M4 is a UK-based magazine, and as such we’ve got connections with and support from a lot of UK-based gambling organizations, alongside a few international ones. Keep in mind that they, in turn, also have our own support – every organization listed below is certified awesome and very worthy of the M4 Seal of Aproval.
eCOGRA – Established in 2003, eCOGRA (eCommerce Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance) is a London-based, yet internationally-approved agency that introduced the very first formal self-regulation program for the online gambling industry. In layman’s terms, what this means is that eCOGRA is the first UK organization to give a damn about legitimacy when it comes to online casinos – for over 10 years they’ve been monitoring and certifying the numerous UK-based casinos that have been popping up. They’re also testing their individual games in order to make sure that their RTP (return to player) percentage is within the norm. And last, but not least, whenever there’s some kind of dispute between a certified casino and a player (like an accusation of foul play), eCOGRA take it upon themselves to get to the bottom of things and make sure justice is served. If the UK online casino world was the Marvel universe, eCOGRA would definitely be SHIELD… Just less corrupt and even more awesome.
GAMCARE – Gambling addiction is a huge problem that is plaguing a lot of people who are intimately involved in the gambling industry, whether they’re players or are working for it. And the worst part is that, unlike other addictions like alcohol or drugs, there are no physical signs of gambling addiction – they’re present, but they’re much harder to spot if you don’t know what you’re looking for. There’s also the fact that the “I don’t have a problem, I can stop whenever I want” mentality is extremely widespread among those suffering from gambling addiction, which is why it’s extremely important for someone to be there for them and help them through their issue. That’s GAMCARE’s goal – to provide everyone with free, individual, specialized help in order to help them overcome their problem. We can go on and on about how important iGaming is as a business, but we also shouldn’t forget that as much good as it has done for some, it also has the potential to destroy the lives of others. GAMCARE are here to make sure this doesn’t happen, and that makes them the real heroes.