The independent online gambling testing and compliance organisation eCOGRA, which is already performing technical standards reviews for operators licenced by the Danish Gambling Authority, has been further empowered by the Authority as an ‘Approved Enterprise’.

eCOGRA is the first company to be so appointed by the Danish Gambling Authority.

The role of an Approved Enterprise in the Danish market is to complete a report as required by the Danish Gambling Authority in respect of Danish licence holders within 14 months of the commencement of licensed online gambling operations.

Such a report includes an extensive review of license holders’ operational activities, embracing financial and statistical data to ensure that the licensee has provided gambling services in accordance with Danish gambling legislation.

eCOGRA chief executive Andrew Beveridge said this week that in order to be appointed as an Approved Enterprise, eCOGRA was required to demonstrate to the Danish Gambling Authority that its employees possess the appropriate skills, qualifications and experience for the role.

"The majority of eCOGRA’s employees are professionally qualified auditors with Big 4 audit firm backgrounds, and are highly experienced in auditing and reviewing financial information and remote gambling operator systems; we were therefore confident that we would meet the high standards of the Danish regulator," Beveridge said.

"eCOGRA now has ten years of diverse compliance, testing and consulting experience in the industry, during which its staff has successfully performed over 500 online gambling compliance reviews in the areas of player protection and responsible operator behaviour, in most cases for large and well-established internet gambling operator and software supplier companies."

"I therefore believe that we are well suited to perform the role of an Approved Enterprise in the growing Danish market."

"This appointment is extremely important to us, as our clients require us to provide them the full suite of services required by the various licensing jurisdictions, including the review of technical and information security requirements, and legal and financial compliance."

I have always maintained that when it comes down to problematic situations, people are the problem, not the situation. So, as far as problem gambling is concerned, people are the problem, not the gambling game. This little story only goes to prove my point even more, it tells how an Oldbury resident with a problem blew more than £4k of his neighbours’ money.

Thousands of pounds were entrusted to 28 year old John Rourke, of Oldbury, however apparently, Rourke could not be trusted. The courts heard how he was given £14,272.96 by fifteen of the residents of Henderson Court, while they switched property management firms. The property company was responsible for the up-keep of their maisonette units. They were not happy with the existing service. Over £9,000 was transferred but he frittered away the rest playing at online gambling websites.

Despite the fact that his neighbours badgered him to hand over the rest of money to Barclays Property Services for more than two months, no money came to light. Basically all they wanted to know was what happened to the rest of the money. He simply blamed the banks; not a difficult thing to do these days saying they were the ones making mistakes with the transfer. The total amount of the shortfall was £4,891.08, the Magistrates Court was told.

Eventually he admitted the theft to investigators say, and has also since moved to another address. The greedy gambler who inadvertently gives a bad name to online gambling, was eventually handed a twelve-week sentence and told to pay back the amount in full as compensation for the loss. He is now under supervision with an electronic tag for twelve months, as well as on a curfew between 8pm, and 7am daily.

What we have to bear in mind is that not all online gamblers behave so badly, it takes all types to make up the world, and by the same token, gambling games, as we said previously, are not the problem. It is easy to blame a game or gambling over all when a person is in denial, but we all have to be responsible for our own actions or inactions.

It is only when a problem gambler admits to him/herself that they have a problem, that they will be receptive to help. In this case the defendant surrendered himself to the police and was forthcoming in admitting what he had done, when he eventually realised he could no longer get away with the farce. Eventually he did take responsibility for his poor judgement, and the courts definitely take this into consideration when handing down a sentence.

Fortunately for us, the British Government makes sure that warnings are present at all the above-board gambling online services. This includes self-exclusion, as well as links to various help programmes such as GambleAware. Most are eCOGRA certified, so, look out for this accreditation too, and it means that recourse is available to take care of consumer needs, it also ensures quality control.

Majority of complaints resolved within 72 hours!

The 2011 half-year dispute statistics released by eCOGRA Fair Gaming Advocate Tex Rees this week show once again that eCOGRA-accredited operators maintained a remarkably low complaint ratio under 0.5 percent per site on average each month over the first six months of 2011.

The majority of valid complaints received by the independent player protection and standards body were resolved within 72 hours.

"e;Operators have responded in a fast and cooperative manner to those cases where I have requested information and explanations, and have been quick to respect my findings in each case,"e; Rees reported, adding that it had been noted that a small percentage of players still tried to circumvent terms and conditions governing play and payouts.

"e;This small category of players has become more creative in their tactics, but the operators have developed correspondingly improved methods to identify and then lock them out,"e; she said.

eCOGRA oversees the online gambling activities of some 145 tier one online gambling sites owned by some of the biggest and most established operators on the Internet, and makes available a free dispute resolution service to players using those sites which have been awarded eCOGRA’s "e;Safe and Fair"e; seal.

During the first 6 months of 2011 a total of 475 complaints were received, 57 of these being in respect of sites outside the eCOGRA sphere of influence and therefore not accepted. A further 60 were invalid due to insufficient information or irrelevant enquiry.

The 358 valid and legitimate complaints accepted by the FGA featured cash-in problems (41 percent), bonus issues (23 percent) and locked accounts (21 percent) as the main disputes, with an average complaint rate of 13 per week across all 145 accredited operations.

The number of valid disputes resolved in favour of the player dropped to 40 percent, a decrease of 3 percent on the 2010 figures, Rees reported.

"e;This decrease is attributed to a number of gambling syndicates breaking the terms and conditions that were uncovered by operators through the application of increasingly sophisticated tracking techniques"e; says Rees. "e;The use of multiple account and fraudulent documents are being picked up on a much more regular basis"e;.

eCOGRA eGAPs Revised to Meet Common Regulatory Trends

New requirements meet nine key European criteria for operators

The independent player protection and standards body eCOGRA has published a revised version of its widely respected Generally Accepted Practices (eGAPs) at www.ecogra.com/egap in a move that positions the organisation’s accredited operators at the forefront of European regulatory development.

The eGAPs provide a professional framework for safe, fair, efficient and responsible business activity and provide guidance for the 153 tier one online gambling sites accredited by the London-based organisation.

Andrew Beveridge, the chief executive of eCOGRA, says that the revisions have been undertaken mainly to ensure that eCOGRA’s requirements encompass the CEN Responsible Remote Gambling Measures, but that the eGAPs are also a comprehensive and valuable guide that will meet the appropriate requirements of most regulatory authorities.

"The regulatory landscape now evolving in Europe has seen a growing number of nations opting for a competitive but strictly regulated online gambling market, and decisions are likely to be increasingly informed by the required measures of the CEN Workshop Agreement which were framed earlier this year," Beveridge explains.

"By aligning our eGAPs with these recommendations, which cover nine key areas of activity, we not only provide a relevant and current roadmap to our accredited sites, but offer an expert framework useful to other operators committed to meeting requirements that are largely common to most regulatory initiatives," he added.

"Operators who have achieved eCOGRA seal status should comply with the latest developments for CEN Responsible Remote Gambling Measures."

CEN is the European Committee for Standardisation, one of three European Standardisation Organisations officially recognised by the European Union (http://www.cen.eu/). CEN inter alia draws up voluntary technical specifications, such as a CEN workshop agreement, to help facilitate a single market for European industry and consumers across its members in 31 European countries.

The 9 areas covered by the CEN Workshop Measures are:

• 1. The protection of vulnerable customers
• 2. The prevention of underage gambling
• 3. Combating fraud
• 4. Protection of privacy
• 5. Fair gaming
• 6. Accurate customer payments
• 7. Responsible marketing
• 8. Customer satisfaction
• 9. Safe operating environment

Some 134 detailed requirements under these headings are included in the recommendations and have been enshrined in the revised eCOGRA document.

The recommendations were developed through consensus across a wide range of remote gambling stakeholders – from experts on problem gambling and players to industry representatives and addiction and criminology academics – illustrating a real desire to work together to ensure that consumer protection issues are fully addressed as important EU developments unfold.

About eCOGRA

eCommerce and Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance (eCOGRA), an independent UK based organisation, is the leading supplier of compliance and advisory services in the areas of player protection, fair gaming and responsible operator behaviour to stakeholders in the remote gambling industry.

In 2011 alone eCOGRA will conduct almost 100 operator and software supplier compliance reviews against eCOGRA’s eGAP Requirements, the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) Standards and various jurisdictional regulations. Monthly payout percentage and randomness reviews will be performed for over 300 remote gambling sites.

These services are provided to many of the industry’s leading operators, including 888, bwin, PartyGaming, The Palace Group, Ladbrokes, Unibet, Fortune Lounge, 32Red, Partouche, Expekt and BetClic.

About CEN

The European Committee for Standardization (CEN) is a business catalyst in Europe, removing trade barriers for European stakeholders such as industry, public administration, service providers, consumers and other stakeholders. Its mission is to foster the European economy in global trading, the welfare of European citizens, and the environment. Through its services CEN provides a platform for the development of European Standards and other specifications.

CEN’s 31 National Members work together to develop voluntary European Standards (ENs) in various sectors to build a European Internal Market for goods and services and to position Europe in the global economy. By supporting research, and helping disseminate innovation, standards are a powerful tool for economic growth. More than 60,000 technical experts as well as business federations, consumer and other societal interest organizations are involved in the CEN network that reaches over 480 million people.

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eCOGRA CEO and the Chair of the CEN workshop agreement on "Responsible Remote Gambling Measures", Andrew Beveridge, today welcomed the publication of this first Pan-European consumer protection agreement by CEN.

CEN is the European Committee for Standardisation, one of three European Standardisation Organisations officially recognised by the EU (http://www.cen.eu/). CEN draws up voluntary technical specifications, such as a CEN workshop agreement, to help facilitate a single market for European industry and consumers across its members in 31 European countries.

This CEN workshop agreement on "Responsible Remote Gambling Measures" (16259) defines 9 policy objectives for the protection of online players in the European Union and 134 concrete measures to ensure that those objectives are actually met.

The 9 policy objectives are:

• 1. The protection of vulnerable customers
• 2. The prevention of underage gambling
• 3. Combating fraud
• 4. Protection of privacy
• 5. Fair gaming
• 6. Accurate customer payments
• 7. Responsible marketing
• 8. Customer satisfaction
• 9. Safe operating environment

CWA 16259 shows consensus across a wide range of remote gambling stakeholders – from experts on problem gambling and players to industry representatives and addiction and criminology academics – showing that there is real desire to work together to ensure consumer protection issues are fully addressed as important EU developments unfold.

Andrew Beveridge, Chief Executive Officer of eCOGRA and Chair of the CEN workshop agreement, said "Over the last 7 months, CEN has provided the platform for us to make this agreement to secure the high level of protection for consumers across Europe that is vital for the online gambling industry as it matures. eCOGRA intends to bring into line its own eGAP Requirements with these CWA control measures, thereby benefiting eCOGRA, its sealholders and players."

He added "This is self regulation at its best, bringing together a wide range of stakeholders from across the world for the benefit of the consumer. This agreement can only complement existing industry standards and inform both national and EU regulation of online gambling. It has been an honour to be part of and chair this process."

About eCOGRA

eCommerce and Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance (eCOGRA) was founded by competing online gambling companies seven years ago to improve operational standards and player protection. Accredited companies must comply with practical business and integrity standards, coupled with an impartial inspection, review and monitoring program that authorises them to display the organisation’s revocable Safe and Fair seal.

Since its formation, the organisation has extended its services to cover online casino and poker room operations, Internet bingo, sports betting, mobile and live gambling businesses, and affiliate program best practice through an Affiliate Trust Seal, positioning its influential accreditation within reach of all online gambling companies.

Many of the top software providers in the industry have already been assessed by the organisation, which is recognised by several international online gambling regulators and by bodies such as the European Gaming and Betting Association, which counts most of Europe’s major online operators among its members.

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

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

About CEN

The European Committee for Standardization (CEN) is a business catalyst in Europe, removing trade barriers for European stakeholders such as industry, public administration, service providers, consumers and other stakeholders. Its mission is to foster the European economy in global trading, the welfare of European citizens, and the environment. Through its services CEN provides a platform for the development of European Standards and other specifications.

CEN’s 31 National Members work together to develop voluntary European Standards (ENs) in various sectors to build a European Internal Market for goods and services and to position Europe in the global economy. By supporting research, and helping disseminate innovation, standards are a powerful tool for economic growth. More than 60,000 technical experts as well as business federations, consumer and other societal interest organizations are involved in the CEN network that reaches over 480 million people.

For further information, please visit: http://www.cen.eu