Kahnawake Gaming Commission Gets Better

February 04, 2010 | News Category: Online Casinos

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Rumors that there would be improvements for the Kahnawke Gaming Commission were confirmed at the IGE-ICEi show at the end of January. The Gaming Commission has chosen to improve their regulatory compliance by appointing eCOGRA (e-Commerce Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance) to ensure that their licensees are tested for compliance with regulations. The independent standards body will also be monitoring the Kahnawake Gaming Commission’s licensees on a regular basis.

At the IGE-ICEi show, KGC’s chairman, Dean Montour, and general legal counsel, Murray Marshall openly discussed their future plans with others, including industry leaders. Micki Oster, a respected member of the online gambling industry, has been retained as a consultant. She will be advising KGC on improvements that can be done in order to improve their relationship with players. Part of her task is to advise the company on the fair and timely handling of disputes between players and those operators that have been licensed by Kahnawake.

Oster said that "In terms of the KGC regulations, operators have seven days to respond to an inquiry, after which a further three days on final warning are allowed. After that, the issue goes before the KGC board and drastic penalties can be levied in terms of licensing suspension and fines."

Dean Montour explained that Oster has the full support of KGCs board, and that he has full confidence in her integrity and impartiality.

It seems that the online poker scandal that involved well known KGC licensees in past years has been part of the push to make these improvements. Most KGC licensees have reacted positively to the changes, since they can see the added value it will give to their online gambling operations.

The planned changes should all be in place within six months. Montour said, "These measures are accompanied by a general determination on the part of ourselves and our licensees to do better."

It is expected that some will be cynical about the proposed changes, but it will not take long to see if the KGC and their licensees manage to do all that they plan to do. It certainly seems that the Kahnawake Gaming Commission is being serious about their projected changes. This can be seen by the fact that they have hired Oster, who has much experience in the industry, and is well respected with regards to her integrity and industry experience. Hiring eCOGRA to regulate the KGC’s operators is also a definite step in the right direction.

Players should look forward to a better and safer gaming experience.