Affiliate Success
Casino Guru establishes Awards Project to recognize greatest industry achievements
The Casino Guru Awards is the latest project by Casino Guru inspired by guiding the dialogue on consumer safety, and it reflects on the company’s ambition to acknowledge and reward achievement in the gambling industry, specifically in the sectors Casino Guru has contributed to –responsible gambling and consumer education. Casino Guru Awards is the result of this long-term commitment to making gambling safer, fairer, and more accountable for all participants.
Drawing on years of experience as the defining affiliate service in the industry, Casino Guru has transcended its core model to make global changes to the industry, including through its Global Self-Exclusion Initiative, Casino Guru Academy, Fair Gambling Codex, and other initiatives.
Now, the company is stepping up its responsibilities of a gambling industry custodian with the Casino Guru Awards which will celebrate the most committed operators in industry and the professionals who shape its future. The inaugural edition of the event is designed to raise awareness for the Awards and help the most deserving companies serve as good role models industrywide and reach a broader audience.
To participate, companies may nominate themselves through the end of November 2022. Casino Guru will also select worthwhile nominees that will be added to our list in a process that is fair, transparent, and above all else, distinguishes and focuses on merit. A shortlist will be announced in December2022with the official ceremony held online in February 2023. All decisions regarding the outcome of the event will be carried out by hand-picked judges.
Casino Guru Awards will feature judges from some of the biggest companies that are well-established names in the industry, including Kindred Group, Betsson, Gamban, Epic Risk Management, Gordon Moody, and more. The panel will include close to 15 external judges and five of Casino Guru’s own specialists.
Commenting on this project, Daniela Kianicová, PR & External relations Lead at Casino Guru, said: “Casino Guru Awards is a natural continuation of the efforts Casino Guru has put into making gambling safer, fairer, and more transparent for everyone. We worked on the Awards and the categories with the idea to emphasize on areas of the industry that are crucial to consumer safety and can always be improved on.
Our commitment to safer and responsible gambling is unflinching and I am honored to have the opportunity to work alongside the industry’s most distinct professionals to make gambling safer for players. It’s clear to me that Casino Guru Awards will be a benchmark for companies in the industry and a high accolade for any entity that wants to help write the gambling world of tomorrow.”
Casino Guru Awards will run in several categories which will focus on a mix of business achievements and consumer needs. The company feels strongly that achieving a level of excellence across these verticals will result in a better gambling industry for all. The categories include “The Fairest Bonus Policy,” which assesses the fairness of Bonus T&C’s and whether a bonus accounts for breaching applicable rules by accident, among other and equally important criteria.
“The Fairest General T&Cs” category will focus on how a casino’s T&Cs ensure that customers are protected and safeguarded and that they do not fall prey to predatory or hidden rules and details. In true Casino Guru spirit, “The Most Impactful Social Responsibility Initiative” will focus on those operators and companies who understand the importance of responsible gambling and problem gambling prevention.
There is a separate category that will independently assess “The Best Implementation of RG Tools” and “The Most Transparent Casino.” Another important category will be “The Most Effective Handling Complaints,” which is another area where the Casino Guru team feels improvements can be made, giving operators an incentive to operate in a clear and consumer-centric way. Casino Guru is experienced in this particular area having established the Casino Complaint Resolution Center which has thousands of closed cases already.
Last but not least, there is “The Voice of the People” which will be decided by the players, without any intervention. You may find out more about the Casino Guru Awards on the official page, including details about submitting a nomination, who the judges are, and what to expect in the months that lie ahead.
Affiliate Success
Casino Guru secures SBC Awards shortlist for Casino Affiliate of the Year
Casino Guru, the world’s largest and most up-to-date database of online casinos, has landed on the shortlist for SBC Awards 2024 in the Casino Affiliate of the Year category.
Casino Guru, which has processed more than 6,930 casinos, and prides itself on the world’s largest forum community built around informing players, enters a competitive field of 12 contestants all vying for the distinction.
SBC Awards 2024 is due to take place on September 26 at the MEO Arena on the final day of the SBC Summit, celebrating industry-wide achievements. Casino Guru is proud to be shortlisted for this important accolade. The company has worked tirelessly to establish itself at the top of the industry.
In embracing the affiliate business model, Casino Guru has created a groundbreaking and industry-shifting paradigm through the introduction of the Safety Index, a complex algorithm powered by big data, consumer feedback, and a meticulously in-house analyst team that has allowed Casino Guru to not only be the go-to repository for online casinos but also provide players with a credible source of information when it comes to the inherent trustworthiness of each casino brand listed in the constantly-growing database.
In welcoming the nomination, Šimon Vincze, Head of Sustainable & Safer Gambling, said: “I am thrilled to see Casino Guru shortlisted for the category again this year! Our competitors for the winner are recognised companies with a considerable impact on the online gambling affiliate business. The criteria for the winner go beyond our unique approach to affiliation and consider growth in multiple areas. I am convinced that we have much to offer in this sense as well, and I am looking forward to the judge’s conclusion.”
The Safety Index in particular has been a dynamic and living ecosystem that has been evolving on a weekly and monthly basis, registering movements in casinos’ overall ranking based on a comprehensive set of factors, such as complaint resolution, terms and conditions, licensing issues and more.
Having those efforts recognized by the SBC Summit Awards is a huge milestone for the company, which has operated with an unwavering commitment to bringing consumers the best possible choices from a database that easily constitutes the world’s largest.
Casino Guru is a trailblazer in building an affiliate business that is fully consumer-focused and consumer-facing, by offering an uncompromising, verifiable and transparent accreditation process that ultimately benefits consumers and helps match their preferences with the best casino brand.
Casino Guru is looking forward to September 26 and is excited about the opportunity to demonstrate to the panel of judges that the company is committed to raising standards for the way consumers engage with the industry in a manner that protects consumers and distinguishes the best operators and brands on the market, helping drive a sustainable and healthy environment for all.
Affiliate Success
ReferOn Nominated for “Acquisition and Retention Partner” at SBC Awards 2024
ReferOn, a state-of-the-art affiliate management platform, announces its nomination in the Acquisition & Retention Partner category at the prestigious SBC Awards 2024.
The inclusion in this category highlights ReferOn’s efforts to create and develop a targeted product for the needs of the iGaming industry, recognizing the team’s innovative approach and notable results in the field of affiliate marketing.
ReferOn’s nomination as an Acquisition & Retention Partner confirms that the affiliate management platform has proven its effectiveness and understanding of customer needs, as noted by the judging committee. Designed with years of iGaming experience its team, ReferOn caters to the specific needs of affiliates and managers, offering a flexible and scalable solution for managing large networks of companies in one comprehensive hub.
Alexia Gauci, B2B Sales Manager of ReferOn, commented on the nomination: “Being mentioned in the ‘Acquisition and Retention Partner’ category at the SBC Awards 2024 means a lot for our team. We are providing innovative solutions that meet the evolving needs of iGaming professionals. We’re continuously enhancing the platform’s capabilities so our clients can solve the issues they are facing & achieve business goals.”
ReferOn brings reporting capabilities, robust back-office functions, and unique reward mechanics, all designed to simplify administration and enhance data control. With features like Sub-Affiliation and Independent Deal Calculations (IDC), ReferOn offers transparency and flexibility, helping users with tracking key metrics easily for quick data-driven decisions.
In addition to its technical improvements, ReferOn started educational initiatives & received good feedback from the audience. The team already conducted two free seminars, “ReferOn Insights” for Operators and Affiliates to provide valuable knowledge and strategies for maximizing affiliate marketing success.
The ReferOn team will be exhibiting at SBC Summit 2024 in Lisbon and will showcase its latest developments and offerings at booth F430 from 24-26 September. Visitors will be able to ask ReferOn representatives questions and learn more about the platform’s advanced features and innovations.
Affiliate Success
Game Lounge Swedish Website (SveaCasino.Se) now QMRA Compliant
QMRA is a Quality Mark for iGaming affiliates, launched in February 2024. QMRA is available for the following jurisdictions: Belgium, Spain, Denmark, Germany, Norway, Sweden, USA Michigan, UK, Poland, Estonia, Ontario
QMRA is a follow up from successful Dutch Quality Mark KVA, which currently has most affiliates as members and works with several operators (like LeoVegas, TonyBet, HardRockCasino, 711 and Tombola).
QMRA now has various prominent members, like: Gaming Innovation Group (Gentoo), Applied Digital Media Group, Leadstar Media (for Germany) and Game Lounge as well.
Game Lounge joined QMRA with GuideCasino.Be before, and has now joined QMRA with various markets. For Sweden, the first website has been found compliant: SveaCasino.Se
Having the Quality Mark will instill trust in Swedish consumers, authorities and operators.
SveaCasino.Se is a well known Swedish website, with estimated traffic (SEMRUSH) of about 100.000 per month. SveaCasino.Se will be carrying the QMRA mark from now on. This means that the website has been checked against the QMRA Compliance Code:
- Channelling objectives
- The affiliate shall not advertise or promote the offer of unlicensed operators.
- The affiliate shall not make use of brand imagery, call-to-actions or make other references to the website and offer of unlicensed operators.
- Responsible advertising
- The affiliate shall never aim their advertising activities at persons that have not reached the age of 18.
- The affiliate shall add an 18+ characteristic to every webpage of their website and to any marketing activities on social media. The characteristic shall be clearly identifiable and visible to the consumer.
- The affiliate shall be mindful of the design of their marketing activities, as to not directly or indirectly target or exploit minors.
- The affiliate shall not make use of minors, directly or indirectly, in any marketing activity or imagery used in relation to marketing for games of chance.
- The affiliate shall not aversely influence excluded persons in a way that may convince or encourage them to start gambling, discourage them from further self-exclusion or target them in any marketing activity targeted at advertising games of chance.
- Careful and balanced design
- All marketing activities shall use no uncertain terms or mislead the consumer as to the nature, workings, prizes, risks and odds of the offer.
- The affiliate shall not use any uncertain terms or mislead the consumer as to their affiliation, role or activities. The affiliate shall clearly disclose their role as a marketeer.
- The affiliate shall not imply or state that the consumer may have a predominant influence on the outcome of a game of chance, or that the outcome may be influenced in any other way other than chance.
- The affiliate shall clearly state the type of game of chance is offered.
- The affiliate shall clearly state the license status of the operator.
- The affiliate shall not claim that it is quick or easy to win often or a large amount of money in any game of chance.
- The affiliate shall not encourage excessive or irresponsible gambling behavior.
- The affiliate shall not claim that the offer is free, the best, the cheapest or on sale in any way.
- Contributing to responsible gaming
- The affiliate shall share information regarding the risks associated with gambling for money.
- The affiliate shall share information and the means to get help with a (developing) gambling addiction. This information shall be:
- The national support helpline for gambling addiction;
- Parties that offer further assistance for a gambling addiction;
- Further information on gambling addiction;
- The possibility of self-exclusion and the Swedish Gambling Authority.