Ecogra Endorses Absolute Poker and Ultimate Bet

[pokeraddict]

http://www.pokerlistings.com/CEREUS-...fication-27762

The CEREUS Poker Network, which includes UB and Absolute Poker, received an endorsement from one of the leading online gaming regulatory bodies Tuesday.

The e-Commerce Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance (eCOGRA) organization announced that CEREUS passed the requirements for its Certified Software accreditation seal.

Absolute Poker and UB Poker were both mired in cheating scandals that came to light in 2007 and 2008 and initially cost players millions of dollars. The money was eventually returned to the players after a series of investigations.

“Doing everything possible to reassure the poker community that our operation and software are completely safe and secure is a priority for us,” said Tokwiro CEO Paul Legget. “This is why we decided to work with eCOGRA and apply for the Certified Software accreditation seal.”

eCOGRA was established as a non-profit organization by Microgaming and 888.com and has since become one of the most respected regulatory bodies in the online gaming world, reviewing over 150 sites including industry leaders like PartyPoker and bwin.

According to eCOGRA representatives, the CEREUS Poker Network was very open in the rigorous inspection process.

“CEREUS management’s complete cooperation and commitment to an in-depth inspection and monitoring process involving the network’s transaction records and its software has been remarkable,” said eCOGRA chief executive Andrew Beveridge.

“Going forward, we are confident that the network’s adherence to our standards and best business practice requirements will prevent any reoccurrence of the unfortunate incidents of the past.”

The on-site review encompassed every aspect of CEREUS software development activities was conducted earlier this year by professional eCOGRA auditing and technical staff.

[Simmo!]

A step in the right direction for AP and UB but one suspects they have a long way to go to regain the full trust of the community.

[same_old]

Sorry I just have to ask as a general quesiton.

what would eCORGA'S stance on knowing the past scandle with UB/AP with this be.

Are they happy to take them on board even due to the past shannigans that went on?

what lengths would they be able to go to to make sure this type of stuff wont happen, dont get me wrong at least eCORGA is on board as opposed to noone?

[bernynhel]

Sorry I just have to ask as a general quesiton.

what would eCORGA'S stance on knowing the past scandle with UB/AP with this be.

Are they happy to take them on board even due to the past shannigans that went on?

what lengths would they be able to go to to make sure this type of stuff wont happen, dont get me wrong at least eCORGA is on board as opposed to noone?

I don't know about "happy to take them on." "Stuck with them" since UB and AP satisfied the criteria for an endorsement is more like it.

And as far as I'm concerned, eCORGA's endorsement of UB and AP does more to discredit the validity of an eCORGA endorsement that it does to give any immediate legitimacy to anything UP or AP might be up to, these days. Only time will tell, but not with my dime! Hey! Get Mikey! He'll try anything!

[Simmo!]

This announcement will definitely divide opinion. We know that some people consider eCOGRA ineffective and some people consider it useful. We also know some people think the brands should be retired, while some people see the measures taken to remove the human element responsible for the problem as a solution to a repeat performance.

I'm pretty sure that if people are already opinionated on either body, eCOGRA or AP/UB, this move won't change anyone's opinion.

Bottom line for me is that if AP/UB are going to continue to operate, which they clearly are, it makes sense to have in place as many avenues for players to protect themselves as possible.

I think the word endorsement in this context is potentially ambiguous aswell. If we are to assume the author of the article takes certification to mean endorsement, we should also accept that it's certification of new management and operations after the initial issues have been rectified.

Strictly speaking, using the word "endorse" here is wrong (but AP/UB will be happy the author used it I'm sure): when you endorse a company you are saying that you not only agree with the way they act until this point, but beyond it, which is why you see so many people/companies refusing to endorse suppliers and products that they deal with. In eCOGRA's case, they are saying the changes made satisfy certification criteria and that they will monitor the company ongoing. That's not an endorsement, that's a commitment.

[Roanan]

Sorry I just have to ask as a general quesiton.

what would eCORGA'S stance on knowing the past scandle with UB/AP with this be.

Are they happy to take them on board even due to the past shannigans that went on?

what lengths would they be able to go to to make sure this type of stuff wont happen, dont get me wrong at least eCORGA is on board as opposed to noone?

New owners (Tokwilo Enterprises), new software and new management team.

I've stuck with them through thick and thin and will continue to do so.

I love Ultimate Bet

[bernynhel]

New owners (Tokwilo Enterprises), new software and new management team.

I've stuck with them through thick and thin and will continue to do so.

I love Ultimate Bet

I did not know that, thanks! Back in the day at AP before the transparant hands fiasco was exposed, I was playing a tournament when, in one hand, every other player's cards were displayed up! I couldn't believe it! I typed in the table chat for everyone to please protect their hands and they didn't know what I was talkin about. But even before that, I swore to everyone I could that AP was crooked just based on my play at the BJ Table.(remember the little off to the side BJ game? Am I remembering correctly: you could play it in a pop up during poker play?) Anyway everyone said I was nuts then it all went kaBLOOEY.

[LinkinFart]

I tried Absolute Poker recently, don`t ask me why, and 2 things made impression on me.

First, support on live chat is excellent, except one person, and is able to solve any issue immediately.
Second, once verified my account withdrawals to Moneybookers took around or less than 4 hours.

About ecogra certificate, well they didnt had one when I played there and everything was fine.

[skiny]

Personally I put a lot more stock in what real players say about a casino or poker room than I do in an eCrap seal anyway.

[lots0]

Could this possibly be more about MONEY than it already is? I doubt it.

I guess if the entire story on the cheating scandal had come out (it has not) and if the parties responsible for cheating had gone to jail or least been charged with a crime and if ALL the stolen money had been returned to players...

I could see ecogra giving these crooks a endorsement... but the fact is the people that stole all that money from players are still working there(running things) and the there has NEVER been any Justice for anyone involved.

To be honest... I think the people running ecogra have had a major BrainFart and can't seem to clear the air.

I guess I am amazed that ecogra continues to expect people to consider them a "Player Advocate" when they NEVER side with players and ALWAYS side with the MONEY.