MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT: APCW HAS MERGED

[DiamondGeezer]

This industry has a deeply flawed business model IMO. I have never understood why players should trust affiliates when the affiliates are getting paid by the casino's. It is a trait that I have noticed on here quite a lot - some folk are pretty naive and way too trusting! Do not trust affiliates folks. You will only ever get half the story.

What this industry needs is more websites based on the model of paid advertising and an independent assessment. The affiliate model belongs back in the dot com boom. This is the age of the Webmaster - a legitimate business that is not dependent on players revenue streams for a living.

[winbig]

This industry has a deeply flawed business model IMO. I have never understood why players should trust affiliates when the affiliates are getting paid by the casino's. It is a trait that I have noticed on here quite a lot - some folk are pretty naive and way too trusting! Do not trust affiliates folks. You will only ever get half the story.

Uh, there's nothing flawed with the business model. You CANNOT group all affiliate programs/casinos as one. Just because there's a few bad apples doesn't mean they ALL are.

FYI, there ARE great affiliates out there, and you most definitely get ALL of the story from them. I'm sure they'll be here soon to say their piece; but I can confirm that you've just given them a slap in the face, including the owner of this site!

I hope you're ready for the shitstorm that you just created.

Also, what's so flawed about the business model? I guess all travel agents are evil as well, because they are basically an affiliate for airlines, cruise ships, hotels, etc.

[Pinababy69]

What this industry needs is more websites based on the model of paid advertising and an independent assessment. The affiliate model belongs back in the dot com boom. This is the age of the Webmaster - a legitimate business that is not dependent on players revenue streams for a living.

Win, you may want to read Diamond Geezer's post again. In the paragraph I quoted, he is describing Casinomeister/Bryan to a tee. Bryan has stressed more than once, that he is really not an affiliate, but a webmaster. And I think if you ask him, you'll find that most of his advertising on here is paid for ie. media buy, and not on the affiliate model. That's a guess, but it's the way I've always assumed it is done here.

FTR, I'm no fan of the affiliate model either. Yes, there are good affiliates, but unfortunately in eight years of online gaming, I've found that the bad ones outweigh the good, by a good margin.

Go punch in online casinos/gambling into Google, and search some of the sites that come up on the first couple of pages. I think you'll find that many of them promote what the "good guys" consider to be rogue casinos, especially Virtual and all their clones. It's a losing battle, especially when you have webmasters such as JTodd/APCW, who "did" have some credibility, now supporting shitholes like the Gambling Wages casinos.

[winbig]

True.....

I will retract my statement about how it applies to Bryan, but it's still a kick in the balls to all of the great affiliates out there.

[Pinababy69]

True.....

I will retract my statement about how it applies to Bryan, but it's still a kick in the balls to all of the great affiliates out there.

Absolutely agreed Win.

Unfortunately there's just too few of them. The ones that I do consider ethical and good, are for the most part the ones who contribute to this forum, and who do make the effort to keep up on current player issues. There are just way too many who throw up a website, sign up for every affy program out there, and toss up a million banners, without doing a lick of research.

Or...the ones who do know better, but just don't care who they promote, as long as the affy program treats them right. Those are the ones I REALLY have a problem with.

[dominique]

As long as there are players who either click on bad affiliate sites or/and spam mail, and as long as there are players who will not support quality sites, you will have a whole lot of crappy affiliate sites.

Affiliates survive only if people click on their links.

It is up to players to weed out the bad by ignoring them, there will always be people online trying to make a quick buck who could care less about the mess they create. That's not unique to this industry either.

There will also always be good people who spend all their time gathering information to make your life easier.

If you think a site is crap, please don't click on anything there, and it will die a slow death.

If you would like to see a site in existance tomorrow, you do need to support it with clicks or it will also die.

Whether the site is selling ad space or uses the affiliate model or, most common among the bigger information sites, uses both, they all need clicks to survive.

No clicks, no site. No clicks, no spammers. It's all in your hands.

[mojo]

I will post as an affiliate here. If anything will help APCW right now it will be Casino City/GPWA. I hold the GPWA seals on my sites and take them very seriously. I uphold the affiliate seal of approval that I try to do business in an ethical manner.
I questioned the apcw merge within the GPWA. I trust in the GPWA that the recent events will stop now. Meaning that there will be no more bashing and bad words/videos from the APCW. However, with the recent events, if the gpwa and the apcw merge did not value me as an affiliate, I will remove the GPWA seal from my sites. That's all I can say and I hope you take it as face value from an affiliate that is trying really hard.

All I can say is that this will never be the case again with JTodd under GPWA.

[Casinomeister]

Actually, I don't think that the way advertisers are paid has any bearing to advertising scruples or business ethics - be it rev share, CPA, flat fees, or sexual favors. Advertising is advertising, and most of the webmasters I know take this seriously.

To be fair - the APCW has been producing webcasts for quite some time now. He has scrutinized crooked US politicians, stupid gaming laws, and exposed a number of affiliate programs that were screwing their webmasters. We shouldn't lose sight of this.

GW approached the APCW (not the other way around) because they wanted to wipe the slate clean. J.Todd stuck his neck out to try and get some players paid - evidently he did. So that's good for him - and everyone involved to include these players.

This reminds me of when I removed Crystal Palace from the rogue section, or when I gave the Virtual Group a second and third chance. Some people when ballistic, and I had a hard time getting them to see the big picture. And I felt it was only fair to give someone a chance to make good. In most situations, it's been a positive experience; sometimes it goes pear-shaped.

Also, these things are never ending. Who's to say that in a few weeks or a few months, J.Todd may find out he's been duped. You never know. We all deserve to approach these matters within our own perspectives.

[Webzcas]

This acquisition is a good move in my view. Whilst I realise there are several programs who sponsor the GPWA which I personally wouldn't touch with Simmo!'s let alone mine.

Michael Corfman has always been up front about the 'Certified Programs' on the GPWA. I know because I have asked him about this in person.

In the fact that they are sponsors and are not certified. This is very important to remember

By being listed on the GPWA, it allows an avenue for affiliates and affiliate programs to communicate with each other, should problems arise. This is a good thing IMO.

Casino City is a directory of all gambling operations and thus lists pretty much every online casino going.

The APCW and JTodd have done some sterling work for the industry in the last year or so and this should not be overlooked. By now being part of the Casino City Group however, this should ensure any outbursts which may cause offence, hit the cutting room floor so to speak in the future.

[mojo]

I always believe in transparancy. Should players be interested in reading they can do so here:

http://www.gpwa.org/forum/what-do-yo...zy-177751.html

There is also disruption in the affiliate world. This is what affiliates are about. There is nothing like the truth.