eCOGRA and online casinos in the USA

Posted under Online Casinos in the USA by Online Casino Keeper

Today nobody can deny the fact, that online casino gambling is incredibly popular among different classes of population. But at the same time it is necessary to be especially careful about the choice, as the number of frauds and hackers in the web is growing proportional to the number of gambling sites. So the first and furthermost aspect of playing games is safety and security. That’s why several years ago a special organization eCOGRA was established to control the activity of online casinos in the USA and other countries in the world.

This organization is called eCOGRA, which stands for eCommerce and Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance. And in this article we want to discuss the purpose of the establishment of this regulative body and its functions.

So eCOGRA appeared in 2003, when certain software developers decided to set the standards for fair gaming. The number of online casinos was big, but nobody controlled its safety measures and the system of paying out the wins. Today eCOGRA is an international independent regulative body, which examines the work of gambling sites at the market. It introduced a universal set of standards to systemize everything in the industry of gambling and bring transparency to it.

Currently eCOGRA grants a “Seal of Approval” to each top online casino, which was checked according to special criteria. “Seal of Approval” is the most desired thing for virtual gambling houses and 100% indicator of honesty and reliability of the site. But it’s not so easy for a casino to get this seal, as it should pass through three stages of testing and meet all necessary requirements.

The first step is called Player Protection and it deals with the question of security and transparency of money transfer and a clear system of getting and cashing out the bonuses. According to set rules, an online casino should protect players’ accounts and should definitely pay out the wins in time. The whole process should be clear for a gambler. And the same situation is with bonuses, as some gambling sites like to use them just as a trick to attract people. So eCOGRA checks terms and conditions and sees how they are fulfilled in practice.

The second step is Fair Gaming, and there the purpose is to check the honesty of an online casino. The operation of Random Number Generator is carefully observed to prevent gambling sites from cheating with software and changing the payout percents. Server connectivity is also assessed under these standards to be sure in good recovery mechanisms in cases of break up.

Responsible Conduct is another aspect of online casinos testing. It deals with the questions of money laundering to prevent such possible situations and checks the problems connected with UIGEA and U.S. online casinos. Moreover, advertising is also included to this aspect, as it is an important step for the development of gambling sites. So eCOGRA organization checks if everything was fulfilled what was stated in ads.

In general this independent regulative body assesses all possible aspects of online casino operation in the USA and in the other countries. It takes under the control such significant issues like safety and security, fair gaming and casino bonuses. And if a site has a “Seal of Approval”, then it is a guarantee that there is nothing to be afraid of.