eCOGRA player dispute figures for 2006 released

The online gambling standards and player protection body eCommerce and Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance (eCOGRA) has released figures for player disputes handled during 2006 by the Fair Gaming Advocate, Tex Rees.

Rees mediates on behalf of players who have legitimate complaints against any online casino or poker room bearing the eCOGRA "Play It Safe" kitemark. Currently there are 92 online casinos and 23 poker rooms that display the organisation's seal.

Rees reports that a total of 599 complaints were received, of which 360 were accepted. The 142 disputes that were turned away concerned online gambling sites which have not submitted to the eCOGRA inspection, monitoring and dispute resolution regime and are therefore outside the influence and scope of the Fair Gaming Advocate's responsibilities. A further 97 were deemed to be invalid.

161(45 percent) of the complaints were resolved in the players' favour following the FGA's intervention, and a number of *complaints* were non-specific and general commentaries which could not be actioned.

The average resolution time achieved by the FGA was around the 72 hour bracket.

Main areas complained about were:

* Cash-ins (50 percent - up from 38 percent in 2005)

* Bonus (26 percent - down from 32 percent in 2005)

* Locked Accounts (19 percent - up from 16 percent in 2005)

The average number of disputes received per week was 11.5, slightly up from the 2005 average of 9.5.

Commenting on the statistics, Rees said that the average number of disputes received per approved site per month was slightly down at 0.4 (2005 = 0.7) and represented further evidence that the "Play It Safe" sealed operations were correctly applying eCOGRA's standards and player sensitivity measures.

"Considering the very high volumes of business transactions which these venues process every day, the dispute rate is still remarkably low," she said.