eCOGRA stands for
e-Commerce and Online Gaming
Regulation and Assurance. It's
a not-for-profit organization
that exists for the betterment
of online game play. Despite
the existence of the UIGEA,
preventing online gaming
regulation in the United
States, eCOGRA is an
organization that creates the
basis for what would be
excellent gaming standards.
The are independently
contracted, and service all
legal online casinos,
worldwide.
One of the
strongest contributions eCOGRA
has made to the internet
casino industry is their Seal
of Approval. You'll notice
many online casinos, or even
reviews, will note whether the
site in question has earned
the seal. The award is given
to those sites that achieve a
wide range of requirements,
including areas such as player
protection, fair gaming, and
responsible business
practices. The approved sites
(which can be found on the
eCOGRA website) are those
determined by the institution
to meet steep standards on
issues that concern players
the most: information is
safely stored, gaming is true
to random number generators,
honest advertising, speedy
payment processing, and
overall responsible behavior
by operators for both online
casinos, and poker rooms.
If by any small change of
possibility, you do happen to
have a situation arise while
patronizing an internet casino
site that hosts the eCOGRA
Seal, that little logo then
ensures that it will be taken
care of. Go through the site's
venues first, of course, but
if for whatever reason you
cannot get it resolved on your
own accord, eCOGRA will stand
up for you. The manager for
the Dispute Mediation
department has been with the
organization since 2003, and
is named Tex Rees. She'll help
mediate any problems you could
encounter while playing on an
eCOGRA site. They do ask that
you allow at least two weeks
to pass from the initial
reporting to allow time for
independent resolution, and
will not back up any members
who have participated in
questionable practices, such
as opening multiple accounts.
It's recommended that you keep
and provide copies of all
correspondence to support your
claim, but when push comes to
shove, you have the greatest
ally you could ask for.
eCOGRA is unique from
other independent regulation
organizations not only in its
success underlining their
failure, but also in that it's
structured for longevity. By
earning Seals of Approval, the
websites agree to constant
updated scrutiny under the
same conditions, if not
stricter as technology
requires, ensuring players not
only that the site was deemed
safe, but that is continually
supervised to uphold all the
promises they've made. eCOGRA
is utterly independent, run by
a Board of four individuals
who are utterly separated from
the funding entities, making
sure no bounce-backs or
influential donations can
influence the distribution of
approvals. It's nice to know,
that in this time where
regulation is certainly
lacking, there is an
organization who is mindful of
the needs of players,
regardless of location.
Choosing an online casino from
the eCOGRA family gives
confidence to the gambler that
payments will be processed in
a timely and secure manner,
that payouts will be true to
the percentages, and
available, that the operators
of hosted sites manage fair
businesses, and are in no
danger of going anywhere. It
is essential to check for
eCOGRA Seals of Approval for
any player new to the online
community.
