Now that eCommerce and Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance (eCOGRA) is allowing online casinos who are not using eCOGRA certified software to apply for and receive their Play it Safe Seal, eCOGRA is reporting a surge of applications and interest from online casino operators. In a recent press release, eCOGRA shared the news of their increase in regulation activity, and further ensured the internet betting community at large that nothing is being sacrificed in terms of the certification process for gaming sites using software other than Microgaming.

According to eCOGRA's Chief Executive Officer, Andrew Beveridge, several well known and respected online betting companies have applied for the "Safe and Fair" certification, which is now standardized by the high regulatory and monitoring standards of eCOGRA's Total Gaming Transaction Review. Now including advisory services and a broader range of auditing and review services, not to mention overall checks and balances, eCOGRA has done an excellent job at helping steer the online gaming industry toward effective widespread regulation.

Beveridge also assured gamblers that by expanding their certification process to include online casinos who do not use eCOGRA certified software, does not mean their is a drop in player protection standards. It simply means that a wider range of gaming sites will have the opportunity to meet the same regulatory minimums that eCOGRA imposes in the areas of fair gaming, security, responsible gaming practices and player protection. Players should remember that an online casino cannot be certified by eCOGRA without having its software platform tested and audited.

As part of eCOGRA's expansion into the mainstream of online gambling, if you will, partnerships are continually being formed in the areas of specialist reviews, thus giving other companies dedicated to promoting fairness and transparency, the appropriate avenues to do so. In addition to providing their winnings verification services, information security services and advisor services, eCOGRA has recently developed affiliate program standards to ensure proper payouts are being made to marketing partners of eCOGRA certified online casinos and affiliate programs.