Gambling News - June 2005 Edition

"International Poker Giant Awarded eCOGRA Seal"

"Play it Safe" seal of approval awarded to PokerRoom.com by eCOGRA

The eCOGRA “Play it Safe” seal of approval has been awarded to the international online poker giant PokerRoom.com which boasts over 3.8 million world-wide players. Says eCOGRA CEO, Andrew Beveridge, PokerRoom.com’s accreditation is significant for his organization as well as for the online poker industry as a whole. “PokerRoom.com is a highly respected brand handling a major segment of the online poker market and they are fully committed to player protection and responsible gaming through the G4 organization.”

The CEO of PokerRoom.com, Patrick Selin, added: “This is the reward for the culmination of detailed, tough on-site inspections and probity checks. We believe it is important for our PokerNetwork and partners as well as for the industry as a whole. The real and practical regulating that eCOGRA offers has benefits for everyone. It protects the players and at the same time enforces high professional levels and business ethics at both the software provider and poker room level.”

The first site to obtain eCOGRA accreditation was poker software provider Ongame. PokerRoom.com’s eCOGRA accreditation comes shortly after this and is seen to mean that large numbers of players at PokerRoom.com’s site will now be protected by eCOGRA regulations which govern all aspects of the game. The seal comes as a result of weeks of intensive onsite inspections. The inspections are carried out by an independent professional services group and are a continuous, ongoing process that reviews and monitors business activities as well as anti-collusion measures and central clearing house operations. When an online gambling operation has successfully passed the initial inspections, it is awarded the “Play it Safe” seal by three independent directors on the eCOGRA Board who control the organization’s operational activities.

PokerRoom.com, owned by Ongame, was one of the first poker rooms on the Internet and it offers a variety of poker games including Texas Hold ‘em, in addition to other casino games. PokerRoom.com’s accreditation by eCOGRA was important to the expanding online poker industry as a whole because it signified an effort for real and enforced self-regulation measures. eCOGRA’s regulations for the online gambling industry cut across political and geographic barriers and address all aspects of the game including responsible gambling, fair gaming, efficient customer service, and honest money handling procedures.

The online gambling regulatory body initiative is open to all applicants and provides real player protection through its cautiously developed set of regulations. Players can also appeal to a Fair Gaming Advocate where disputes arise between player and online casino and which cannot be resolved at the casino level.

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