Online Casino News and Information

Congratulations to Net Entertainment for receiving the eCOGRA seal of approval!!

London, 21 October 2008 - One of the online gambling industry’s top software developers, Net Entertainment, has been accredited by the player protection and standards body eCOGRA following a range of comprehensive software, probity and operating systems inspections by independent auditors.

eCOGRA independent directors on the Seals Compliance Committee found the Swedish company to be compliant with eCOGRA’s best practice standards applicable to software suppliers.

The audit confirms that the development, implementation and maintenance of the Net Entertainment software is representative of industry best practice standards, opening the way for Net Entertainment licensees of the firm’s popular CasinoModule™ management and operating system to apply for the eCOGRA Safe and Fair online casino seal.

Since 2003, the seal has become synonymous with tier one levels of fair and responsible gaming, professional conduct and high operating standards when displayed on an online gambling website.

The first Net Entertainment licensees have already been successful in achieving individual Safe and Fair accreditations after undergoing extensive inspection and monitoring, and include the major European companies Unibet (http://www.unibet.com/), Digibet (http://www.digibet.com/) and Casino Room (http://www.casinoroom.com/). Other licensees are currently undergoing the accreditation process.

Congratulating both Net Entertainment and its licensees, eCOGRA CEO Andrew Beveridge said that there was increasing demand from software developers for his organisation’s testing and monitoring services.

“With a further 20 leading suppliers now also approved or currently undergoing eGAP reviews, this shows eCOGRA has become accepted as the industry’s pre-eminent standards setting authority operating  wholly independent of any particular supplier or operator but in the best interests of player assurance,” he said.

Net Entertainment CEO Johan Ohman applauded his management team on achieving accreditation: “Meeting high standards in a tough inspection regime like this says much for the commitment and dedication of all involved, and is an important milestone in operational excellence and player protection for the company,” he said.

About Net Entertainment:
Listed in Stockholm, Net Entertainment is a leading B2B provider in the online gambling industry. The company develops quality gaming software, which is licensed to an international customer base currently made up of over 60 different companies, such as Unibet, Gamebookers, PokerRoom and Entraction. Licensees are offered tailored solutions, customer service and support. The company was founded in 1996. For more information please visit http://www.netent.com/.

About eCOGRA:
eCOGRA is a non-profit, London-based organisation that sets online casino and poker standards and provides an international framework for best operational and player protection practice requirements, with particular emphasis on fair and responsible gambling. These requirements are enforced through inspections and reviews, and continuous monitoring.
Companies that have achieved accreditation with eCOGRA are entitled to bear the organisation’s Safe and Fair seal, indicating to players everywhere that all operational systems and games are fair and continuously monitored to consistently high standards. There are currently 126 tier one companies bearing the seal.

Accreditation remains open to all software companies and their operators. For more information, visit http://www.ecogra.org/.

eCOGRA which is know for their Fair Gaming, will have a Advocate at the Asian Conference. Any Site with the eCOGRA seal you can believe they have been found to be fair and honest. Always look for the eCOGRA seal when you play!

London, 14 October 2008 - Tex Rees, the Fair Gaming Advocate at the London-based player protection and standards body eCOGRA, will be one of a panel of experts discussing Responsible Gambling at the Asian Gambling Briefing starting in Singapore on the 21st October.

Organiser Beacon Events has invited Ms. Rees, who routinely mediates hundreds of player disputes every year, to join the high-powered panel, which will be moderated by Panos Makridis, Responsible Gaming & Compliance Manager for Galaxy Entertainment Group.
Other members of the panel will be Macau-based Francisco Gaivao, Senior Legal Counsel, Melco Crown Gaming and Prof Hao Zhidong, Associate Professor & Head of Department of Sociology, University of Macau.

The discussion will embrace the importance of CSR and Responsible Gambling programs and their relevance to social responsibility; how Asia compares with other regions in the implementation of responsible gambling policies; the relationship between CSR and public policy and the appropriate level of government involvement; best practice for exclusion problems and how to increase operator accountability.

Rees established eCOGRA’s Responsible Gambling Requirements, and continues to ensure they are correctly implemented across well over 100 leading online gambling websites and mobile operations. She has organised and hosted various underage and responsible gambling training programs for eCOGRA certified operators, and has also been responsible for coordinating and motivating industry efforts which ultimately resulted in the International Responsible Gambling Code, adopted by industry trade organisations RGA, EGBA, IGC and leading online gambling jurisdictions.

She joined eCOGRA in 2003 with over 15 years of management and customer relations experience in both land-based and online gaming businesses.

Her experience includes managing customer relations for software developer LiveBet Online, where she was the primary point of contact for clients regarding development and operational issues. Responsibilities included interpreting client needs to develop a software solution and overseeing the installation, testing and training of the platform.

Prior to that, Rees managed a staff of 40 administrative and call centre employees for SuperBet, which ultimately became South Africa’s first online gambling operation. While there, she managed customer dispute resolution, established a customer care protocol and oversaw its implementation. Rees also assisted in wagering software development and testing for SuperBet and served as a liaison to the S.A. Gambling Board regarding compliance issues.
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About eCOGRA:
eCOGRA is a non-profit London-based organisation that sets online casino and poker standards and provides an international framework for best operational and player protection practice requirements, with particular emphasis on fair and responsible gambling. These are enforced through inspections and reviews, and continuous monitoring. Standards will shortly be announced for bingo and sportsbetting operations.

Companies that have achieved accreditation with eCOGRA are entitled to bear the organisation’s “Safe and Fair” seal, indicating to players everywhere that all operational systems and games are fair and continuously monitored to consistently high standards.

Accreditation remains open to all software companies and their operators. For more information, go to http://www.ecogra.org/
 

Another Casino has been accredited as Safe and Fair by eCOGNA, and receives their seal!

London, 8 October 2008 - The online gambling player protection and standards body eCOGRA has announced the successful completion of its rigorous inspection and testing process by listed gaming company 32Red Plc and its online poker and online casino operations.

The independent directors of eCOGRA recently awarded 32Red management the authority to display eCOGRA’s revocable ‘Safe and Fair’ seal, identifying the venue as one committed to high standards of business practice, player service, gaming fairness and integrity.

Ed Ware, CEO of 32Red.com said that the process had been comprehensive and in-depth, with eCogra teams spending time on-site at his operational base examining every aspect of operations to ensure compliance with the standards body’s detailed requirements on systems and policies.

“It was an exhaustive inspection, and I am pleased that our systems were found to be professionally sound and of integrity,” said Ware. “The eCOGRA regime insists on continuous monitoring of our transactions to ensure fairness, and periodic reviews which keep eCOGRA ‘Safe and Fair’ accredited operators on track at all times.”

Andrew Beveridge, the CEO of eCOGRA paid tribute to the cooperation of 32Red management, saying that the company had been opened up completely to eCOGRA inspection and had successfully passed all requirements.

“32Red has a fine reputation for management transparency, player sensitivity and professional conduct, and this was proved in the report from the inspection teams. We are delighted to welcome them aboard as a truly tier one online gambling organisation,” he said.

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About eCOGRA:
eCOGRA is a non-profit London-based organisation that sets online casino and poker standards and provides an international framework for best operational and player protection practice requirements, with particular emphasis on fair and responsible gambling. These are enforced through inspections and reviews, and continuous monitoring. Standards will shortly be announced for bingo and sportsbetting operations.

Companies that have achieved accreditation with eCOGRA are entitled to bear the organisation’s “Safe and Fair” seal, indicating to players everywhere that all operational systems and games are fair and continuously monitored to consistently high standards.

Accreditation remains open to all software companies and their operators. For more information, go to http://www.ecogra.org/

This says a lot for 32Red, eCOGNA does not give their seal until they know the site is safe and fair! Congrats to 32Red!!

All other Gaming Associations needs to follow suit with iMEGA did! IMEGA is The Interactive Media Entertainment Association, and they filed a Brief with the US Court of Appeals on the UIGEA bill. They have been against the bill since it was passed in 2006.

Since the UIGEA does not say online gambling is illegal, it does keep banks, and credit card companies, from processing transactions from US players. The UIGEA is severely flawed as pointed out by several online companies.

iMEGA makes two main points in this brief, one that it is unconditional cause it infringes on freedom of speech and invasion of privacy.

These are just to of the points from iMEGA, they have several more.

For the whole story and to see the points:

http://pokeronamac.com/news/imega-files-brief-with-us-court-of-appeals/

The more notice we get on this the more the US is going to step back and say WOAH! We need to do something about this!