LONDON, September 6 /PRNewswire/ --

- Players Urged to Have Their Say

eCOGRA (eCommerce and Online Gambling Regulation and Assurance) www.ecogra.org, the online gambling industry's player protection and standards authority, announces the launch of its much anticipated Global Online Gambler Survey. As of today, millions of poker and casino players worldwide will be offered the opportunity to have their say, in what has been widely reported as the largest research initiative ever undertaken into the behaviour and attitudes of online gamblers.

Covering areas such as poker, casino, player protection, responsible gambling and even luck, the survey will be promoted to players via an unprecedented show of support from leading software providers, operators and portals, as well as through eCOGRA's own contact database.

The results are expected to create a better understanding of players' needs and concerns; information that is vital if it is to continue to offer them a rewarding and safe online gambling experience.

eCOGRA members 888, Microgaming and Ongame, whose software together handles the majority of the online casino industry's turnover, are supporting this survey together with many of their operators that have been awarded the eCOGRA 'Play It Safe' seal. In addition, more than 30 top online gambling portals and other leading operators will promote this survey through hyperlinks on homepages, and outreach to the online gambling community.

Devised by the leading gambling research team from Nottingham Trent University and supported by the University of Nevada (Las Vegas), the survey will be supplemented by qualitative focus groups in six of the industry's major markets - US, UK, Japan, Canada, Germany and Sweden - due to take place from October.

The resulting 'eCOGRA Global Online Gambler Report' is due to be launched to the public in January 2007.

Andrew Beveridge, CEO, eCOGRA comments, "Our aim all along has been to maximise participation in this groundbreaking project, one of the largest of its kind undertaken in any field. Very few players on reputable sites will remain unaware of the survey in the coming weeks and we would urge everyone to complete it in full. The results will give them and us a better understanding of how this rapidly expanding industry has developed and where it might be heading, informing future decisions that we hope will ultimately lead to a greater improvement of standards across all aspects of the industry."

Players can find the survey at www.ecogra.org/playersurvey and anyone wishing to promote the survey can contact eCOGRA directly for the hyperlink.

Notes

eCOGRA, the independent standards authority for the online gambling industry, is committed to protecting online casino and poker players around the world. The non-profit organisation addresses the most important issues to players: fast payouts, fair gaming, responsive and efficient service and responsible operator conduct.

eCOGRA provides an international framework of best operational and player practice requirements enforced through inspections, reviews, and continuous monitoring by independent global audit companies. To date, over 100 sites comply with these requirements and have been awarded the coveted "Play It Safe" Seal that identifies to players the safest online gambling sites on the Web. For more information on how eCOGRA is constantly improving standards in online gaming for players everywhere, go to www.ecogra.org

For all media queries or to arrange a briefing, please contact: Stuart Hehir, Chameleon PR, London, stuart@chameleonpr.com, Susan Lindner; Lotus Public Relations, New York, Susan.lindner@lotus-pr.com