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eCOGRA Is Recognized By Philipines Regulator First Cagayan For Its Standards of Online
Casinos And Poker Rooms
(June 7, 2006)
The Philippines-based Asian e-gaming regulator, Cagayan
Economic Zone Authority through its Master Licensor, First Cagayan is the latest
independent online gambling body to accept the global integrity and operational
standards of eCOGRA (www.ecogra.org).
First Cagayan President Albee Benitez signed off on the acceptance after several
months of due diligence, during which the standards and outcomes-based testing
methods used by eCOGRA in awarding the "Play It Safe" seal were closely studied
by a team working under the direction of First Cagayan corporate legal counsel
Katrina Nepomuceno.
"We are satisfied that the standards set by eCOGRA, and the inspection and
monitoring systems that support these, comprehensively cover our requirements
for safe, ethical and efficient online gaming operations," Mr. Benitez said.
"First Cagayan operates a competitive licensing program, cost-effective
regulatory framework and disciplined operator and player protection policies, in
a gaming jurisdiction that is safe and reliable."
The agreement follows a similar acceptance of eCOGRA standards by the Malta
regulator, Lotteries and Gaming Authority last month and one last year by the
Kahnawake jurisdiction in Canada, covering hundreds of licensed brands. eCOGRA
is currently in discussions with a number of other national regulators committed
to player protection and fair gaming and hopes to conclude further agreements
soon.
"This is another step toward our goal of forging valuable links and consistent
standards with other regulatory bodies," eCOGRA CEO Andrew Beveridge commented.
"First Cagayan has accepted that operators using software supplied by eCOGRA
members, and that is subject to eCOGRA's principles and testing methodologies,
will not be required to submit their software to further review and monitoring
processes by other third party testing agencies required for a First Cagayan
online gaming license.
”Seventy-six of the
best online casino and poker room brands, belonging to some of
the most well established and successful online gambling groups in the industry
now carry the eCOGRA "Play It Safe" seal, which helps players identify Internet
gambling venues that have voluntarily committed to independent, player
protective regulation and continuous monitoring.
About Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA)
CEZA is a government owned and controlled corporation created under The Republic
Act No. 7922. CEZA possesses the power to operate on its own, either directly or
through a subsidiary entity, or license to others, tourism-related activities,
including games, amusements, recreational and sports facilities such as horse
racing, dog racing, gambling casinos, golf courses, and others under priorities
and standards set by the CEZA.
First Cagayan (www.firstcagayan.com) is a corporation formed under the laws of
the Republic of the Philippines with SEC Registration No. A200005770. It is the
duly authorized Master Licensor for e-gaming, providing regulated licensing for
online gambling companies together with state-of-the-art Internet data center
facilities in Cagayan and Manila such as scaleable server hosting services,
secured environmental and climate control, and reliable power and backup power.
The jurisdiction has partnered with top international telecommunications
entities to provide a Tier One communications infrastructure with access to the
highest-capacity IP backbone in the Asia-Pacific region, with direct
connectivity to the US casinos and Europe. CEZA through First Cagayan accords gaming
operators the chance to become part of a promising business environment, and
provides a well-situated base to penetrate the gaming markets of the
Asia-Pacific Region and the rest of the world.
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