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eCogra is an independent watchdog of internet casinos and poker rooms. Some say they are just a marketing company using the watchdog tag to have a cover of respectability and in reality it's all a sham. I think they are alright and agree with their goals. It's a necessary organization, as the US refuses to listen to reason and regulate the industry, someone needs to come in from the outside and say which casinos are playing fair. To be certified an eCogra casino the online casino must go through a rigorous auditing process and prove that their game is fair, their odds are honest and they really have the money to pay people their winnings. For your average player who doesn't want to do a massive amount of research before depositing and playing, seeing the eCogra certification is a good thing. While I like the organization I don't quite understand why they are doing a massive survey. eCogra sent out a letter to portal owners announcing the survey and asking for their assistance. "The survey - a joint venture between eCOGRA, University of Nevada and Nottingham Trent University, aims to capture the responses of 20,000 players from around the world. In addition, the findings will be supplemented with The letter continues, "Designed to capture information about the behaviour and attitudes of online gamblers, the survey results are expected to provide us and you, with an invaluable understanding and insight into their needs and concerns; information which is vital if we are to continue to offer them a rewarding and safe online gambling experience." I'm sorry but that's just silly. I could tell you what the player's needs and concerns are and you won't need to pay out a dozen researchers nor bother 20,000 gamblers. Players want to know the game is honest. Actually, they couldn't care less if the game is honest if they win, but if they lose you better have proof beyond a shadow of a doubt that they lost honestly and the online casino didn't cheat. They want to know when they win that they will receive their money promptly without any hassle or grief. Players would like Live Help from the website or a toll-free phone number than answers quickly and actually has the information that they need when they have a question. Slow and uninformed customer service is my biggest pet peeve when I research an internet casino to play at. Furthermore players expect a fun, bug-free game that is light enough on their computer that they could play for hours without rebooting if they so choose. Finally, make the bonuses non-sticky and large and the wagering requirements low so that the player will have a more than good shot at taking home money and you will have a happy player. At the end of the day a gambler is playing to win, even if it is just a form of entertainment to them. Internet casinos and players will never meet completely because of that fact. Players and online poker rooms have a much better chance at a happy cooperation, as the poker room is only taking a cut of the game but isn't actually playing against the gambler. eCogra didn't ask me for my opinion, however, and the survey goes on. I went to http://www.ecogra.org/playersurvey/ (the survey site) to see what they wanted to know. They made it clear that, "All answers will be ANONYMOUS. Your participation is voluntary. You can withdraw at any time up to the point at which you submit your data. Should you wish to withdraw, simply stop and close your browser - your data will not be included," and finally, "If there are individual questions that you do not wish to answer, please leave them blank." I stumbled rather quickly in the survey. Actually, I stumbled before the survey even started. Question four, "Please choose a category that best describes your occupation" did me in. Am I in the hospitality industry? Leisure and sport? What about Marketing? Or does Arts and Entertainment suit my job description best? In case you're wondering, they didn't include Gambling or Casinos under their list of occupations. I write about gambling, does that make me arty and entertaining? I think it does so Arts and Entertainment it is. They didn't even have my country on the drop down list so I had to enter it under "Other". How rude. The questions were as expected. Which games do you like to play, when do you play, do you chase your losses. I like the way they worded the last one, "If you lose when gambling online are you more likely or less likely to keep playing to try and win some money back?" This is a good test question to see how many of the survey recipients are prone to gambling addiction. Perhaps this survey isn't silly after all. "Where do you play most regularly?" I probably shouldn't answer this one. Actually I probably should answer any of them since I play at work, but I play for work so that doesn't really count, does it? Here comes the silliness, this isn't gambling research, this question is strictly data mining for online casinos. "Which of the following promotional offers would be most likely to entice you into playing at an online casino?" I suppose they need to do something for the internet casino portals that are advertising this survey for them. Fair enough, I'll let it slide. Is a self-plug allowed in a truly non-partisan survey? The question, "What factors determine which sites you play at? (Please tick all that apply)" had the answer, "3rd party endorsements, e.g. eCOGRA seal". The survey continued to ask questions about internet poker which I couldn't be bothered to answer, so I said I didn't play it. Then the questions the university students will be interested in popped up. "Do you have a lucky number?" and what is it? The survey goes on to ask about charms and other questions regarding superstition and luck. This will also help determine the likelihood of the player being addicted or not. Eighty five questions in all. One has to be quite determined to finish that survey. I didn't bother to finish as I felt my answers wouldn't be appropriate for their purposes anyhow. If you have some spare time on your hands and want your voice heard, I suggest you give it a go. You can find the survey at: http://www.ecogra.org/playersurvey/. Related Links: Posted on: September 6, 2006
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