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54% OF eCOGRA DISPUTES SETTLED IN FAVOUR OF THE PLAYER
Latest stats from Fair Gaming Advocate released
London, 29 May 2007 - The Fair Gaming Advocate at online gambling
standards and player protection authority eCOGRA has released the latest
statistics of disputes, covering the period January to April 2007 and
showing that 54 percent of disputes over the period were settled in favour
of the player.
Tex Rees says that of the 290 requests for mediation received by her
office, 252 were accepted, the balance being in respect of online gambling
venues outside eCOGRA's sphere of influence.
"Of these valid disputes, the FGA office found in favour of the player in
137 cases, or 54 percent of the disputes that involved "Safe and Fair" seal
casinos and poker rooms," Rees said. "That's an increase in player-
decided cases of 22 percent, suggesting a better 'quality' of complaint and
we certainly noticed a decline in the number of irrelevant or rant
complaints that contain insufficient information to be usefully considered.
"There was a 19% increase in the disputes received in this period
compared to the last four months of 2006, which we believe is the result
of an increased awareness of eCOGRA and the dispute mediation service,
as well as new legal challenges affecting the industry."
Rees says that the main issue for the first 4 months of 2007 was US
payment processing delays caused by the changes to US legislation as a
result of the UIGEA. "There were higher than usual levels of slow-pay
complaints, with 44 percent of all valid disputes rooted in this area," she
revealed. "However, from the number of disputes received in the last few
weeks it appears that this situation is pretty much coming under control,"
she commented.
The majority of other disputes were based on so-called “bonus abuse”
issues, which tend to be time consuming to resolve. The FGA considered
78 allegations of unfair bonus abuse, or 31 percent of complaints
accepted. "The incidence of this category of dispute has declined
markedly following a professional policy note sent to all "Safe and Fair"
operations by eCOGRA's independent directors in mid-April," Rees said.
The 118 eCOGRA accredited online gambling sites attract an average of
0.53 dispute claims per month per site, up from 0.32 dispute claims per
month per site recorded in the last four months of 2006.
Rees said that interest in eCOGRA activities had resulted in a three fold
increase in traffic to the organisation's website in the past year and
revealed that unique visits continued to climb. "We are particularly
pleased with this, as it indicates an increased awareness of our
organisation and its player protecting achievements.
"Significant effort continues to be made to provide the online gambling
public with useful information about eCOGRA and the professional and
responsible side of online gambling," she said.
About the eCOGRA Disputes Resolution Service:
eCOGRA offers a free of charge, fast and efficient disputes mediation
service for online gamblers with a complaint about any "Safe and Fair"
online casino or poker room where the player has been unable to achieve
satisfaction at casino level. Complaints may be submitted online at
www.ecogra.org/disputes. Headed by Fair Gaming Advocate Tex Rees,
the department studies the detail of each case and assesses the facts
independently and without bias. Where necessary to resolve issues, the
FGA has direct access to operators and their managers, who commit to
high standards of professional conduct as part of their accreditation from
eCOGRA and permission to display the "Safe and Fair" seal.
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