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Poker.co.uk - Poker News Archive
Wednesday 7th June 2006 FIRST CAGAYAN RECOGNIZES eCOGRA STANDARDS
LONDON, June 6, 2006: The Philippines-based Asian e-gaming regulator, Cagayan Economic Zone Authority through its Master Licensor, First Cagayan is the latest independent online gambling body to accept the global integrity and operational standards of eCOGRA (www.ecogra.org).
First Cagayan President Albee Benitez signed off on the acceptance after several months of due diligence, during which the standards and outcomes-based testing methods used by eCOGRA in awarding the 'Play It Safe' seal were closely studied by a team working under the direction of First Cagayan corporate legal counsel Katrina Nepomuceno.
'We are satisfied that the standards set by eCOGRA, and the inspection and monitoring systems that support these, comprehensively cover our requirements for safe, ethical and efficient online gaming operations,' Mr. Benitez said. 'First Cagayan operates a competitive licensing program, cost-effective regulatory framework and disciplined operator and player protection policies, in a gaming jurisdiction that is safe and reliable.'
The agreement follows a similar acceptance of eCOGRA standards by the Malta regulator, Lotteries and Gaming Authority last month and one last year by the Kahnawake jurisdiction in Canada, covering hundreds of licensed brands. eCOGRA is currently in discussions with a number of other national regulators committed to player protection and fair gaming and hopes to conclude further agreements soon.
'This is another step toward our goal of forging valuable links and consistent standards with other regulatory bodies,' eCOGRA CEO Andrew Beveridge commented. 'First Cagayan has accepted that operators using software supplied by eCOGRA members, and that is subject to eCOGRA's principles and testing methodologies, will not be required to submit their software to further review and monitoring processes by other third party testing agencies required for a First Cagayan online gaming license.”
Seventy-six leading online casino and poker room brands, belonging to some of the most well established and successful online gambling groups in the industry now carry the eCOGRA 'Play It Safe' seal, which helps players identify Internet gambling venues that have voluntarily committed to independent, player protective regulation and continuous monitoring.
About Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA)
CEZA is a government owned and controlled corporation created under The Republic Act No. 7922. CEZA possesses the power to operate on its own, either directly or through a subsidiary entity, or license to others, tourism-related activities, including games, amusements, recreational and sports facilities such as horse racing, dog racing, gambling casinos, golf courses, and others under priorities and standards set by the CEZA.
About First Cagayan
First Cagayan (www.firstcagayan.com) is a corporation formed under the laws of the Republic of the Philippines with SEC Registration No. A200005770. It is the duly authorized Master Licensor for e-gaming, providing regulated licensing for online gambling companies together with state-of-the-art Internet data center facilities in Cagayan and Manila such as scaleable server hosting services, secured environmental and climate control, and reliable power and backup power. The jurisdiction has partnered with top international telecommunications entities to provide a Tier One communications infrastructure with access to the highest-capacity IP backbone in the Asia-Pacific region, with direct connectivity to the US and Europe. CEZA through First Cagayan accords gaming operators the chance to become part of a promising business environment, and provides a well-situated base to penetrate the gaming markets of the Asia-Pacific Region and the rest of the world.
About eCOGRA
eCOGRA, the independent standards authority for the online gaming industry, is committed to protecting online casino and poker players around the world. The non-profit organization addresses the most important issues to players: fast payouts, fair gaming, responsive and efficient service and responsible operator conduct. To date, 76 sites comply with rigorous inspection, review and monitoring requirements and have been awarded the coveted “Play It Safe” Seal that identifies to players the safest online gaming sites on the Web. For more information on how eCOGRA is constantly improving standards in online gaming for players everywhere, go to www.ecogra.org.
For all media queries or to arrange a briefing, please contact:
Stuart Hehir
Chameleon PR
stuart@chameleonpr.com
Susan Lindner
Lotus Public Relations
Susan.lindner@lotus-pr.com
Source: OnlineCasinoNews
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