Kahnawake Commision and eCOGRA Agree On Goals

With the diversification that is seen on the Internet, there is little that can be done to organize and regulate what occurs in the online world. This has led many to believe that online casinos and online poker rooms work in an unfettered environment and, thus, cannot be trusted. There has been some moves towards rectifying this situation, however.

The Kahnawake Gaming Commission licenses approximately 300 online rooms and is responsible for ensuring that their licensees conduct business in a fair manner. On November 8th, the Commission recognized the efforts of eCOGRA (the e-Commerce Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance) in their individual drive to assess and certify the gaming of certain sites is fair and balanced. As a way of showing their support for the work that eCOGRA is doing, the Commission announced that, if future casinos or poker rooms applied for their license and held the approval seal of eCOGRA, they would not be subjected to the Commission's regulatory guidelines.

To make a long story short, the Kahnawake and eCOGRA are basically saying that they are both striving to achieve the same goals and they are in agreement with each other's programs to assure player protection, resolution of disputes and cooperation between the two groups. Between the two, they have pretty much the online gaming arena covered as, along with the 300 members licensed by the Kahnawake, eCOGRA has granted its "Play It Safe" seal to 56 online casinos and card rooms. While both will continue to use their own methods for determining the integrity of particular applicants, they have also stated that they view the others methods for ensuring the reliability of online gaming establishments as reliable and trustworthy.

Murray Marshall, legal counsel to the Commission said that it is agreed that representatives of the Commission and eCOGRA will liaison and communicate on a regular basis to ensure the relationship between the parties is working well. "We share a common purpose in seeking to ensure that the player is given fair gaming and efficient, courteous service by casinos and poker rooms that are licensed by the Commission," he said. "We look forward to a closer working relationship that benefits both the players and the industry in the years ahead." The CEO of eCOGRA, Andrew Beveridge, said he was pleased that the Commission had approved of the testing procedures and operating standards that his organization had introduced for the "Play It Safe" seal operations. "eCOGRA is keen to interact with any jurisdiction that shares our values and we regard this closer relationship with the Commission as a significant step toward consistent regulation for safer gambling," he said.

With these actions by two of the most reputable organizations in online gaming licensing and regulation, there should be no question of the reliability and trustworthiness of online poker or online gaming in general. Both strive to make the games as reputable online as the games have become in the physical world. With the two now in cooperation, perhaps the dark stigma that people seem to toss up regarding online gaming will finally come to a halt.

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