April 2010 eCOGRA NEWS
eCOGRA News Articles Table of Content for April 2010
- Online Gambling Industry pioneer achieves eCOGRA software certification: Boss Media powers some of the most reputable online casino and poker rooms in the business
- LIVE DEALER EVOLUTION ACCREDITED BY ECOGRA: Evolution Gaming is among the first to pass live dealer-specific inspection
Online Gambling Industry pioneer achieves eCOGRA software certification
Boss Media powers some of the most reputable online casino and poker rooms in the business
Press Release
London, 6 April 2010 - One of the Internet gambling industry's most respected pioneer software companies, Boss Media, was this week awarded the eCOGRA software certification following a rigorous on-site review.
The firm, which is now part of the GTechG2 group along with sister companies Finsoft, Dynamite Idea and St Minver, was started in 1996 by entrepreneur Joel Wikell in Växjö, Sweden and historically has experience in both the operational and software provider sectors, although it is now focused on the latter.
Boss Media operates the International Poker Network and numbers some of the industry's top companies among its software licensees, including Bwin, Sportingbet, Svenskaspel and Bet-At-Home. Several of its licensees are members of the influential European Betting and Gaming Association, with which eCOGRA has strong professional ties.
The eCOGRA review was conducted by compliance manager Bradley Khoury, a Chartered Accountant and Information Systems Auditor, who travelled to Växjö to carry out a comprehensive review of systems and software over several days in order to test for compliance with the industry best practice standards required by eCOGRA's eGAP regime.
The software supplier standards focus on the internal controls governing the development environment in order to ensure the software is implemented, maintained and continuously operated in a safe, secure and reliable manner.
Commenting on the review of Boss Media's online casino and poker software, Khoury said that he had received full cooperation from Process Manager Tom Svalaklev and his department.
"The Boss Media staff members were exceptionally cooperative and well organised during the on-site review," said Khoury. "The requirements of our follow up review were excellently structured and quickly resolved in a highly professional manner."
Andrew Beveridge, chief executive officer of eCOGRA, said that the Boss Media review had gone exceptionally well and applauded the company on its achievement of certification.
"This is a highly respected industry company that has been active in the business for over a decade, and the process efficiencies and very high software quality reflect that," he said. "On behalf of eCOGRA's Independent Directors I congratulate Boss Media and its employees on a very professional effort."
Boss Media CEO Johan Berg said that the company has always been committed to the highest possible quality in both products and operational conduct.
"Our achievement in meeting eCOGRA's demanding software certification standards reaffirms that commitment and provides us with a useful and internationally accepted benchmark against which we can measure our performance," he said.
About Boss Media:
Founded in 1996 by Swedish entrepreneur Joel Wikell in Växjö, Sweden, Boss Media was built by players for players, and was at one time both a software provider and operator of the Gold Club Casino.com - since sold.
The company therefore has a rounded experience in the online gambling industry and is today respected for its top quality software in the online casino, poker, interactive video terminal, lottery and bingo sectors, where it powers the International Poker Network and some of the industry's top companies.
In 1999 the company was listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange, subsequently moving to the OMX Nordic Stock Exchange.
Boss Media was acquired by GEMed, a consortium of Lottomatica GTECH and Medströms, in 2008 and is now a member of the GTECHG2 group, along with sister companies Finsoft, Dynamite Idea and St Minver.
LIVE DEALER EVOLUTION ACCREDITED BY ECOGRA
Evolution Gaming is among the first to pass live dealer-specific inspection
Press Release
London, 13 April 2010 - Live dealer provider Evolution Gaming, which has offices in London, Malta and Stockholm and high tech Internet video-streaming studio facilities in Latvia, has become one of the first in its sector to achieve the high standards required for the eCOGRA Certified Live Dealer Seal.
The company is an acknowledged leader in its sector, and counts many major European Internet gambling operators among its clients, including 888, Bet-At-Home, Expekt, Gala Coral Group, Ladbrokes, PaddyPower, Party Gaming and Unibet.
Explaining the significance of the Certified Live Dealer Seal, eCOGRA CEO Andrew Beveridge said this week that the relevant eGAP or international best practice standards required had been specifically designed for the distinct nature of live dealer operations, in which live games are streamed over the Internet in real time from casino studio environments managed by pitbosses and staffed by croupiers.
"The genre differs from the more common and purely software-powered online casino concept in that it features live staff using real gambling devices and tables," said Beveridge. "This requires a very specific set of operating standards and requirements to ensure absolutely fair, safe and independent gaming in which both hardware and software systems are reviewed.
"Along with our usual tests for problem gambling and dispute facilities, we also look at anti-money laundering systems, staff training, operator probity, player information security, staff access to sensitive areas, the retention of video recordings of all sessions, collusion controls and overall game statistical performance on the roulette, baccarat and blackjack games offered."
Chartered Accountant Gareth Muirhead, who spent several days in Riga, Latvia conducting the review, said that his compliance plan had included the examination of both return-to-player and RNG elements, and ensuring that eCOGRA's Total Gaming Transaction Review system was securely in place, continuously monitoring all gaming activity.
"Evolution Gaming operates a very tight ship, and the cooperation of chief operating officer Svante Liljevall and the technical and operational staff in Riga was outstanding," Muirhead wrote in his report to the Independent Directors controlling the issue of eCOGRA seals.
Congratulating the management and staff in Riga on achieving the eCOGRA accreditation, Evolution Gaming chief executive officer Jens von Bahr said: "As a company we have always tried to lead rather than follow, and I am delighted that you have been successful in satisfying a tough but very practical set of international best practice standards.
"This can only boost our confidence in the commercial arena, knowing we are among the first to successfully put our technology, systems and people to this type of rigorous test."
About Evolution Gaming:
Evolution is an independent online gaming developer based in London, Malta, Stockholm and Riga. It is the only European live-gaming developer to custom build and operate its own licensed studios, enabling it to broadcast quality, real-time 'virtual' casinos through its clients' websites to the end-user.
Since 2006, Evolution has revitalised the European 'live dealer' platform, turning a niche product into a 'must have' for major gaming operators. The industry's biggest names are now enjoying the financial benefits and end-user satisfaction that Evolution products impart.
The company is regulated through the Alderney Gambling Control Commission, offering its customers transparency and the prospect of an expanding range of games designed to meet the changing needs of clients and players alike.
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