eCOGRA has announced on 12th November 2018 that they are officially authorised to provide Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) services to certain Malta Gaming Authority licensed gambling operators. Over 1,000 online gambling operators will be able to submit disputes to eCOGRA, whose fast and impartial ADR service will resolve problems, the way it did for over 15 years.
The Announcement
eCOGRA, the approved testing agency, has been giving the dispute resolution services to players for more than 15 years for free, as they are part of its self-regulation activities. In 2015, it has been approved by the UK Gambling Commission to provide its alternative dispute resolution services to UK-licensed remote gambling operators. The agency has handled more than 10,000 disputes to date, including the ones involving leading online gambling operators like Mr Green, White Hat Gaming, Unibet, 888, Betway, Gamesys, 32Red and Skill On Net.
The person in charge of the dispute resolution service is eCOGRA’s Clear ADR Accredited Civil and Commercial Mediator, Tex Rees. An experienced team is led by him, committed to work hard and resolve the most disputes within a week of receiving them.
In terms of the Malta Gaming Authority's Player Protection Directive 2018, all MGA-licensed operators must provide their players with an access to a third party ADR service. Rees says that since many of their multi-jurisdictional clients already have an MGA license, eCOGRA has made their service available to these clients. Rees says that from the client’s perspective, it is highly important they come to eCOGRA for a full suite of compliance services. Currently, there are 1,159 online gaming sites where players can get access to eCOGRA’s ADR services.
eCOGRA also reminds players and operators that they are awarded the UK Accreditation Service Approval ISO/IEC 17025:2005 for carrying out testing and calibration laboratories for Sweden, Denmark and the UK. In addition, they have the prerequisite for the ISO/IEC 27001 accredited certifications and audits of ISNS, the ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015.
Malta Gaming Authority’s Player Protection Directive 2018
Malta Gaming Authority has published a 21-page Player Protection Directive of 2018 that have come into force on 1st of July, 2018. In part X of this directive, MGA stated that B2C licensees need to maintain a player support function to efficiently interact with players. B2C operators that offer remote games, shall include telephone and electronic mail at least, while B2C licensees operating controlled gaming premises should in addition to that, maintain a person designated with the premises.
They should provide players with a written procedure for handling their disputes and complaints, and make it available to the players with the general terms and conditions. In addition, they should offer them a registered ADR entity, such as eCOGRA, if they are not satisfied with the result and are in need of a better dispute resolution. They should offer players the identity of the ADR entity and details of any limitation and subject matter of the dispute. The operators have the permission to collaborate with more than one ADR entity and direct players to different ADR providers, depending on the nature and the subject matter of the dispute in question.
The players have the right to present the dispute against the B2C licensee to courts of competent jurisdiction, even though there is an ADR entity involved. The licensee must inform the MGA about the decision of the ADR entity and give players the opportunity to refer their complaints directly to the Authority via the player support function.
About eCOGRA’s Licenses
eCOGRA is the only testing agency who has been awarded the ISO/IEC 1702-1:2015, a prerequisite for handling third-party ISO/IEC 27001 audits and accredited ISMS (Information Security Management Systems) certifications. In October 2018 eCOGRA was authorised to provide testing and certification for receiving an online gambling license for the Swedish market. In addition to the Swedish market, eCOGRA tests operators licensed by UK, Romania, Portugal, the Czech Republic and Denmark jurisdictions.
The ISO/IEC licenses eCOGRA possesses are internationally recognized standards that help gaming companies identify and manage possible information security risks. In addition, they provide a quicker and more cost-effective way for license holders to market. When players see that an operator holds this certificate, they know that the operator offers a reduced risk of sensitive information disclosure.
In addition to the aforementioned licenses, eCOGRA is the proud owner of PAGCOR (Philippines) and Jersey’s approvals.
The Announcement
eCOGRA, the approved testing agency, has been giving the dispute resolution services to players for more than 15 years for free, as they are part of its self-regulation activities. In 2015, it has been approved by the UK Gambling Commission to provide its alternative dispute resolution services to UK-licensed remote gambling operators. The agency has handled more than 10,000 disputes to date, including the ones involving leading online gambling operators like Mr Green, White Hat Gaming, Unibet, 888, Betway, Gamesys, 32Red and Skill On Net.
The person in charge of the dispute resolution service is eCOGRA’s Clear ADR Accredited Civil and Commercial Mediator, Tex Rees. An experienced team is led by him, committed to work hard and resolve the most disputes within a week of receiving them.
In terms of the Malta Gaming Authority's Player Protection Directive 2018, all MGA-licensed operators must provide their players with an access to a third party ADR service. Rees says that since many of their multi-jurisdictional clients already have an MGA license, eCOGRA has made their service available to these clients. Rees says that from the client’s perspective, it is highly important they come to eCOGRA for a full suite of compliance services. Currently, there are 1,159 online gaming sites where players can get access to eCOGRA’s ADR services.
eCOGRA also reminds players and operators that they are awarded the UK Accreditation Service Approval ISO/IEC 17025:2005 for carrying out testing and calibration laboratories for Sweden, Denmark and the UK. In addition, they have the prerequisite for the ISO/IEC 27001 accredited certifications and audits of ISNS, the ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015.
Malta Gaming Authority’s Player Protection Directive 2018
Malta Gaming Authority has published a 21-page Player Protection Directive of 2018 that have come into force on 1st of July, 2018. In part X of this directive, MGA stated that B2C licensees need to maintain a player support function to efficiently interact with players. B2C operators that offer remote games, shall include telephone and electronic mail at least, while B2C licensees operating controlled gaming premises should in addition to that, maintain a person designated with the premises.
They should provide players with a written procedure for handling their disputes and complaints, and make it available to the players with the general terms and conditions. In addition, they should offer them a registered ADR entity, such as eCOGRA, if they are not satisfied with the result and are in need of a better dispute resolution. They should offer players the identity of the ADR entity and details of any limitation and subject matter of the dispute. The operators have the permission to collaborate with more than one ADR entity and direct players to different ADR providers, depending on the nature and the subject matter of the dispute in question.
The players have the right to present the dispute against the B2C licensee to courts of competent jurisdiction, even though there is an ADR entity involved. The licensee must inform the MGA about the decision of the ADR entity and give players the opportunity to refer their complaints directly to the Authority via the player support function.
About eCOGRA’s Licenses
eCOGRA is the only testing agency who has been awarded the ISO/IEC 1702-1:2015, a prerequisite for handling third-party ISO/IEC 27001 audits and accredited ISMS (Information Security Management Systems) certifications. In October 2018 eCOGRA was authorised to provide testing and certification for receiving an online gambling license for the Swedish market. In addition to the Swedish market, eCOGRA tests operators licensed by UK, Romania, Portugal, the Czech Republic and Denmark jurisdictions.
The ISO/IEC licenses eCOGRA possesses are internationally recognized standards that help gaming companies identify and manage possible information security risks. In addition, they provide a quicker and more cost-effective way for license holders to market. When players see that an operator holds this certificate, they know that the operator offers a reduced risk of sensitive information disclosure.
In addition to the aforementioned licenses, eCOGRA is the proud owner of PAGCOR (Philippines) and Jersey’s approvals.
