Affiliate Compliance
Affiliate marketing industry needs to clean up its act in terms of privacy law compliance
An international operation has found that the affiliate marketing industry has significant issues to overcome in terms of compliance with rules concerning privacy and unsolicited communications.
Affiliate marketing is a commercial arrangement allowing a company to generate business by allowing other organisations (“affiliates”) to promote their products or services. For example, an online retailer may pay commission to an external website for traffic or sales generated from its referrals, by hosting links on its own site or sending links out via email or text message.
A global intelligence-gathering operation by the Unsolicited Communications Enforcement Network (UCENet), involving nine agencies from five countries, visited 902 websites and also examined 6,536 consumer complaints related to affiliate marketing in their respective databases. The issues they found included:
Apparent lack of self-regulation: A majority of participants noted that most of the publicly available terms of services between the affiliates, the merchants, and the affiliate platforms lacked appropriate unsolicited communication guidelines establishing what is permissible.
Lack of consent: Some participating countries that have an opt-in unsolicited communication regime noted that affiliates generally do not possess the consent of the consumer to send electronic communications.
Misleading advertising: Many participants noted the prevalence of misleading advertising in the affiliate marketing ecosystem. Within minutes of beginning their research, sweepers were exposed to some form of misleading advertising.
Affiliate marketing platforms: Some affiliate marketing platforms, which operate as a third party agent handling interactions and payments between merchants and affiliates, have a short lifespan (often less than a year) and conceal their physical location, potentially making enforcement a challenge.
Of the 902 international websites visited during the sweep, 221 were flagged for further action. However, the operation also found many examples of good practice in the industry, demonstrating that compliance with laws on unsolicited marketing can be easily achieved.
The UCENet Sweep 2017 was jointly led by the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC).
Affiliate Compliance
Rightlander and RavenTrack Partner to Boost Affiliate Marketing Compliance and Advertising Opportunities
Leading iGaming compliance and tracking platforms unite to bolster affiliate marketing integrity.
Rightlander, a leading provider of marketing compliance and intelligence solutions, has announced a strategic partnership with RavenTrack, a prominent affiliate tracking platform. This collaboration aims to enhance marketing compliance and risk management for Raven Track clients and help identify untapped advertising opportunities with affiliates across global markets.
The partnership will offer access to Rightlander’s comprehensive suite of innovative marketing compliance solutions, including web, search, and social media monitoring to track affiliate promotional activities, content compliance scanning to ensure adherence to regulatory requirements and monitoring services.
RavenTrack’s diverse client base spans established and emerging markets, and this partnership addresses the growing need for robust compliance measures in regions with evolving regulatory landscapes.
Sarafina Wolde Gabriel, CEO of Rightlander, commented on the partnership: “We’re excited to partner with RavenTrack to offer our cutting-edge compliance and marketing solutions to their global client base. As marketing regulations tighten in established and emerging markets, our tools will help brands and affiliates navigate the complex landscape of marketing compliance and capitalise on advertising opportunities.”
RavenTrack is a leading affiliate tracking platform specialising in providing advanced tracking and analytics solutions to help brands optimise their affiliate marketing programs. Its client base includes prominent brands such as Jumpman Gaming, Betfred, Bet9ja, and Mr. Q, to name a few.
Adam Rowley, RavenTrack’s Managing Director, expressed enthusiasm about the partnership: “At RavenTrack, we understand the critical importance of marketing compliance. Our collaboration with Rightlander represents a significant step forward in our mission to provide our clients with robust, innovative and effective tools for managing their affiliate programs.”
“By integrating Rightlander’s advanced compliance solutions with our cutting-edge tracking platform, we’re empowering our clients to navigate the complex regulatory landscape with confidence while maximising their marketing potential.”
This partnership represents a significant step forward in promoting responsible and compliant marketing practices in the rapidly evolving affiliate marketing industry. By combining RavenTrack’s expertise in affiliate tracking with Rightlander’s advanced compliance tools, the collaboration aims to set new standards for transparency and regulatory adherence in the sector.
Affiliate Compliance
Responsible Gambling Affiliate Association Announces Appointment of George Rover as Executive Director
Responsible Gambling Affiliate Association, the industry trade coalition that advocates for reasonable regulation, responsible advertising, and consumer protection has appointed George Rover as its first Executive Director to lead the organization. Comprising of six major players in the US online gambling affiliate sector, the Association includes Better Collective, Catena Media, FairPlay Sports Media, Gambling.com Group, Spotlight Sports Group, and XLMedia PLC.
As Executive Director, Rover will be responsible for executing the RGAA’s long-term mission to safeguard responsible gambling marketing and advertising practices. His duties as Executive Director will be pivotal in shaping the future of responsible affiliate practices, advocating the needs and interests of the Group’s members, promoting sensible regulation, fostering collaboration with industry stakeholders, and advocating for the highest standards of integrity.
“In the spirit of collaboration – whether it be with state regulators, politicians, legislators or online gambling operators, I look forward to working with key stakeholders and will champion the critical role affiliate companies play in the regulated online gambling ecosystem,” said Rover. “The formation of the RGAA will provide this essential segment of the industry with an important and constructive voice to promote responsible gambling, prioritizing the best interests of consumers through a unified set of high standards and guidelines to achieve long-term success.”
Prior to joining the RGAA, Rover held numerous senior positions with the New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety, Office of the Attorney General and the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (NJDGE). At the NJDGE, Rover oversaw the agency’s Service Industry Licensing, Casino Prosecutions, Internet Gaming and Technical Services Bureaus. During his tenure, he directed the successful launch of Internet Gaming in New Jersey and supervised some of the NJDGE’s most complex licensing and organized crime investigations and prosecutions.
After his retirement from government service, Rover also worked closely with the industry’s leading gaming companies to form the Sports Wagering Integrity Monitoring Association (SWIMA), a national non-profit organization with the mission to detect and discourage fraud and other illegal activity related to betting on sporting events. In addition to his role with the RGAA, Rover will continue to support companies in the gaming industry through his strategic gaming advisory company, Princeton Global Strategies.
“We are thrilled to welcome George Rover to the RGAA family,” said Katie McCord, Chair of the Responsible Gambling Affiliate Association. “His unparalleled expertise, spanning decades in casino and sports betting law, will undoubtedly elevate our organization. George’s substantial contributions to the industry, including spearheading initiatives like SWIMA, showcase his commitment to integrity and innovation.”
Rover will participate in a fireside chat at the Next.io Online Gambling and Sports Betting Summit in New York on March 4 to discuss the dangers of the offshore and unregulated market which continues to target consumers in the US who still lack education regarding legitimate operators.
Affiliate Compliance
AFFILIATE QUALITY MARK LAUNCHED FOR 6 REGULATED MARKETS
At XY Legal Solutions, founder of the Dutch ‘Keurmerk Verantwoorde Affiliates (KVA)’ (https://kva.nl/), we have decided to launch the Quality Mark Responsible Affiliates (QMRA, https://qmra.eu/) for 6 regulated markets:
Spain, Norway, The United Kingdom, Denmark, Germany and Sweden.
The procedure works as follows: the affiliate applies (per website) through our contact form, after which the QMRA Team will review the website. QMRA has Compliance Codes per market on which the reviews will be based. These QMRA Compliance Codes are a distillation of the law in the named markets, relevant for affiliates. The yearly fee for QMRA membership per website is set at 695,- Euro’s (VAT excluded), 595,- when a company offers three or more websites.
The decision to launch this new Quality Mark stems from the tremendous success of KVA. The Dutch situation has demonstrated the need for an affiliate quality mark. No country has a quality mark like KVA. We now aim to change that.
Compliance demands for iGaming are growing for all regulated markets. For affiliates, it is becoming more and more important to show they are able to keep up with compliance standards. A quality mark helps affiliates demonstrate to operators that they are trustworthy. Next to that, the QMRA compliance procedures will help the affiliate to understand relevant legislation.
Launching websites are: CasinoHawks.Com (Game Lounge) and BetterWorldCasinos.Com (Coherentes)