Responsible Gambling Education by e-COGRA

November 23, 2009 | News Category: Online Casinos

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eCOGRA (e-Commerce Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance) is well-known in the online casino industry. Players have come to trust that online gambling sites that bear the eCOGRA "Safe & Fair" logo are sites that can be trusted in all aspects of their operations.

In a recent press release, November 17th 2009, eCOGRA noted that they have been serving the online gambling community for five years, in which they have trained many personnel from online gambling operations. In the past year alone, 70 online gambling personnel have been trained by eCOGRA.

The training courses that are offered to senior gambling personnel have been given over in four different countries. Tex Rees, the Responsible Gambling manager who runs the courses for the online gambling personnel deals with participants from the various sites that eCOGRA audits. These are all sites that have already received the "Safe & Fair" stamp of approval from eCOGRA.

Much of the focus in the courses offered is on problem gambling. Although only a small percentage of online gamblers have gambling problems, the issue is largely important because of the attention it receives from both the media and from politicians and other anti-gambling groups. Rees explains that this makes it fairly essential for online gambling operators to not only implement certain responsible gambling practices, but also to be seen to do so. It is important that the online gambling industry is not only interested in obtaining accreditation, but that they are also committed to ensuring responsible gambling.

The course is broken down into three main sections:

• Identifying problem gamblers, and understanding how compulsive gambling develops. Understanding which issues compulsive gamblers have to face, including how these issues can be dealt with. At the end of this section of the course, there are in-depth discussions that take place, as well as role-playing exercises.
  
  
• An explanation of eCOGRA’s standards and requirements, and how best to implement them at specific online casinos and other online gambling sites. A critical analysis of the online casino or other site of each participant is done. At the same time, improvements are suggested.
  
  
• Online casino advertising is discussed, using examples from the United Kingdom. The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority has strict guidelines as to what is, and what is not, permissible when it comes to the standards they set for gambling advertising. Online gambling operators are taught what is permissible when advertising their online gambling operations.

There are 145 online gambling sites, run by 13 different software providers that have received accreditation from eCOGRA.