eCOGRA stands for eCommerce Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance, and is a London-based internationally approved casino testing agency and player protection and standards organisation. The company was established in 2003 in the United Kingdom and introduced the first formal self-regulation program to the online gambling industry in 2003.
Basically, eCOGRA and its influence on the online casino industry revolves around it being an internationally accredited testing and player protection agency that makes sure all casinos that have their certification operate fairly, have all their games tested and proven completely random and protects players in case they have a dispute with the casino.
There are other organisations that perform the same, or similar roles, but eCOGRA is the most famous, and for many, most reliable organisation. It accredited to issue certification required for gambling licenses in some of the best, whitelisted jurisdictions in the world, like Spain, Italy, United Kingdom, Alderney, Gibraltar and more.
How This Influence is Exerted
The way eCOGRA and its influence on the online casino industry operates is that they are a non-profit organisation whose role is propagating responsible gambling and overall fairness in the industry, and once the gambling website gets their Fair Seal, eCOGRA implements constant monitoring of their business and actions, to make sure that operators stays within the required parameters that ensure the protection of their players.
The organisation has been awarded the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) ISO approval ISO/IEC17025:2005 : General Requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories for the United Kingdom and Denmark.
The Seal of Approval
The eCOGRA Seal of Approval is a visual representation of a casino having passed all of the requirements. In effect, eCOGRA and its influence on the online casino industry means that money deposited at a casino as well as any winnings achieved are safe. It also means that the games offered at that casino are fair. The advantage of eCOGRA and its influence on the online casino industry is that having a single, recognisable logo means that players, not matter how sceptical, do not need to delve too deeply into the authentication of any particular operator. eCOGRA also has mediatory rights between players and casinos, so said players know that there is always an external and independent party to consult in the event of a dispute.
The variety of games on offer is at online casinos is virtually endless, and new online casino gaming companies are entering the fray on a continuous basis, such is the popularity of casino game-play and gambling. Online casino gaming companies generally, and in the pursuit of credibility, lease or purchase the casino software from the giants in this field. Basically, it is an internationally accredited testing and player protection agency that makes sure all casinos that have their certification operate fairly, have all their games tested and proven completely random and protects players in case they have a dispute with the casino.
eCOGRA and its influence on the huge software developers provide the necessary element of trust and security to players since it eliminates any suspicion that they are subject to underhand tactics and gambling cheats.