April 2009 eCOGRA NEWS
eCOGRA News Articles Table of Content for April 2009
- Certification with No Substance has No Value: eCOGRA CEO takes a look at a contentious subject
- Disputes Decline at eCOGRA Certified Online Casinos, Poker Rooms and Sportsbooks
CERTIFICATION WITH NO SUBSTANCE HAS NO VALUE
eCOGRA CEO takes a look at a contentious subject
London, 29 April 2009 - The latest quarterly newsletter from the player protection and standards organisation eCOGRA comes at a time when the subject of certification - for online gambling operations or affiliate programs - is a hot topic of conversation following shocking revelations in the affiliate sector of the industry earlier this year that suggested that expensive "certifications" were not professionally audited and therefore of limited practical value.
The ensuing scandal had one positive result - it turned the spotlight on the question of genuine program certification and the real benefits that can flow from a professional and independent third party approach to this important business and marketing element.
Writing in the eCOGRA newsletter, CEO Andrew Beveridge opined that the renewed interest the certification furore generated among affiliate programs came at a propitious time for eCOGRA.
The organisation had just embarked on a meaningful affiliate certification initiative following a year of expert international consultation with both business and academia. Beveridge revealed that the program has already seen the establishment of best practice standards and the in-depth assessment and audit of four major affiliate programs leading to the award of eCOGRA's new Affiliate Trust Seal.
"At the heart of certification lies the principle that any system set up to award certificates must have substance," Beveridge writes.
"When large sums of money or advertising fees are handed over on a regular basis in return for an endorsement that is not achieved through professional inspection to defined standards, it is definitely not real certification and is of little practical value."
Beveridge explains that in eCOGRA's independent Affiliate Trust Seal service, the inspections and reviews are in-depth and are carried out on-site by appropriately qualified business professionals armed with a set of requirements and standards that necessitate a comprehensive assessment of the program and its systems.
Several program operators have been complimentary regarding the improvements to business which can flow from the advice given by the compliance teams, who must submit a full report to eCOGRA's Seals Compliance Committee before they will approve the award of a certificate that has real value and credibility.
Like eCOGRA’s accreditation process for gambling site operators, the Affiliate Trust service introduces detailed best business practice standards for affiliate program companies, backed by a strict inspection and monitoring regime and the display of the new eCOGRA Affiliate Trust Seal.
To display the new Seal, affiliate programs must demonstrate that their program establishes, enforces and monitors best practice standards. Specifically, they must show that they calculate affiliate revenue accurately and make payments promptly, and that they have controls in place to accurately link players to affiliates.
Although there are other entities claiming to monitor affiliate programs, eCOGRA provides the most public, structured and formal approach and ensures adherence to consistent standards through regular monitoring and full annual reviews carried out by highly qualified inspection and auditing compliance teams.
"The eCOGRA Affiliate Trust initiative is more about actually going and visiting the management and operations of affiliate programs, gaining direct access to check relevant player and affiliate data to ensure that affiliate members are being treated fairly," says Beveridge.
"Recent events in the affiliate sector have highlighted the need for genuine certification as the industry continues to mature and becomes ever more professional, and the growing number of affiliate programs interested in this business enhancement underlines its value."
For more information, visit http://www.ecogra.org/.
DISPUTES DECLINE AT ECOGRA CERTIFIED
ONLINE CASINOS, POKER ROOMS AND SPORTSBOOKS
Latest statistics from the Fair Gaming Advocate show that cash-ins are currently the main cause for disputes.
London, 28 April 2009 - Tex Rees, the Fair Gaming Advocate at the independent player protection and standards body eCOGRA, has released the organisation's first quarter 2009 player disputes report. Rees also reported that total disputes handled in the full year 2008 period were down on the comparative 2007 number at 743 (2007: 783).
The main source of complaints at 73 or fifty percent of disputes involved cash-ins, well ahead of bonus issues which at 27 constituted only 19 percent of valid disputes. Locked account complaints in the quarter reached 30, or 27 percent, also exceeding bonus issues, and there were 15 complaints regarding miscellaneous issues.
Rees received a total of 197 complaints through eCOGRA's online channel in Q1 2009, rejecting 25 as involving non-eCOGRA accredited operations over which the protection body has no influence. Of the remaining 172, twenty seven complaints were generally abusive or non-specific in nature, rendering same incapable of enquiry.
Rees investigated and mediated the remaining 145 disputes, resolving 59 in favour of the player. An average of 15.1 complaints per week were dealt with within 72 hours by the Fair Gaming Advocate.
"It is interesting to note that the incidence of "locked account" complaints has increased by 4 percent and is greater than “bonus” queries for the first time," observed Rees. "The indications are that this is due to a growing number of cases where linked accounts were proved (a tactic used by players trying to abuse bonus promotions) and a greater number of fraudulent accounts were discovered."
The key performance statistic of average number of disputes per accredited operational site per month was again low at 0.36 - down on the average 0.39 recorded throughout 2008.
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