LONDON, England – (PRESS RELEASE) -- The Philippines-based Asian e-gaming
regulator, Cagayan Economic Zone Authority through its Master Licensor,
First Cagayan is the latest independent online gambling body to accept the
global integrity and operational standards of eCOGRA.
First Cagayan President Albee Benitez signed off on the acceptance
after several months of due diligence, during which the standards and
outcomes-based testing methods used by eCOGRA in awarding the "Play It
Safe" seal were closely studied by a team working under the direction of
First Cagayan corporate legal counsel Katrina Nepomuceno.
"We are satisfied that the standards set by eCOGRA, and the inspection
and monitoring systems that support these, comprehensively cover our
requirements for safe, ethical and efficient online gaming operations,"
Mr.
Benitez said. "First Cagayan operates a competitive licensing program,
cost-effective regulatory framework and disciplined operator and player
protection policies, in a gaming jurisdiction that is safe and reliable."
The agreement follows a similar acceptance of eCOGRA standards by the
Malta regulator, Lotteries and Gaming Authority last month and one last
year by the Kahnawake jurisdiction in Canada, covering hundreds of licensed
brands. eCOGRA is currently in discussions with a number of other national
regulators committed to player protection and fair gaming and hopes to
conclude further agreements soon.
"This is another step toward our goal of forging valuable links and
consistent standards with other regulatory bodies," eCOGRA CEO Andrew
Beveridge commented. "First Cagayan has accepted that operators using
software supplied by eCOGRA members, and that is subject to eCOGRA's
principles and testing methodologies, will not be required to submit their
software to further review and monitoring processes by other third party
testing agencies required for a First Cagayan online gaming license."
Seventy-six leading online casino and poker room brands, belonging to
some of the most well established and successful online gambling groups in
the industry now carry the eCOGRA "Play It Safe" seal, which helps players
identify Internet gambling venues that have voluntarily committed to
independent, player protective regulation and continuous monitoring.