Committee Considers Report from Independent Team

Bill Galston, OBE, a UK gambling industry enforcement and inspection official, chaired the compliance committee which was convened by eCommerce and Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance (eCOGRA).

The committee considered a detailed report on the incident from an independent investigation team. In a list of 10 findings the committee begins with the statement, “The nature and tenor of the Jackpot Factory search engine optimization project was unacceptable because of the fictitious and misleading scenarios it portrayed. This resulted in widespread public disapproval of the campaign.”

Point 2 notes that there was no evidence to show that any individual or group of individuals were harmed or persuaded to indulge in potentially harmful behavior by the campaign, and 3 finds that there was no “malice aforethought” to encourage vulnerable persons to gamble.

In the more positive aspects of the case, point 6 deals with Jackpot Factory’s actions in the aftermath of the SEO debacle, commenting that the company had publicly apologized for the lapse and admitted fault. Finding 7 notes that JF management cooperated fully in the investigation.

Finding 8 makes the point that the faulty systems have been replaced as suggested by the investigation team to prevent a reoccurrence. Finding 9 is especially interesting. It indicates that evidence was produced showing that the damage to business and reputation suffered by Jackpot Factory was substantial as a consequence of public disapproval and the suspension of the Play It Safe seal.  

Taking all the findings into consideration, the committee ruled that the suspension of Jackpot Factory’s “Play It Safe” seals should be lifted, but that increased third party monitoring of Jackpot Factory should be introduced until further notice. Galston closed the proceedings with a note of thanks to players for their assistance and comments, and made the observation that Jackpot Factory cooperated fully in bringing the issue to a close.

He also noted that eCOGRA’s objective in cases such as this: “.... is to remove the immediate cause and potential for harm as quickly as possible, and then through fair and factual investigation, isolate the reasons and ensure that systems are in place to guard against any repetition,” had been met in full.

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