In the online casino industry, one element that a lot of people are not aware of is test houses and how important they are to ensure that each online casino operates functionally and also legally.

This page covers in detail all of the aspects surrounding test houses and why they are so important to the online casino industry, including all of the relevant testing agencies and how each one differs from the other, including the features, advantages and benefits of each one.

 

What do Test Houses do?

The main thing that test houses do is ensure that the games and slots that an online casino offers are completely random. This is because every test house is and has to be approved by the gambling commissions, all of which have strict legislation that each online operator has to adhere to. Because of this, each test house is trusted by gambling commissions to ensure that every operator which has a license is following the rules, which includes monitoring whether the slots and games are 100 percent random.

Furthermore, the test houses ensure that the public knows that each of the products that operators list on their sites is fair and provide them with peace of mind. Also, another key job is to make sure that none of the site’s games uses a particular combination when it comes to payouts or sequences.

Making sure that the online gambling industry is a safe environment for players is ultimately essential to what test houses do because in recent years, players have become warier and warier about this and there is also a lot of false information about it.

 

What are the main test houses?

Let’s take a look at some of the major test houses that help to keep the gambling industry operating in a fair, safe and legal manner, all of which are approved by the gambling commissions.

 

eCOGRA

This is known by its full name as e-Commerce Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance and this company is arguably one of the biggest test houses among its competitors.

It was founded in 2003, at around the time when a lot of the major online operators started to grow considerably online. They are a leading, independent and internationally approved testing company, and they specialise in the certification of online gaming software and systems.

eCOGRA has a vast number of industry recognition awards which relate to ISO accreditation, and all staff members have a huge amount of legal, financial, technological and business administration experience. With the majority of their employees having worked for some of the biggest management consultancies in the world, it means that they have a great foundation to provide some of the best and most knowledgeable expertise. eCOGRA is extremely well thought of in the world of online gambling and, as a result of this, they have an impressive list of clients.

 

GLI

Standing for Gaming Labs International, they bought another testing house in 2010 (Technical Systems Testing – founded in 1993). Established in 1989, the company has tested nearly 2 million items and has both consulted on and/or tested equipment in more than 475 countries. Over the years, they have carved out a niche for themselves, becoming specialists in lottery providers and are well respected in the industry.

 

TST

This stands for Technical Systems Testing and has been in operation since 1993, which is a great sign; ultimately they have been around since before gambling appeared online and are one of the oldest testing labs in the world. With offices in a number of different locations around the world, which includes Vancouver, London, Macau and Manilla, the company uses their own proprietary methods, which enables them to test both single-player and multiplayer online games. What they also do is provide similar services to land based casinos, due to the fact that they began operations before online gaming launched. Since 2010, though, TST has been affiliated to GLI, however, they still operate independently.

 

iTech Labs

Operational since 2004 and based principally in Australia, iTech Labs is a globally renowned testing and certification laboratory with expert staff across multi disciplines. With some of the biggest clients across the iGaming industry, they work in a number of regions, including Australia, Asia and Europe. Their senior management alone has more than 100 hours testing and certifying gambling equipment and online gambling technology.

 

BMM Testlabs

This is perhaps one of the oldest, private, independent testing laboratories in the industry. The company has offices in excess of 13 different countries, while their compliances services are also licensed in at least 400 different jurisdictions. As well as checking sites and games for their randomness and other factors as well, they also offer consultation services, in addition to field work aimed at operators in order to assist in making sure that they are complying with regulations.

 

Our Commitment to Fair Gaming

One of the things that we pride ourselves on making sure that all of the online operators that we recommend are regulated and licensed by the UKGC (United Kingdom Gambling Commission), which means that all of the games and slots are honest and fair. We are committed to making sure that your online gambling experience exceeds expectations and as a result, we only recommend the sites that we are confident are tested on a regular basis.

 

FAQ’s

While we have endeavoured to ensure that we have provided as much information as we can about test houses in the online gambling industry, we understand that you still may have questions about them. As a result of this, we have done our best to anticipate some of the ones which we feel are important and answered them as best as we can.

If there are still questions that you have about test houses, please feel free to get in touch via our ‘Contact Us’ page with your query and we will do our best to answer it as soon as we possibly can!

Are all casino games fair?
Due to the fact that every site that we recommend, and list has to be licensed and regulated by the UKGC, it means that they are subsequently subject to the business practices of test houses and are continuously monitored. As a result, every casino game that we recommend is fair. While we cannot necessarily speak for other sites which are not listed on our website, in general the majority of casino games in the industry are indeed, fair.
How do I know if a site has been tested by a test house?
One of the main ways to make sure that a site has been tested by a testing agency is that they will all usually have that agency’s specific logo listed somewhere at the bottom of the operator’s website, such as the eCOGRA logo which is one of the most easily identifiable in the industry. Sometimes, though, that may not necessarily be the case, however, in these instances, especially with the sites that we recommend, there will be the UKGC logo, which means the site will be monitored by a test house. The UKGC constantly keeps a check on every operator site and comes down very heavily on any site that uses their logo illegally.
Are all test houses honest?
Each test house in the industry is required to be financially independent which means they cannot be subject to bribes from any of the operators. In addition, a great number of them in the industry have been around for a considerable amount of time and, as a result, maintain great relationships with the majority of gambling commissions around the world.
What are the most recognised test houses?
Arguably the biggest and most identifiable test house in the industry is eCOGRA, as this has built up a major reputation which has led to a number of important industry awards. While this has not been around as long as the other testing agencies, eCOGRA is extremely well thought of by the authorities and operators alike. Furthermore, eCOGRA is home to a vast number of employees who have major experience with some of the best management consultancies in the world, which helps to lend accreditation. GLI are also reputable, having been around since 1989.
What should I do if I believe that a game is not fair?
Arguably the best thing to do if you think that a game is not fair, is to make a complaint directly to the gambling commission that regulates the site that you found the game on. As a result of doing this, they can then investigate the matter further and then come to a conclusion, though, in order to support your case, it is always worth making sure you have the requisite evidence. Furthermore, feel free to get in touch via the Contact Us page and we will do our best to look into the matter further and take as many necessary steps as we can in order to help resolve this issue for you and respond as soon as possible.

Author

James King
James King is an iGaming journalist with over a decade worth of expierence. Having worked as part of varous online casinos digital content team, he moved into journalism covering the latest news and devlopments in the iGaming world.