AB: It was officially launched in April 2003. At that time players weren’t really comfortable with online casinos.
BB: What do you look for?
AB: It’s quite intensive. We physically go to the site and do an audit. We look at over 100 areas of the business to make sure they comply with our standards.
BB:Do you seek out the online casios or do they come to you?
AB: A big part of my job is to go out and encourage some of the bigger successful sites to join up with eCOGRA. Some have actually declined for whatever reasons which I don’t quite understand as we offer a win-win situation for the sites and for the players. We are open to any software provider and organizations that can achieve our high standards and subscribe to the principles of fair gaming.
BB:Do you monitor them after they are approved?
AB: Absolutely. A lot of reviews are done on a monthly basis for instance the card shuffling reviews and payout percentage reviews are done on a monthly basis. The majority of the work is on an annual basis. It’s not practical for the auditors to be in there too much but the longest duration between reviews is one year.
BB: Have sites been turned down by eCOGRA?
AB: None of the sites have been awarded the Play it safe seal on the first try. What happens is that when they feel they are ready the auditors will go in and look to find where the areas of weakness are and that is reported back to the independent directors who are quite particular that the sites are 100 percent compliant with all our standards before the seal can be awarded. The auditors go back and forth to the site to pinpoint any short comings and to make sure that they are corrected. Although no one had been awarded the seal on the first try we have not had to withdraw any seals as of yet. I think the reason for that is the operators are making a continued effort to maintain their seal.
BB: So a player who is looking to play at an online casino should look for the eCOGRA Play It Safe seal?
AB: That’s right we require them to place the seal on the main page of the site and there are also placed in other areas on the sites. A player can get a list of the approved casinos on our eCOGRA website.
BB:If a player has a problem with one of your sites they contact you via e-mail. Then what happens?
AB: We have a dispute mediation person based in London. She does it full time. A player would go on to our site and click the “DISPUTE MEDIATION” button which will take them to a form they would fill in providing the details and problem. She will usually get back to them within 24 hours and explain what she will do about it. Why this is quite effective is that we do have channels of communication into the senior management of all the approved sites. Most of the problems are resolved within 48 hours. That part of our organization has achieved kudos and has worked very well. It has teeth as well because we can obviously withdraw a seal if a casino doesn’t want to comply with our findings.
BB: What is the number one complaint that you mediate?
AB: Payment and cashing out. Some times there is a misunderstanding because players don’t understand the process of the bonuses. Sometimes the casinos are at fault because they don’t always make it clear but we have had a lot of success solving those types of problems.
BB: Do you get a lot of questions about the software? I’ve sat at a live blackjack table and seen a dealer pull 21 three times in a row. I’m sure if it happed online the first thing a player would think is that the game is fixed.
AB: Yes. Our fourth most frequent category of complaints is questioning the fairness of the software. It’s not that many really as we are fortunate to have software providers that have long track records. We do have payout reports and random number generator reports that support that things are fair. Obviously players do have losing streaks and they think it’s the software’s fault. We do have a high level of confidence but if we feel it is justified we will pass the information along to they we are very concerned about the integrity of the software.
BB:Do you work with the Interactive Gaming Council or any other regulatory sites?
AB: We are quite close to the Interactive Gaming Council however they are more active in the lobbying side of the industry. We are completely looking out for the players.
BB: What is the best advice you can give to players looking to gamble online.
AB: They should look for the the eCOGRA play it Safe seal. It’s evidence that every single aspect of that business has been rally checked. It’s a high level of assurance that the player will get a fair game, the operators are behaving responsibly and they will be protected.