When it comes to regulating and watching over online casinos, no group does it better than eCOGRA.  This is precisely why it is no surprise to most online gamblers that Gambling Online Magazine's award for Top Casino Watchdog went to the UK-based, non-profit organization.  Using criteria such as efficiency of resolving player disputes and successfully wrapping up player/casino mediation, the award was rightly deserved. Having served the online gambling industry since its early beginnings, eCOGRA has received numerous awards in past years.  It's most recent award was one that was greatly appreciated, especially during times of heightened casino gambling and increased regulation.

Gambling Online Magazine has dished out its annual awards once again...and it looks like nothing much has changed since last year.  With several awards going to the same organizations as in previous years, some are beginning to wonder about the legitimacy of these awards.  Although most gamblers are not going so far as to question whether the results are accurate or not, when the top awards like Best Online Casino go to Inter Casino for the fifth year in a row, it does bring up the question of why the awards are being handed out in the first place.

As for some categories like Top Online Casino Watchdog, is there really that much competition for an organization like eCOGRA, which has been the authority voice for online casino regulation for several years.  Albeit there are several noteworthy watchdogs such as Casinomeister and the Offshore Gaming Council, eCOGRA really is unsurpassed as to how instrumental they have been in making regulation a governmental affair.

Indeed, eCOGRA did win Gambling Online Magazine's award for Top Online Casino Watchdog.  And to be fair to the awards, it is true that selective criteria was used in weighing the international, non-profit organization's merit.  The true test of a casino watchdog is in resolving player disputes, which eCOGRA usually gets done within 48 hours of a reported issue.  Since the "Play it Safe" Seal is a committed standard upheld by not only eCOGRA, but the online casinos that brand it, players have a guarantee that any problem with any casino holding the seal will be resolved timely and diplomatically.

There are currently fifty-six online casinos with the seal, which is even harder to obtain now that eCOGRA has raised its standards to be more in line with the UK Gambling Act's regulatory guidelines.  And despite not really needing an award to prove their credibility, eCOGRA is more than pleased to have been bestowed with yet another token of its excellent reputation.