eCOGRA

The extremely rapid and often chaotic growth of the online casino industry, following Microgaming’s launch of the first true online casino in 1994, brought with it the need for a regulatory body. ECOGRA was founded to fill that role, as a watchdog organization bringing standards and regulation to the burgeoning new industry. When you as a player look for a casino site that has been approved by eCOGRA, you have the assurance that it lives up to industry norms.

Dispute Resolution

An important function that eCOGRA fulfills is acting as a neutral middle man to negotiate and hopefully resolve disputes between players and casinos. However, the organization will step in to act as a mediator only if the player is acting in good faith and has made exhaustive attempts to work out a reasonable conclusion. Although slightly less than half of the disputes brought to eCOGRA for intervention are eventually resolved in the player’s favor, that figure has dropped since the organization’s founding.

What started as Microgaming's own attempt towards self-regulation has evolved into a defacto standards organisation for fair gaming and player protection.

ECOGRA Seal and Seal Holder Requirements

The eCOGRA Safe and Fair Seal of Approval is a respected certification. Displayed on a casino site, it assures potential customers that the operator follows the organization’s accepted practices and operates with a high level of integrity, in line with eCOGRA’s vision of fair and responsible gaming. ECOGRA may occasionally revoke a certification, for example in the case of a proven serious complaint against the casino.

Testing and Certification Processes

ECOGRA performs monthly reviews on casino payouts for poker, slots and table games, while RNGs are tested biannually for games of bingo, poker, video poker, blackjack, roulette and skill games. To receive certification both the operator and the software provider must be reviewed by the eCOGRA Seals Compliance Committee.