For one of the most important independent bodies in the casino industry, this week is a very important week. Not only is it the tenth year of operation for Facebook, but it is also the tenth anniversary for eCOGRA, the testing agency which mediates between players and online gaming site in order to be sure that fair play will be provided for all gamblers. They have assessed plenty of sites, including the Slots Jungle Casino online and some of the biggest online casinos out there, and their logo badge has become as ubiquitous as the various crests of arms which the different licensing commissions around the world use.
The director of eCOGRA, Tex Rees, revealed in her 2013 report that the organisation has been growing along with the online gambling business through some interesting statistics. The report revealed that they have more than 220 accredited operators, which amongst them includes the biggest, and longest established sites as well as some of the most prestigious. They also still have 7169 cases that still need to be reviewed, as well as 5394 which have been deemed relevant for fuller investigation. The number of cases which they see each year has grown in line with the whole online gambling business, as there were just 251 during the whole of 2003 but that figure rose to 943 in 2013. In nearly half of the complaints which were brought up by players, eCOGRA resolve the issues in their favour, although it seems as though there has been a rise in disputes which have not been founded on truth as the 2013 figure saw the players favour falling to 36%. Explaining this lower than average rate, Rees said, “What we are seeing now are an increasing number of bogus complaints from fraudulent players, who have become more sophisticated in their knowledge and tactics in trying to squeeze bonus and other advantages which were not due from operators.” She added, “However, the operators have also become more savvy in the use of security and risk protection measures and have the advantage of new technologies which enable them to identify and counter fraudsters in most cases. The incidence of fraudulent player syndicates, ID and credit card fraud has increased, and with it the need for both operators and ourselves to be constantly on the alert.”
One statistic which the online casino industry can be very proud of is the low customer complaint rate which has been recorded recently, with an average of just 3.18 per operator per year. This is in part due to the high standards which are expected of all of the operators who are accredited through eCOGRA, as they do not just pass every single site which applies to them. “Our monitored standards and other eCOGRA Generally Accepted Practices are stringent and demand consistent adherence and commitment from operators,” Rees said. “Clearly that continues to pay off when it comes to player safety.” We look forward to another ten years of eCOGRA helping us to spot the best and most trustworthy sites on the Internet.