First, kudos for fighting this fight. It's absolute crap what CPays is doing here and whatever can be done to prevent this from continuing (or growing) is good stuff.
I do, however, take issue with this particular comment:
Quote:
Originally Posted by dominique
At the end of the day, the casinos need us more than we need them.
|
I'm about to step in a landmine, but here goes...
When you say "us," I'm assuming you mean affiliates. While so many affiliates strive to do the "right thing," there's hundreds more out there who don't give a rats ass and are simply out for the quick buck. Were this not the case, we certainly wouldn't have sites like Cirrus, Prism, etc.
Currently, offline marketing is growing by leaps and bounds. Ask any online casino head-of-marketing about their offline marketing development and you'll get quite an education of how important offline has become. It's a natural progression for this industry and one that any of us marketing online needs to take seriously.
Do casinos profit greatly from the "good affiliates?" Absolutely. Have the "good affiliates" contributed to the success of online casinos? Absolutely. Are the "good affiliates" RESPONSIBLE for the success of online casinos? Arguable. Contributing and being the sole source of revenues are two entirely different things. I can guarantee that those less-ethical affiliates are responsible for far more revenues than that of their ethical, hard-working counterparts.
While I certainly don't underestimate the power of those hard-working, ethical affiliates, I do feel it is an over-assessment to say that the casinos need "you" more than "you" need "them."
With this in mind, I ABSOLUTELY believe that the "good" affiliates can help affect change--no question about it. It's been proven on dozens of occasions. What I DO question is the power of "good" affiliates in making change where both "bad affiliates" and crap operators are concerned. Without true regulation, it's a bit like plugging holes in a leaky boat with chewing gum, IMO.
I hope whoever reads this understands I am NOT anti-affiliate (I've been trying to lose that moniker for years, now). I AM, however, anti-crap-affiliate and there does need to be that distinction. I also believe that all sides of the industry needs to be realistic and objective in our expectations.