New Online Poker Site Beats Competitors by Getting Serious on Problem Gambling
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 6, 2005-- Holdem
Poker.com has stolen a march on its competitors this week by being awarded accreditation from the Global Gambling Guidance Group (G4) for its commitment to Responsible Gaming. Together with G4, Holdem
Poker.com has worked to implement features and procedures specifically designed to prevent and minimise the harm caused by problem gambling.
Michael Wahlgren, the Director of Holdem
Poker.com welcomed the accreditation, commenting, "Trust is essential in the online poker business. By implementing all of the changes recommended by G4 we demonstrate that we take our responsibilities seriously and can be trusted."
Members of Holdem
Poker.com can now check their gaming activity and set personal limits. For those concerned about problem gambling help is available around the clock on the Holdem
Poker.com website, from the Holdem
Poker.com customer care team and via G4's e-mail counselling service. For those players wishing to distance themselves from gaming altogether a voluntary exclusion program is also available.
To gain accreditation Holdem
Poker.com had to meet a comprehensive set of standards outlined by G4. These included the establishment of strict procedures designed to ensure the suitability of all marketing materials, that all players are aged 18 or over and that all staff are fully trained in relation to problem gambling issues. The standards set by G4 exceed the legal regulations or requirements currently in place in any individual country.
G4's Pieter Remmers commented, "We are very pleased at the efforts made by Holdem
Poker.com to tackle problem gambling. Their efforts send a clear message to their customers and competitors alike and prove that Holdem
Poker.com takes the issue of problem gambling seriously."
About Holdem
Poker.com
Holdem
Poker.com was launched in September 2004 initially offering only free play versions of its poker games. In April 2005 real money versions of the games were introduced. Holdem
Poker.com now has more than 800'000 registered users from more than 100 countries worldwide. Holdem
Poker.com is a part of the Ongame Group.
About G4
G4 is an independent advisory group set up by a group of international experts in the field of problem gambling which aims to minimise the impact of problem gambling by promoting a worldwide accreditation programme. Their experience covers drafting responsible gaming programs for staff in gambling venues, as well as running help lines and face to face counselling services for problem gamblers.
About Ongame
Ongame is a world leader in digital entertainment with a focus on poker. The Group develops and markets everything from stand-alone products to turnkey solutions in poker and leisure games for digital media. By mid 2005, Ongame had a total of 200 employees. Revenue in 2004 was SEK 411 million with a pretax profit of SEK 137 million. The Group's head quarter is located in Sweden. Ongame is one of Sweden's fastest growing companies and was appointed "IT Company of the Year" by Swedish business magazine Veckans Affarer in May, 2005.
Press Release, http://biz.yahoo.com - 2005-10-07 02:02:16
