LONDON – (PRESS RELEASE) -- The important turnkey online poker
provider Ongame has successfully completed rigorous acceptance inspections
for membership of the international regulator eCommerce and Online Gaming
Regulation and Assurance (eCOGRA).
The announcement today has significant implications for the first ever
self-imposed regulation of the booming online poker industry. Ongame powers
PokerNetwork which hosts many poker operators including PokerRoom.com
servicing some 4 million and rising online poker players, and the successful
accreditation of the software opens the way for these companies to apply for
the eCOGRA seal, conditional on meeting the standards required.
The Swedish provider now joins a global regulatory framework within which
55 top online casinos powered by leading companies Microgaming and Casino on
Net operate, handling well over fifty percent of the online casino gambling
market.
eCOGRA CEO Andrew Beveridge says the successful Ongame membership is an
important milestone for both the poker industry and his organisation. "This
is the first application of independent regulations to elements within the
online poker industry," he said. "Ongame is a welcome addition to eCOGRA. Our
compliance committee were extremely impressed with their professional
approach to corporate governance and responsible gaming. From the outset they
have put the player first, and an example of this is that they were the first
online gaming operation to achieve G4 responsible gaming accreditation," he
said.
"For eCOGRA it is the realisation of months of in-depth research and
professional advice in framing ground-breaking rules or eGAPs as we call
them, for online poker sites," he continued. "We are confident that other
high profile poker networks will submit their sites to our independent
inspectors and achieve the eCOGRA seal".
The eCOGRA initiative is open to all and provides practical player
protection through a carefully developed set of regulations that are applied
through third party international professional services organisations to
member casinos and poker rooms.
Detailed inspection and ongoing monitoring to ensure continuous
compliance with the regulations are key to the success of the initiative, and
extensive financial and management probity checks are carried out as part of
the acceptance process.
Online gambling operations that successfully pass the inspection are
identified by the eCOGRA "Play It Safe" seal, awarded by three independent
directors on the eCOGRA Board who control the organisation's operational
activities.
The eGAP regulations cut across political and geographic barriers to
address every aspect of online casino and poker room activity, including
FATF-relevant money handling procedures, fair gaming, responsible gambling
and efficient customer service.
The London-based staff of the regulator includes a Fair Gaming Advocate
to whom players can appeal if any disputes cannot be settled at casino or
poker room level.
Patrik Selin, CEO of Ongame commented: "This is the culmination of tough,
detailed on-site inspections and probity checks for Ongame, but we believe it
is an important step forward for our poker rooms and the industry as a whole.
Real and practical regulation such as eCOGRA offers has benefits for
everyone, protecting the players and at the same time enforcing high levels
of professional and business conduct at both the software provider and poker
room level."