Imagine being in Las Vegas and sauntering up to a blackjack table, nodding to the dealer and going all in, hoping and praying for your lucky break. However, the dealer, by slight of hand pulls a fast one, and you loose it all. Overhead the casino’s “eye in the sky” video camera system catches the dealer stealing your money in an underhanded card trick. Subsequently, the dealer is reprimanded, and you are refunded your money.

Now, imagine a world of online gaming and casinos where clever programming replaces the dealer at the table, and could be used to favour the house and take your money all over again. It has happened, and is likely to happen again. Schemes thought up by hacking professionals have conned many that were searching for some fun in an online gaming site out of more than their fair share of money, and then disappearing in a flash. When online casinos started increasing in popularity among US households in 2002, there were a few people with the foresight to recognize that online casinos, just like brick and mortar casinos would probably need their own version of the “eye in the sky”. That same year a regulatory body was formed.

Although it is voluntary in nature, ECOGRA (or the e-Commerce Online Gambling Regulation and Assurance) company is a non-profit organization that keeps a watchful eye over their approved casinos. Each approved online gaming site has to be reviewed and scrutinized by their standards prior to earning their seal of approval. What this seal of approval means to you, as a player is safety and protection in your online gaming environment. It ensures prompt payments, safe storage of your information, honest advertising, and responsible behavior. Things that you would expect from any reputable casino are things that player advocates can enforce should you have a dispute with one of their approved casinos. If you choose to tempt Lady Luck and play a game of baccarat on a site not sporting the coveted eCOGRA seal of approval, you won’t have these player assurances or advocates lending you their watchful eye. So your dream of riches could go up in smoke when dealing with a less than reputable online gaming site. Finding affiliates approved by the eCOGRA service is extremely easy. Simply performing a search about eCOGRA will provide you with a listing of affiliate casinos and reputable partners. This short search could be the difference between rags and riches in your online gaming experience. Seals of approval are prominently displayed on affiliate sites for easy verification. Looking for this simple graphic will ensure and fun and safe online casino experience.

By stickystebee
For more information about online casinos, written by online casino players, visit online casinos UK. A blog which reviews the best (and worst) online casino’s, giving you the definitive guide on where to play online casino games safely.