What is eCOGRA: Explained for NZ Gamblers

eCOGRA features three main pillars gamblers need to know of. It aims to ensure players get fair gameplay, data protection, and proper responsible gambling features. Here’s a closer look at all three pillars in more detail:

Fair Play Protection

The main pillar of eCOGRA’s existence is based on fair play. It’s there to ensure players have a level playing field with the casino at all times, by testing RNG systems and ensuring the described payout rates are real.

• Random Number Generator(RNG)

  eCOGRA is an internationally approved testing agency with a strong emphasis on everything related to online casinos and software. This includes rigorous RNG (random number generator) tests which analyse all available systems and test their described payout rates to ensure there are no major differences.

• Actual Payout Rate

  Based on our observations, some of the highest paying online casinos have eCOGRA licensing. The licence issued by eCOGRA means your casino’s described payout rates match what’s been found by eCOGRA’s testing. If the differences are too big, the casino in question will not be able to get the official eCOGRA seal of approval.

Player Protection

In our experience, the eCOGRA seal of approval isn’t just there to ensure fair play. eCOGRA also ensures the casino in play takes good care of customers’ data and only accepts customers who are legally able to gamble.

• Accurate Payouts

  As mentioned earlier, a big part of eCOGRA’s testing comes down to the fair play aspects of online gambling. They put each casino through a series of tests to ensure the advertised payout rates reflect the real state of affairs for each game. But, that’s just the start. The eCOGRA’s seal of approval ensues additional factors, some of which we’ll explain right below.

• Prevention of Underage Gambling

  Another important aspect of eCOGRA certification is the fact it ensures players respect the gambling age when playing at online casinos in NZ. Need we remind you, the legal gambling age in NZ is 20 years. Everyone below that should not be partaking in online gambling activities.

• Protection of Player’s Sensitive Information

  The eCOGRA seal of approval is important in terms of players’ rights and privacy protection in general. There’s a set of regulations and standard practices and procedures for collecting and storing customers’ private information. Of course, casinos spend tons of money to boost the security of their internal processes, so it’s no surprise to see state-of-the-art security tech on most online casinos for NZ players.

• Clear Bonus Terms and Payout Policy

  Player protection is only a part of the equation. Many people don’t know that eCOGRA monitors and ensures the casinos’ terms and conditions are true to the advertisements. If they aren’t, the casinos won’t get the certificate, which will alarm the players that something might be off.

Responsible Business Conduct

Last but not least, eCOGRA is also there to ensure casinos feature all the necessary responsible gambling measures, as well as responsible business conduct in general. This isn’t something most players will notice, but it’s still a fairly important aspect of eCOGRA’s work.

• Responsible Gambling Practices

  First things first, let’s talk about responsible gambling tools and practices. Not that many people know eCOGRA is actually making casinos improve their responsible gambling tools and promote other responsible gambling practices including SRS (self-regulation services) which are of crucial importance for tackling problem gambling.

• Fair and Transparent Dispute Resolution

  The second part of the responsible business conduct equation comes down to fairness and transparent dispute resolution. eCOGRA values casino brands with clear-cut dispute resolution channels which allow players to make their complaints known without too much hassle. eCOGRA leaves no aspect of online casinos unturned, which is what makes them the powerhouse for third-party casino auditing.

Let’s talk about the advantages of eCOGRA’s seal of approval and what good it brings for NZ gamblers. eCOGRA-certified casinos are in a league of their own, and here’s why:

Transparent Operations

The first thing that should come to your mind after noticing the casino has eCOGRA’s seal of approval is transparency. First and foremost, the eCOGRA certificate means the casino is involved in no funny business. Their operations are running buttery smooth, they behave honestly and take good care of their customers’ data.

Range of Responsible Gaming Measures

Additionally, eCOGRA’s seal of approval provides players with the guarantee of a wide range of responsible gaming measures. In some cases, they’re there because of legal requirements, but eCOGRA has its own set of rules for responsible gambling tools too. If you want the fairest treatment with access to self-exclusion and other responsible gambling tools, don’t forget to look for the eCOGRA logo in the footer.

Protected Personal and Financial Data

In our experience, eCOGRA casinos use KYC for gambling verifications of identity and address. This allows the casinos to know who exactly is playing their games and tackles the issues of underage gambling. Additionally, casinos with eCOGRA’s seal have to adhere to strict procedures regarding the collection and storage of customers’ financial and personal data.

Prompt Dispute Resolution

Another important advantage of this type of accreditation is the guarantee of fast and effective dispute resolution. eCOGRA makes sure the accredited brands allow players to submit complaints and solve disputes without going to a third-party body or government-based regulators. Everything is done on-site and the players are always treated fairly.

Quality Customer Support

Players on eCOGRA-certified casinos can enjoy fast and responsive customer support. Whether it’s live chat, phone, or email-based, it doesn’t matter. Casinos with the eCOGRA seal of approval support buttery smooth problem-solving across all of their customer support channels. You can rest assured you’ll get the attention and service you require… assuming you’ve opted for an eCOGRA-certified casino, that is.

Transparent and Fair Promotions

Casino promotions tend to mask their downsides behind cleverly written fine print. However, eCOGRA is there to ensure all important figures are properly explained and easily accessible. In other words, eCOGRA ensures all casino bonuses are transparent and players are well aware of what they’re signing up for.

The process of finding eCOGRA casinos for NZ players is straightforward. Even if you have no prior experience in online gambling, the following three steps will help you find the right operator:

1. Look for the eCOGRA Logo

   Having an eCOGRA certification is a big deal for online casinos, which is why they want to make sure the players see the logo. Based on our observations of online casinos for NZ players, the eCOGRA logo is typically found in the footer. It’s usually quite big too, so you can’t miss it.

2. Check the Casino’s Licence Info

   If the eCOGRA seal of approval is there but you still don’t believe the website, feel free to look it up on the official eCOGRA certification website. Or, you can simply click on the eCOGRA seal of approval (in the footer) and it will take you to the casino’s certification page where you can see more details.

3. Read Casino Review

   If you’d still like to know more information about the casino, we recommend you check out our NZ casino reviews as soon as possible. We have thoroughly researched and tested countless brands, but we only recommend those which passed our tests with flying marks. Everyone looking for their next go-to casino should check out our work.

eCOGRA is the authority when it comes to independent testing agencies for online casinos. However, it’s not the only such agency in the world. Based on our observations, iTech Labs and Gaming Laboratories International are also quite successful.

Gaming Laboratories International (GLI)

Just like eCOGRA, GLI also operates [independently. It works in a similar manner too; as a testing and certification body for iGaming software, lotteries, sports betting, and online gambling platforms. It was founded in 1989 and has been working with some of the world’s most notable iGaming brands ever since.

iTech Labs

iTech Labs is another industry giant. As the name suggests, it is an independent lab for testing and certification of online casinos and their software and other on-site features. iTech Labs has international recognition and its certification is used as a demonstration of seriousness, reliability, integrity, and regulative compliance.

The International Gaming Standards Association (IGSA)

The IGSA is a non-profit organisation which has been at the centre of industry standards and protocol development during the last two decades. The organisation dates back to 1998 and actively works on creating standards for iGaming security, fair play, reliability, and integrity.