WagerWorks is the latest Internet gambling company to join ranks with Quova, a geolocation service provider.
Quova said Tuesday that it has integrated its GeoPoint technology into WagerWorks' suite of games. The software will enable users of the WagerWorks platform to identify, in real time, the location of online casino players.
The service is becoming a necessity in the I-gaming industry, which, like any global industry, must operate in the midst of constantly changing jurisdictional regulations. To make sure only players who are legally allowed to gamble online use their services, a multitude of Internet gambling companies have signed deals with Quova. Since August 2001, Quova has announced partnerships with Blue Square, Ladbrokes, Microgaming, Rank Group, Sports.com, Tatts.com and Zabadoo.
Marie Alexander, president and CEO of Quova, said WagerWorks chose her company for its geolocation services because Quova is constantly tailoring its technology for the I-gaming industry.
"I think it's because we've spent a good bit of time trying to understand what will be needed by any kind of compliance management solution, and so we've put some additional fields into the
database, in addition to location, that should be able to assist companies in really understanding the location of an IP address," she said.
Alexander said Quova has engineered its software to pull together several different types of information, including proxy information, to help establish the location of a person using a particular Web site. Large international corporations, she said, have proxies that could enable users to fraudulently make it seem as if they are based outside of the United States. Quova's software helps I-gaming companies screen for players who may misrepresent their locations, Alexander said.
"We've given (I-gaming sites) information to determine whether somebody might be trying to be fraudulent and try to get around this type of technique," she said.
WagerWorks announced March 13 that it will be supplying the online gambling software for MGM Mirage's Internet casino, which is not yet operational but has received a license from the Isle of Man. Alexander said she could not comment on whether Quova's geolocation service will be part of the MGM Mirage online gaming suite.
Quova's GeoPoint service determines where Internet users are by mapping the more than four million IP addresses of the Internet. Paul Mathews, vice president of government affairs for WagerWorks, said the company's deal with Quova will help it offer a comprehensive and compliant
gaming platform.
"The opportunity to align WagerWorks' product with Quova's demonstrated capabilities is another component that will, with reasonable assurance, allow our licensed operators to meet or exceed online gambling compliance standards in fully regulated markets," Mathews said in a statement.