Following the announcement of the first 23 ultra-safe eCOGRA seal casinos only
weeks ago, the player protection organisation has published a list of a further
16 successful candidates.
The board of directors of eCommerce and Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance
(eCOGRA) approved the new seal-holders after extensive independent testing and
inspections by professional teams from international audit group PricewaterhouseCoopers
to ensure that they met the stringent requirements of the organisation regarding
operational efficiency, fair gaming and player protection.
The latest casinos awarded the seal are:
Arthurian Casino
CasinoUS
Cinema Casino
Crazy Vegas Casino
777 Dragon Casino
Sun Vegas Casino
Ruby Fortune Casino
Spin Palace Casino
Roxy Palace Casino
Jackpots in a Flash
Mummy`s Gold Casino
Piggs Peak Casino
Desert Dollar Casino
Diamond Casino
Havana Club Casino
Platinum Play Casino
`The current batch of seal-holders is a mix of successful first time candidates
and operations which did not initially meet our eGAP requirements and have had
to reorganise their systems in order to fully comply`, eCOGRA CEO Andrew Beveridge
reports. `We are now satisfied that all operational and business aspects are
in line with our eGAP principles`
Beveridge said that a further batch of casinos was currently under examination,
and that the eCOGRA initiative to present the online gambling community with
a wide range of safe, honest and efficient online casino venues was steadily
gathering momentum.
`The latest seal awards bring to 39 the top class casinos who have voluntarily
submitted to our genuine self-imposed regulation`, he said. `More casinos are
currently being inspected, and interest in the eCOGRA standards and implementation
is growing in the industry from players, casinos and software providers alike`.
Meanwhile, business conditions at the first batch of seal casinos are looking
promising. Scott Gaines, spokesman for the Trident Entertainment group which
owns King Neptune`s, Trident Lounge and VegasUSA casinos reports, `The Seal
provides a comfort level to existing and potential players. We are seeing some
improvements in visits and activity`
eCOGRA requires that approved casinos are financially stable and have adequate
reserves to cover wagers. The probity of casino management is scrutinised, together
with player protection measures, payout times and financial facilities, games
fairness, responsive Support and general operational efficiency. Policies have
to be in place for communicating with clients and dealing with player complaints,
and satisfactory technical capabilities and anti money-laundering systems are
critical.
The new list of seals was augmented for the first time by additional awards
to Jackpot City Casino, Havana Club Casino and King Neptunes Casino, which successfully
presented their foreign language sites for inspection, too.
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 former Director of the New Jersey Division of Gaming.