Evolution Gaming Is Among The First To Pass Live Dealer-Specific Inspection By eCOGRA.

Live dealer provider Evolution Gaming, which has offices in London, Malta and Stockholm and high tech Internet video-streaming studio facilities in Latvia, has become one of the first in its sector to achieve the high standards required for the eCOGRA Certified "Live Dealer" Seal.

The company is an acknowledged leader in its sector, and counts many major European Internet gambling operators among its clients, including 888, Bet-At-Home, Expekt, Gala Coral Group, Ladbrokes, PaddyPower, Party Gaming and Unibet.

Explaining the significance of the Certified Live Dealer Seal, eCOGRA CEO Andrew Beveridge said this week that the relevant eGAP or international best practice standards required had been specifically designed for the distinct nature of live dealer operations, in which live games are streamed over the Internet in real time from casino studio environments managed by pitbosses and staffed by croupiers.

"The genre differs from the more common and purely software-powered online casino concept in that it features live staff using real gambling devices and tables," said Beveridge. "This requires a very specific set of operating standards and requirements to ensure absolutely fair, safe and independent gaming in which both hardware and software systems are reviewed.

"Along with our usual tests for problem gambling and dispute facilities, we also look at anti-money laundering systems, staff training, operator probity, player information security, staff access to sensitive areas, the retention of video recordings of all sessions, collusion controls and overall game statistical performance on the roulette, baccarat and blackjack games offered."

Chartered Accountant Gareth Muirhead, who spent several days in Riga, Latvia conducting the review, said that his compliance plan had included the examination of both return-to-player and RNG elements, and ensuring that eCOGRA's Total Gaming Transaction Review system was securely in place, continuously monitoring all gaming activity.

"Evolution Gaming operates a very tight ship, and the cooperation of chief operating officer Svante Liljevall and the technical and operational staff in Riga was outstanding," Muirhead wrote in his report to the Independent Directors controlling the issue of eCOGRA seals.

Congratulating the management and staff in Riga on achieving the eCOGRA accreditation, Evolution Gaming chief executive officer Jens von Bahr said: "As a company we have always tried to lead rather than follow, and I am delighted that you have been successful in satisfying a tough but very practical set of international best practice standards.

"This can only boost our confidence in the commercial arena, knowing we are among the first to successfully put our technology, systems and people to this type of rigorous test."

About eCOGRA:
eCOGRA (www.ecogra.org) is a non-profit London-based organisation that sets online gambling standards and provides an international framework for best operational and player protection practice requirements, with particular emphasis on fair and responsible gambling.

These are enforced through inspections and reviews, and continuous monitoring. Accreditation is open to all software companies and their operators. Accredited operators are entitled to bear the "Safe and Fair" seal, indicating to players everywhere that all operational systems and games are fair and continuously monitored to consistently high standards.

The standards that must be achieved for the Certified Live Dealer Seal have been specifically designed to ensure that this unique form of online gambling complies with practical and relevant operational requirements to ensure completely and independently fair and safe gaming.

eCOGRA is accredited as a Testing Agency by a number of leading online gambling jurisdictions, and regularly performs onsite and remote inspections to ensure operators comply with each jurisdiction's respective regulatory requirements. The company's compliance regime has received the approval of the European Gaming and Betting Association, a trade body that includes most of Europe's major online gambling groups among its members.

About Evolution Gaming:
Evolution is an independent online gaming developer based in London, Malta, Stockholm and Riga. It is the only European live-gaming developer to custom build and operate its own licensed studios, enabling it to broadcast quality, real-time 'virtual' casinos through its clients' websites to the end- user.

Since 2006, Evolution has revitalised the European 'live dealer' platform, turning a niche product into a 'must have' for major gaming operators. The industry's biggest names are now enjoying the financial benefits and end-user satisfaction that Evolution products impart.