News
Things must change
James Ashton from FindMyUKCasino.com says that affiliates targeting self-excluded players are damaging the entire industry
The relationship between online casino operators and affiliates is under more strain than ever before as regulators and watchdogs continue to tighten responsible gambling requirements.
The UK Gambling Commission has made clear that operators are ultimately responsible for the content that is published on their behalf by affiliates.
This has forced online gambling brands and their affiliate managers to audit their publisher partners and set guidelines for the responsible marketing of their sites.
As a professional online casino affiliate committed to responsible and compliant marketing, we have welcomed this approach as we believe it is also our responsibility to protect players.
This has seen us carry out major changes to our site, from ensuring significant and full terms and conditions are always next to bonus offers via auditing and reworking content.
For example, our best online casino page only lists four of our partner online casino brands with those listed scoring the highest during our review process.
Other online casino affiliates list hundreds of online casinos under their best online casino pages in a bid to maximise revenues from what is usually a high-volume traffic page.
We believe players searching for best online casinos are looking for information about the brands that stand out above the rest – listing hundreds to maximise commission is therefore irresponsible.
There are plenty of online casinos affiliates just like us, affiliates that care about players and being responsible over trying to turn a quick profit. But there are some that are not.
Recently I have seen a growing number of online casino affiliates creating content aimed at UK players that have self-excluded, pushing them to non UKGC-licensed websites.
These publishers are writing ranking pages around terms such as “Online casinos not on GamStop” when we all know that UKGC-licensed operators must work with GamStop.
These ranking pages then list tens or even hundreds of online casino sites that hold licenses from Curaçao and other offshore jurisdictions.
The only reason for creating content around these terms is to target those that have self-excluded because they believe they have a gambling problem or acknowledge the have an addiction.
This is disgraceful behaviour on behalf of the affiliate and is doing untold damage to publishers that believe the foundation of their business is to protect all players, not just the most vulnerable.
Some publishers have stopped short of actually listing online casinos that are not on GamStop and that don’t hold a UKGC licence, but have still created content around these terms.
Again, this is clearly aimed at drawing players searching for these terms to their sites, and then pushing them to other articles and reviews where they are encouraged to sign up and play.
Online gambling operators should also be concerned; some of the publishers creating these sorts of pages are among the largest in the industry and also promote UK-licensed brands.
These operators should be concerned about what impact partnering with affiliates that undertake such black hat techniques might have on their licence should the UKGC find out.
This practice needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency; online casino affiliates publishing such pages should do the right thing and take them down.
UK-licensed online casino operators should better audit their partners – just Google “Online casinos not on GamStop” and you can easily see who is creating content around these terms.
Once they have identified the culprits, they should issue an ultimatum – remove the page or they will cease working with them. This is the only way to protect players and, ultimately, their licence.
On a personal and professional note, it really is a shame to see that some affiliates do not see that their ultimate responsibility is to ensure that players are properly protected.
To do this, they need to provide them with the information they need – including T&Cs – about online casinos to enable them to make an informed decision about where to play.
They should make players aware of the resources available to them if they do feel they have a problem, such as GamStop, and not use it as a technique for acquiring new players.
There are plenty of affiliates out there doing great things when it comes to responsible gambling and compliance, which makes it such as shame that a small number are behaving so badly.
This is not only damaging to online gambling operators and affiliates, but also to the UK players they are pushing to these offshore sites.
Conferences
Industry leader Parimatch launches The Idol: Black is Back at iGB Affiliate in Barcelona
Are you an idol? Then join us as we take iGB Affiliate Barcelona by storm this January with The Idol: Black is Back, a unique series of events including amazing deals, giveaways, and our stunning Asian Euphoria party where dark luxury fuses with Asian artistry.
A new era is dawning at Parimatch and we want to celebrate it with you in style!
Once again Parimatch’s stand E20 will be the epicenter of iGB Affiliate Barcelona, an annual highlight of the iGaming industry at the iconic city’s famous Fira Gran Via.
We’re confident that Parimatch’s stand will be the talk of the conference. Here’s what you can look forward to:
- Fantastic deals: The latest updates and exclusive offers you can’t miss
- Giveaways where you’ll have the chance to win unique prizes
- Our Hall of Fame: Become part of Parimatch’s history
But wait, there’s more. As Parimatch embarks on a new era we are inviting over 500 partners and brand friends to our immersive Asian Euphoria party at a stunning location in the center of Barcelona where you will experience:
- The party headliner – world-famous DJ Steve Aoki
- The very best in performance art that Barcelona has to offer
- The world of Asian luxury merging with American pop culture
Don’t miss out! Be sure to join us to witness Parimatch set new standards at booth E20 at iGB Affiliate, Barcelona, January 20-23. And don’t stop there – join the Asian Euphoria party on January 21 and see us set a new trend for the entire industry!
iGB
iGB Affiliate Conference Program to feature 11 hours of insight, masterclasses and debate
Delegates attending next week’s iGB Affiliate Barcelona will have access to a programme of 14 business critical insight sessions delivered by a 40 strong assembly of industry thought leaders and experts in their respective fields.
The 2025 Program comprises sessions entitled: Affiliate Rundown L!VE: The 2024 Trends That Will Define 2025, Video Killed the Text-based Star: Platforms & Formats for Engaging the Next Generation, Navigating the Road Ahead, New Localisation Strategies to Secure a Slice of the Latin America and Africa Pies, Parasite SEO in iGaming: A Winning Formula to Dominate Search Engines or a Risky Gamble?, Growing Pains: Scaling Operations for Accelerating Affiliate Growth, Plugging Into a Fast Growing Vertical: Sweepstakes, Mastering PPC in iGaming Affiliate Marketing: A Data-Driven Blueprint for Paid Media Success, Market Insights: Unlocking the Next Big Opportunity in Asia and the Middle East, Crack the Code to Viral Success: The Ultimate Guide to a Million Views & Building a Robust Multi-Stream Influencer Business Model, Finding Your Next Role in a Time of Flux: The Inner Workings of Affiliate Recruiters, Masterclass: Reddit 101, Trust and Transparency: What Does a Win-Win Affiliate Data Share Look Like? and Business Without Borders: Boost Your Affiliate Game with International SEO.
The industry-leading line-up assembled by the iGB Affiliate organising team includes Michael Caselli, Non-Executive Chairman – Clarion Gaming, Corey Padveen, Partner – T2 Marketing International and Editor-at-Large, iGB Affiliate, Caleb Dykema, Co-founder & CEO – Vault Sports, Jamison Selby, CEO – Rubystone, Martin Calvert, Marketing Director – ICS-digital, Miruna Pandele, Head of Acquisition – Affiliates Bay, Jonas Warrer, CEO – Gentoo Media, Ben Cove, Chief Marketing Officer – Logifuture, Luis Portela de Carvalho, Partner – Lektou Advogados, Sasha Boerma, Commercial Director for Africa – Split The Pot, Dragan Berak, Head of SEO (AskGamblers and CasinoMeister) – Gentoo Media, Jamie Walters, CEO & Cofounder – QiH, Lee-Ann Johnstone, Founder – Affiverse, Rosi Bremec, COO – Game Lounge, Seth Schorr, CEO – Fifth Street Gaming , Simon Pilkington, Managing Director – Best Betting Media, Stephen Carter, Head of Affiliate Content – Clarion Gaming, and Alex Windsor, CMO – GameTime Digital.
Looking ahead to the first edition of iGB Affiliate to be held in Barcelona, Naomi Barton, Global Portfolio Director, iGB Events said: “I am incredibly passionate about delivering an exceptional and holistic experience on behalf of all of our customers. The Conference Program is an essential part of our pledge to facilitate outstanding business networking, deliver high-quality content, and provide thought leadership that fosters trust-based partnerships and drives growth throughout the iGaming affiliate ecosystem. The Program has been curated in consultation with our customers in order the key topics impacting their business and is being delivered by industry experts. It is a key part of the iGB Affiliate experience.”
iGB Affiliate 2025 will feature a record 250 industry-leading exhibitors and sponsors and host a vibrant community of 8000+ iGaming Affiliates and Tech Vendors.
Affiliate Announcements
Statutory levy affiliate reaction
“I personally think the industry should view this as a positive chance to work hand-in-hand with the NHS, charities and government as all stakeholders pull together to minimise gambling harm. Gambling is meant to be fun and entertaining and the industry must ensure that it is responsible, so that those in need can gain access to properly funded support as and when they need it.”
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