CARDSPIKE PROOF PROMISED THIS WEEK (Update)

16 January 2009

Casino City chief to reveal results following investigations

 

The CardSpike issue, and in particular the ownership and/or management aspects of the troubled online poker site, remained prominent in message board discussions as the week progressed, with Casino City and GPWA chief Michael Corfman posting on the popular Casinomeister forum to detail his companies' intentions.

Corfman and his competitor Lou Fabiano at Casino Affiliate Programs have been at loggerheads on the ownership issue (see previous InfoPowa reports) following allegations that top CAP management have a beneficial ownership in CardSpike, something which CAP has vigorously denied.

In his post, Corfman revealed that Casino City and the GPWA had been investigating the claimed no-slow payment of affiliates and players by CardSpike for some time and were nearing the point where the results of their enquiries could be safely released, when the story broke publicly. This had persuaded him to make comments on the ownership issue on the GPWA forum.

"But preparing all of the material for public presentation and connecting all of the dots in a way that can be publicly presented takes time. So we decided that in order to get the story out in a way we could manage we needed to do a four part story," he wrote.

Corfman went on to detail his companies' plan for reportage on the matter and the release of proof on his assertions regarding CardSpike, writing that Part 1 covered the fact that CardSpike was not treating players and affiliates apprpriately in terms of timely payments, and the fact that many sites had made such statements.

"Part 2 covered the fact that two of the owners of Affiliate Media (that operates the CAP and PAP forums among other things) also own another company called Effective Media group," Corfman continued.

"Part 3, which will be out later this week (we hope Tuesday, but maybe Wednesday) will establish, among other things, a clear relationship between Effective Media group and Cardspike, and in so doing establish clear relationships between the management of Affiliate Media and Cardspike."

Corfman said that Part 4, which he hoped would be published by the end of the week, would be the publication of any response from Affiliate Media to the facts shown in part 3, and would delve deeper into Cardspike relationships.

"I agree that people should wait and see the evidence before forming a final opinion," Cofman wrote in answer to comments urging the publication of proof on allegations swirling around CAP.

"At this point in time any opinion based solely on what I have said is an opinion based on heresay (sic). Many folks know I would not say things without good reason, but until those good reasons are available for all to see it is all just personal opinion, he concluded. "Think of what I have said as being opening arguments in a court of law. It is the facts subsequently presented that matter. The opening remarks just give folks a general idea of what is coming."

Corfman's post was preceded by the banning of one of his employees, Rebecca Liggero, from the CAP conference scheduled for London later this month. Liggero used Facebook and the GPWA message board at http://www.gpwa.org/forum/cap-spring-break-09-other-dates-177570/p2.html#post524680 to confirm that she had been banned, and that she would be making her own report public on the banning.

"Just to confirm the rumors, yes, it is true- CAP's Warren sent me a message the other day confirming that I have been "banned" from all CAP events because of the situation between him, Lou and Michael. Totally unfair as I was not involved - a low blow if you ask me," she wrote.

STOP PRESS:

As we went to press this (Tuesday) morning, CAP CEO Warren Jolly posted the following "clarification" on the company's affairs at http://www.casinoaffiliateprograms.com/bb/cp-emg-cardspike-com-statement.33277.html?

The statement was picked up and re-posted at competitor GPWA's forum here: http://www.gpwa.org/forum/cardspike-cap-gambling911-178366/p9.html:

QUOTE:

Affiliate Media Inc., a Nevada Corporation with Offices in Irvine CA., and it’s shareholders are the owner /operators of the following web properties and products:

1. CasinoAffilitiatePrograms.com , Pokeraffiliateprograms.com, AffiliatePrograms.com – These are online communities designed to service the affiliate sector of their respective marketing niches.

2.AffiliateRevenue.com – Retail advertising agency with a primary focus on consumer finance and B to B sales.

3.Joint Ventures

A. CAP Magazine with Lyceum Media (UK).
B. CAP Euro Events with iGaming Business (UK].
C. AffiliateSpeedPay.com (ASP) exclusive marketing agent and creative direction consulting.

Note: Affiliate Media Inc. has no ownership directly or indirectly of Affiliate Speedpay.com (ASP) or the EU Licensed bank which maintains the affiliate accounts. We have no direct or indirect access to banking/affiliate data or users. We did help author the product to serve as a stable affiliate payment solution after the Neteller fund seizures which affected many of us in the industry.

Clarifications:

1. Affiliate Media Inc. has no direct or indirect ownership whatsoever in CardSpike.com. CardSpike management did pay a full certification fee for exposure on CasinoAffiliatePrograms.com (CAP) and a full All In Partner fee for exposure on PokerAffiliatePrograms.com (PAP). That is the full and total extent of the relationship between the two parties.

Effective Media Group (EMG) is a Florida Corporation with offices in Orlando, FL. It was established by a separate set of share holders then AMI with the express intent of offering consulting services to online merchants, in ALL sectors. Our initial focus was to assist investors and operators of online gaming properties. We launched this business to satisfy the continuous requests from new and existing gaming operators for our consulting assistance and guidance with their affiliate marketing and general online marketing initiatives. In 2009, EMG will be branching out into other markets such as finance and travel to further satisfy clients without the necessary expertise to execute efficient online strategies. Both Lou and Warren maintain individual shares in EMG along with other shareholders.

Clarifications:

1. Affiliate Media Inc. has no shares or monetary influence in this new company whatsoever. It is wholly separate company with a different set of business goals and clients.

2. Effective Media Group, its officers, staff and investors have no direct or indirect ownership in CardSpike.com. EMG operated as performance based consultant ONLY for an offshore investor.

EMG was established as a consulting service, offering scalable solutions for all online marketing niches. Turnkey fully managed solutions are available or they can provide training and support for new/existing clients. UNQUOTE

Jolly's post also confirms that CAP and PAP have dropped certification, recommendation and support of the CardSpike.com product. "It’s our understanding that Effective Media has not been paid in full for their management services either and are pursing that vigorously with CardSpike.com," he concludes.

GPWA's chief Michael Corfman observed that his staff would be reviewing their material and preparing an appropriate response in that context.

"In any event, we view more complete disclosure of relationships to be a significant and positive step forward. This way some of the biases that were present are more visible for others to see," he concluded.

Stripped of the detail, the CAP statement continues to refute allegations that it has a beneficial ownership interest in CardSpike. The questions now being asked in the affiliate community include confirmation of which company was responsible for paying affiliates what was due to them - and apparently failed to render efficient service....and the mystery that continues to surround the real owners of CardSpike.

Online Casino News Courtesy of Infopowa

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