The Interactive Gaming Council Canada (IGC) has begun live implementation of its new "Seal of Approval" program, which aims to enable operators of gaming websites to verify their commitment to fair, honest and responsible gaming.
"The Seal of Approval program allows operators to display a seal that indicates to consumers the site's willingness to adhere to a new, higher level of compliance as a supplement to existing government regulatory regimes," explained IGC Executive Director Rick Smith.
The seal is actually a logo, delivered by a dedicated third-party server to protect the program's authenticity, that is placed on interactive gambling sites to symbolize the operator's adherence to high levels of integrity and responsibility. As part of the program, a mechanism has been created whereby a compliance officer (initially the IGC executive director) can handle disputes between dissatisfied players and the gaming site.
"The Seal of Approval is by no means designed to be a replacement for strict government regulation," added IGC Chair Sue Schneider. "In fact, the IGC has been actively advocating strict licensing and regulation by governments. In my opinion, effective government regulation is the only way to move the Internet gaming industry, as a subset of e-commerce in general, to the next level of legitimacy."
The first two companies to participate in the program and display the "seal" are VIPSports.com, operator of VIPSports.com, VIPSoccer.com and VIPCasinos.com, and Sunny Group Casinos, operator of Casinofortune.com, Mapau.com and Miamibeachcasino.com.
VIP's Alistair Assheton called the program "a fantastic move by the IGC," and that the program adds legitimacy to the online gaming industry. He added, " Most encouraging is that the seal may persuade some consumers to visit our sites rather than our competitors."
"The program furthers the goals of promoting integrity among gaming operators and increasing consumer confidence for interactive gaming players," a spokesman for Sunny Group Casinos said.
The Interactive Gaming Council is an international non-profit trade association whose 100-plus members are licensed to lawfully conduct gaming from within a legitimate licensing jurisdiction. Membership includes operators of Internet gaming sites, software suppliers, e-commerce providers, information-providers and other industry related companies, who must agree to abide by the IGC's Code of Conduct, a copy of which can be found on the IGC website at www.igcouncil.org.