After a spat of bad news regarding less traffic at PartyPoker, PartyGaming has good news again in the shape of a “Safe and Fair” certification from eCOGRA (eCommerce and Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance) for Party Casino, Party Poker and Empire Poker.
PartyGaming is naturally pleased and proud of this outcome. Recently appointed CEO Jim Ryan commented,
PartyGaming is committed to responsible gaming and wants all of our players to play on our online sites for the right reason – to have fun and play within their means. These new seals show our sites provide our players with a very high level of protection backed by our EGBA membership and eCOGRA accreditation.
This certification follows a recent announcement that the EGBA (European Gaming and Betting Association) would increase the responsible gaming requirements for its member sites to an even higher standard than is required by EU licensing jurisdictions.
eCOGRA CEO Andrew Beveridge also commented on PartyGaming’s positive results after the extensive testing:
After extensive testing and inspection by the eCOGRA professional compliance team, PartyGaming passed with flying colours. Our independent directors have awarded the revocable Safe and Fair seal, and are satisfied that PartyCasino.com, PartyPoker.com and EmpirePoker.com meet the required standards for responsible gambling, player protection, management and fiscal integrity and operational best practice.
eCOGRA’s Safe and Fair certification is only issued to a site after it has met with many stringent quality controls regarding eCOGRA’s Generally Accepted Practices (eGAP.) As according to eCOGRA’s website “it will be the responsibility of the audit panel members of eCOGRA to ensure that the members and seal holders are adhering to these practices.”
The certification is based around three main aspects:
PLAYER PROTECTION
This category includes thorough checks of the following policies and procedures:
- Payment to and Receipts from Players
- Minimum Information Requirements
- Minimum Security Requirements
- Responsible Gaming
- Player and Game Funds
- Player Information
FAIR GAMING
Fairness checks require approved sites to meet eCOGRA’s standards on the following:
- Software Development and Maintenance
- Total Gaming Transaction Review
- Server Connectivity Requirements
- General Game Characteristics
- Disaster Recovery
- System Malfunctions
RESPONSIBLE CONDUCT
The relation of the site with the general community is measured against these standards:
- Anti-Money Laundering
- Responsible Advertising and Promotions
- Probity Checks