Issue N45, 2009

November 25, 2009

Digitote Gets eCOGRA Seal

The Germany and Isle of Man based sportsbetting software group, Digitote, was pleased to announce this week that it had been accredited with a seal of excellence by the eCommerce and Online Gaming Regulation Assurance (eCOGRA). A rigorous investigation of Digitote’s operations was carried out, including a full audit and inspection team.

"The EGBA standards are particularly high and a good fit with our eGAP requirements and, by achieving these levels, Digitote sends a strong and positive signal regarding its capabilities and professional commitment," said the Chief Executive Officer of eCOGRA, Andrew Beveridge. "Our audit confirms that the development, implementation, maintenance and security of Digitote's product and back-office systems are representative of industry best practices and technology standards applicable to software suppliers."

The Director for Digitote, Gunter Boyks added: "Apart from its value as a measure of Digitote's professional efficiency and commitment to fairness and quality, the achievement of this eCOGRA accreditation provides a practical assurance to both ourselves and our clients that, as a business, we meet the most demanding industry standards."

Digitote will be displaying eCOGRA’s Safe and Fair seal on its website, showing that it has met some of the toughest standards set in the industry.

Gambling Industry Dismisses New Report

Many in the online gambling industry have dismissed a new report released by Prof. Mark Griffiths from Nottingham Trent University which shows what the author terms as a general lack of knowledge by European governments on the issue of problem gambling. Prof. Griffiths presented his report, written together with British MEP Malcolm Harbour and entitled “Problem Gambling in Europe: An Overview”, to the European Parliament. The report identifies which countries’ governments carried out research on a national level (among them UK, Finland, Germany, Belgium, etc.) and which did not at all (Ireland, Luxembourg, Portugal, etc.).

However, the report was slammed by top operators in the gambling industry. "The debate about gambling is multi faceted. Many reasons and interpretations are put forward as to why a particular state does or does not grand access to its market by operators from other Member States, by they online or offline, be they casino, betting or other type of gambling operator," said Adrian Morris, Deputy Managing Director of StanleyBet. "I have become increasingly concerned that this debate is informed by little or no information and the argumentation seems to be based on myths appealing to emotion rather than facts informing reason and leading to policymaking. Unfortunately, to this day, it seems that emotion continues to overrule facts," he said.

Party Poker Running Huge Christmas Promotion

Just in time for Christmas, Party Poker online poker room has announced three exciting new promotions that should definitely make this festive season even sweeter. The site will be giving away over $1 million in prize money to loyal players in competitions suited to all poker fans. The Cash Game Race, for example, will see Party Poker distribute over $50,000 among Bronze, Silver or Gold members who earn points on their cash ring games until December 23rd. The top players will receive cash prizes.

Any player who manages to win five successive single table tournaments during the month of December will be able to claim a top prize of $50,000, while three second prizes of $20,000 are also up for grabs. All in all, this competition is giving away $160K in total.

The $1 million Multi Table Tournament Jackpots also promise to thrill in December, with a prize poll of $250,000 up for grabs in a 200 player tournament in January. The player who manages to win three daily tournaments will win the ultimate $1 million prize at Party Poker.

Slotland Progressive Jackpot Hits Again

Less than one month after rewarding a thrilled player with $175,000, the Slotland progressive jackpot has hit once more. This time around JJJUNIPERJJJ, won $85,873 – just in time for the festive season.

I was just relaxing on a Sunday afternoon, enjoying my favorite games," said the thrilled player. "Then suddenly I hit the jackpot! I thought I must have dozed off and was dreaming but it really was my lucky day."

While the average hit of the progressive jackpot at Slotland is every six weeks to 2 months, it can never be predicted exactly – leading to an element of surprise and intrigue at this popular site.

Another progressive jackpot is running at Slotland’s sister site, WinADay – a 3D instant play site. This site’s jackpot, which links all the slot games and video poker titles, currently stands at over $180K and is practically begging to be won.

“We always keep our checkbook handy because you never know when someone will hit the jackpot,” said Slotland's Ondrej Tuma. “But we weren't expecting this one to be hit again so soon - we thought the next big win would be at WinADay.com.”