditation from eCogra is not just a onetime thing. Casinos have to constantly prove that they are worthy of accreditation in order for it to be renewed annually.
The eCogra Logo
If a casino receives accreditation from eCogra, the eCogra logo will be prominently displayed on that casino’s website. This shows that a site is concerned about protecting gamblers. It is also abiding by the strict rules that eCogra has set in place.
If a casino adheres to eCogra eGAP requirements, then it will be awarded the organization’s Safe and Fair Seal or its Certified Software Seal. When you see an eCogra seal on a website, it means that gamers can expect to play in a safe gaming environment. This logo is usually displayed at the bottom of the webpage or on the About Us page.
eCogra and Complaints
eCogra also handles gambling complaints. The organization recognizes the fact that both players and casinos are capable of fraud. So, the organization mediates and does not take sides. It has the responsibility of mediating and getting justice for whichever side has a valid complaint. eCogra has helped to successfully settle plenty of disputes between players and casinos.
eCogra has received around seven thousand complaints since it was first established in 2003. A lot of these complaints can’t be handled by the organization because they target casinos that do not have eCogra accreditation. This means that the organization doesn’t have any authority to handle these complaints. But about seventy five percent of all eCogra cases are mediated, and about forty percent of these complaints are not ruled in the favor of the casino owners.
eCogra does not publicly display these complaints. It is an organization that operates behind the scenes. If you don’t think that an international organization that provides gambling accreditation is a good idea, then just look at some of the casino websites that do not have the eCogra seal of approval. They usually are not the type of sites that provide a safe or fair gaming experience for its users. These sites normally are filled with user complaints.
It looks as if eCogra is well on its way to being a well known enforcer for the gaming industry. Its seal of approval is something that legitimate gaming sites want to display. It tells the world that it adheres to many of the strict standards that are set forth by eCogra.
For the gambler who does his due diligence, he will discover that sites that have this organization’s seal of approval have been accredited and are a part of the fair gaming world that eCogra is trying to enforce. There will probably always be both crooked gamblers and casinos. But it is good to know that you can lower the risk of running into either one just by looking for the eCogra logo.
