Who Is eCOGRA

Who Is eCOGRA and What Does Their Approval Mean to You

eCOGRA stands for eCommerce Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance. It is a UK based internationally recognised, approved and accredited certification agency, which provides standards for online gambling and protection of players. The question is, what does that mean to you, the player? The organisation, established in 2003, brought the first formal regulating program to the world of online gambling, and are a widely recognised testing agency which specialises in certifying online gaming software and auditing Security Management Systems. The organisation is ISO approved which is a requirement for auditing bodies.

What Do They Actually Do

  • Since the online gaming industry has become more popular, so the need to start implementing laws and regulations has grown. One of eCOGRA’s main services is to assist casinos to comply with their local laws and regulations, and they are approved to do so in various gambling territories. This enables them to give casinos which fall within their jurisdiction, certification that they meet the required regulations and player protection requirements.
  • eCOGRA have developed the eGap compliance requirements which are aim specifically to improve responsible gambling. These compliance requirements are enforced and regularly monitored through inspections and audits, and used to ensure that casino carrying the eCOGRA stamp are safe and secure.
  • eCOGRA Safe and Fair Seal, is a certification which is only awarded to online casinos that comply with the eGAP requirements. These requirements include player protection, fair gaming which ensures fair pay-outs to players, and responsible operations. Inspections are carried out on an annual basis to ensure ongoing compliance.
  • The eCOGRA Certified Software Seal is given to software creators and suppliers who comply with the stipulated eGAP requirements. For a software supplier to receive the seal, the supplier must pass the annual compliance inspection against the regulations which focus on internal controls during development and information technology controls and security.

This includes the following:

  1. Vulnerable customer protection
  2. Underage gambling prevention
  3. Fraud prevention
  4. Customer information security
  5. Timeous payment on pay-outs
  6. The use of fair gaming practices, Random Number Generators
  7. Accurate marketing
  8. Customer support
  9. Safe, secure and reliable

What Does That Mean for You

eCOGRA sets and audits online casinos against very strict standards before they can be awarded the eCOGRA seal. This means that players can rest assured, where they see the seal displayed they will receive fair play, fair pay-outs, and payments that are received within a reasonable amount of time. Players will receive payments which are accurate and have no hidden terms attached, and that the games are run by Random Number Generators.

An eCOGRA seal means that the online casino has sufficient security to protect its players and their information, and that the casino meets these requirements repeatedly during their annual audit.

eCOGRA approved casinos are safe, and of the highest standard, like online bingo UK.

What If an Online Casino Does Not Have The eCOGRA Seal

eCOGRA is only one of many established online casino certification bodies, they are well known, but there are many excellent casinos which are affiliated with other commissions or regulators. If you are unsure, spend some time browsing the casino website before you sign up, a reliable casino will display their certification seal on the page so that players can contact the agency for confirmation.