Certification Bodies
In the modern gambling era, internet casinos are no longer considered something extraordinary but rather a part of players' everyday routine. This can't help but affect changes in the basic requirements for online casinos willing to stay at the top for a long time and continue growing their community of admirers. In particular, developed international standards of safety, fair play, and convenience play an essential role in maintaining or elevating a casino's reputation.
Nevertheless, as frauds will probably never disappear, there came a moment in the evolution of online gambling when reputable sites and regulatory bodies faced the urgent need to differentiate safe online casinos from those providing insufficient security.
Licenses Aren't Enough
The emergence of licensing jurisdictions was beneficial in this regard, as only decent online gambling sites could obtain a casino license. However, significant drawbacks were soon discovered concerning some regions' activities, such as Costa Rica, which failed to properly regulate the gambling market under its jurisdiction. Therefore, it was the introduction of international certification bodies that finally improved the situation.
Key Certification Bodies
Nowadays, there are more than 10 independent certification bodies worldwide dealing with regular monitoring and auditing of internet casinos' activities. Several stand out as the most objective and reputable. These include:
e-Commerce and Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance (eCOGRA)
Founded in 2003, eCOGRA is one of the most conservative certification bodies. It primarily focuses on providing the highest levels of security for money transactions in online casinos.
Price Waterhouse Coopers (PWC)
Known as one of the world's top auditing firms, Price Waterhouse Coopers also concentrates on monitoring sites' taxation and financial documents in the online gambling industry to determine if they qualify as safe.
Technical Systems Testing (TST)
Established in 1993, TST specializes in testing the quality of web-based gaming platforms offered by online casinos, particularly the software providers they partner with.
All things considered, the introduction of certification bodies in the online gambling market was a significant step toward enhancing the safety of all internet casinos.