The Scoop on
Casino Disputes & Online Gaming Fairness
by Mike
Harrison, Strategy and Games
Writer
An important component of the 2006 eCOGRA Global
Online Gambler
Survey was regarding the issue of disputes and problems
reported by players. Considering the fact there is less
evidence of online gambling outcomes than in a land-based
operation, it should not be surprising to players that
disputes do in fact arise in the web-based gaming world.
Sure,
taking screen shots of winnings is a wise move, yet this
still does not rule out the possibility that screen shots
have not been doctored by a player using a graphics
software application. Bearing witness to and helping
resolve disputes is a practice we are familiar with here
at Online Casino Conditions. Many are credible, and some
are not. In fact, the eCOGRA report shows that one third
of gamblers have had a dispute with an online casino or gaming
site and that only 58% of the disputes directed to the eCOGRA dispute resolutions department were indeed valid. Aside from the fact that just under half of the players
who submitted disputes to eCOGRA had issues resolved in
their favor (that equates to a 85% success rate at
resolving valid disputes), these figures reveal that many
disputes are unwarranted on the players behalf.
Certainly
more research needs to be done in the area of verifying
the authenticity of dispute claims. Yet, the fact remains
that a vast majority of players are lacking in knowledge
as to how online casinos are regulated and bound to
fairness standards - which could very well be a large
contributor to the number of disputes that do arise.
Over
a third of surveyed gamblers thought there was an on/off
switch that gaming site operators could use to control how
winnings were paid out to players. True, their are casino
operators
out there that should not be trusted in this regard.
However, players should be more concerned about not
getting paid out when making a withdrawal request than
playing with unfair software. The majority of disputes
that do arise are about withdrawals, bonus violations and
frozen accounts - not rigged software. This is why it is
important that gamblers only play at those online casinos who,
first of all, use accredited software, and secondly, are
licensed and regulated by an esteemed regulator. Even
better, playing at sites with eCOGRA's Seal of Approval
guarantees players will have dispute resolution services
at their disposal if need be.
Remember, gaming operators
have it in their best interest to earn each players trust,
for this is what will ultimately keep them in business.
Good operators know their
online gaming software/hardware source code is
set to pay back a minimum of funds to both themselves and
the players. With steady traffic, both the players and
operators will earn enough to keep everyone happy on both
sides. Although not every player will win every time, a
smart casino operator knows they will always get their minimum
cut, and that attempting to fix things in their favor will
only spell trouble, especially if they are well regulated
and subject to payout verification reports.
In our next
few tips, we will take a closer look at how software
gaming fairness is ensured, as well as some "common"
player problems.
More eCOGRA Global Online
Gambler Survey Insight:
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