WARNING Affiliates Who Target Problem Gamblers

[Harry_BKK]

Well at this juncture I think we diverge in opinion to the point of being irreconcilable. The comparisons/similarities between gambling addiction and other substance based addictions are well documented and plentiful:

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Scientifically they are far from dissimilar and to suggest that 'hiding' addiction or that substance abuse (specifically alcohol) is 'social' as the principal differences separating gambling addicts ignores large volumes of the more severely addicted substance abusers who go to great lengths to hide their substance addiction issues from friends and family. While online gambling may not be a 'social' activity for healthy users this particular comparison isn't of healthy users and substance addiction often takes on the same 'hidden' qualities as gambling addiction.

At no point have I questioned your position that 'we are part of the problem'. Anyone involved in the industry in any way is clearly part of a system that harms some. But that's not what's been contested. From the outset you looked to represent the concern expressed in this thread by all those in the industry as fake and self-serving (

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). I find that to be not only faulty in terms of your 'cause and effect' analysis (being in the industry does not preclude having basic human social concern for those whom the industry may damage) but also (mildly) offensive, devaluing to zero the concerns of anyone you view to be 'compromised' by involvement with the industry.

You are entirely entitled to your opinion, but mine would be that in taking this position (which paints with a very broad brush) you've belittled the concerns of a large number of participants in this conversation, implied that those participants are disingenuous in their intent and potentially put other affiliates off from trying to use their influence for social good in the future. I've little doubt that you would be right to suggest that some only care to be seen to do the right thing publicly, but I could also point out several involved in this conversation whose outrage was anything but artificial. I would also suggest that this conversation - which admittedly I have been a willing participant in and as such share in any blame - has shifted the focus of attention away from actually addressing this issue to whether or not affiliates have any right to comment. That discussion is likely to achieve far less on a practical level.

Anyway - one of my goals for this year was to disengage with forums as I don't feel the time spent is delivering optimum returns. I'm self-sabotaging by continuing to post! So I'm going to leave it hear. The last addition to the conversation I will make however is to say that since Saturday we have seen sign-up rates for the Android version of BetBlocker over triple. This could be nothing more than a blip that has no bearing on the ongoing dialogue on a number of sites. Or perhaps the attention drawn to this issue has had some positive impact. I'd like to think the latter.

BB

Your quoted pages are not news to me. I have been following research results for nearly 2 decades.

The addictions itself activate the same brain ways once people are addicted but the path to the addiction is completely different. Whereas substance abuse needs a physical substance that initiates the processes in the brain, gambling is a visual exposure that locks onto specific receptors in the brain that ultimately leads to the dopamine/adrenaline release. The two areas in the brain are completely different and that is where the game providers have focused a lot of their development/research.

Once addicted, yes, the parts of the brain producing the craving is similar for all types of addiction.

Gambling can be hidden far easier than alcohol or drug abuse because there are no visible anomalies (stumbling, slurred speech, widened pupils etc), hence, why I call it a "hidden" addiction.

Drinking is a "social" addiction because it starts with the usual night out and a few drinks. Gambling is the opposite, gambling addicts are usually lonely people even if they have family/friends around them.

I called it "faux outrage" because every post was pointing to the "culprits" (rightly so) but no one mentioned that we are part of the process too, albeit far before the GAMSTOP moment. I work in the industry as well, so my post is "belittling" myself as well as I do catch me once in a while not warning enough or not at all in an article/review that I write.

 

[Slottery]

In a completely different way, there is almost an argument for enforced GAMSTOP for people that are severe gambling addicts - but that's a whole moral argument i'm not sure we want to get in to!

That already exists at some level. Here as well is thread about GS users who are not accepted back to certain operators after their SE period is expired. Also some other RG signs are used to enforce exclusion to players, only have been done license wide, not nation wide like GS.

Operators are obligated to recognize signs of problem gambling and prevent it. There are not many other ways to prevent somebody from gambling in operators hands than exclude player.

In thread here we have quite splitted opinions is it right or wrong to enforce people based on operators assessment that this person might have gambling addictions or that severe problem that we should excluded. Even you would have severe gambling addiction you probably feel fully happy at the moment when you realized that somebody else have made decision for you to be excluded without your opinion about yourself counting anything. So these surprises already exist and feels that more rather than less in future when operators are "using all information available and trying their best to prevent problem gambling" (enforcing exclusion is pretty much only sure thing what operator can do to prevent somebody from gambling).

 

[trancemonkey]

If you have seen what is going on, all the more you should know that 6 months is too short for a SE to have a real impact on an addict.

I have seen all sides of it too and I stand by my comment that the short period is not enough to stabilize a heavy addict.

Maybe there should be two versions, I don't know, a TAB-SE and a SE. I simply do not see 6 months to be enough, it never will. The addict (that absolute majority) will be back in the hole within a few days after the six months if there is no support system and very few will have that.

Well, in that case we agree - because 6 months isn't enough for an addict, but is likely more than enough for a TAB

 

[dunover]

If you have seen what is going on, all the more you should know that 6 months is too short for a SE to have a real impact on an addict.

I have seen all sides of it too and I stand by my comment that the short period is not enough to stabilize a heavy addict.

Maybe there should be two versions, I don't know, a TAB-SE and a SE. I simply do not see 6 months to be enough, it never will. The addict (that absolute majority) will be back in the hole within a few days after the six months if there is no support system and very few will have that.

That's a sweeping generalization. Every addict is different, each will have their own financial, social and emotional circumstances. You also have the 'controlled' addict who is disciplined enough to keep playing, but within self-imposed financial constraints. This where gambling differs, as substance addiction means total abstinence whereas gambling can be managed with tools in many cases. The mindset for example could be of somebody setting aside say 20 quid a week which they play every Saturday and the knowledge they can do this affordably each week relieves pressure at other times to gamble uncontrollably. The individual may also know their weak spots and if for example a busy or stressful time is imminent, whether at work, in a broken relationship or other temporary circumstance whereby they are aware they'll be more vulnerable, a TAB or 6-month abstinence could be exactly right for them.

You seem to be off on a tangent again, referring to the worst cases and the insinuation is that ALL problem gamblers at down at that level. This brings me nicely back to the thread topic and OP - it's these poor individuals that would be highly likely to break their abstinence and lose uncontrollably and yet we have subhumans that are so greedy and morally bankrupt they will take these people as players over anybody else for a quick and substantial buck.

Again I say I accept your point that every decent affiliate would have earned an unspecified amount from problem gamblers at some stage but under no circumstances would they deliberately target them in an exploitative fashion plus their take-up of these players is purely by chance rather than design. Furthermore, the ethical affiliates would send them to casinos with all the RG tools in place, where they will be paid and treated fairly all under the scope of proper regulation.

Despite your suggestions, this still remains a chalk-and-cheese subject.

 

[bamberfishcake]

I called it "faux outrage" because every post was pointing to the "culprits" (rightly so) but no one mentioned that we are part of the process too, albeit far before the GAMSTOP moment. I work in the industry as well, so my post is "belittling" myself as well as I do catch me once in a while not warning enough or not at all in an article/review that I write.

For what its worth i am glad you posted that Harry.

Its thrown a different perspective on the issue and wether I agree or not. Its good to get perspective, look at ourselves before throwing criticism around, people in glass house, walking in others shoes etc.

All addictions are hard to beat and all addicts will find a way to get their fix -no surprise there, its just shocking for me to see these people target the demographic they have. I still maintain they are the kind of people who would throw their own under the bus, not business people with a fairly decent morale compass who would pause at the thought of what they are about to do.

I dare say these kind of people got excited at the thought.

 

[colinsunderland]

To be honest (not defending FS in any way) but I have written articles for about 40 companies in three different languages (incl adidas, Vodafone, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, T-Mobile, Samsung, StubHub and more) and quite often didn't have a proper clue what I was writing about. ... I was writing marketing articles mainly for SEO purposes, so wouldn't need to know every detail. Still, I would always have an understanding of what the article is about.

But, and these are quite some "buts":

- I would receive a short brief with the length of the article, keywords, main technical/material/etc details, keyword density, SEO guidelines etc.
- Any article I wrote would go to an editor first before being published.
- Assuming FS uses WordPress, they would need to give either the SEO person or the writer access to the site to publish directly. Now, you don't do that with a new writer/SEO person who you cannot trust. You give access though once they worked for you for some time and know their "in's and out's". So again, the excuse that the writer had no clue does not hold water.

According to FS, there was a SEO person and a content writer involved. That none had a clue about GAMSTOP, nor any knowledge of the issues and that after working for a site that promotes gambling is rather far-fetched and more like "throwing" someone under the bus who is not known publicly.

Exactly.
Maybe the content writer did have no idea what he was writing about (although I find that hard to believe) but he didn't wake up one morning and think to himself, hey I think I'll write a random article, about something I've never heard of. If what they are saying is true, then they gave him the subject to write about. They are sorry they got caught, not sorry they did it.

 

[Fridayhigh]

How dare you Harry throw ethics into this thread with conceited authority because you had a 2GB hard drive in 97, mine was actually 10 cost me a bundle back then. Lets face it the industry has fallen as has society by the wayside from those times. It was a players market back then, not now, all the goodies that put a positive spin on wagering are history. The fact that some affiliates targeted a SE group of gamblers and profited should come as no surprise. Has not the Governments that sanctioned such activity profited as well, the processors and banks, hell Neteller was born out of this industry. I hear no foul play from them, they have encouraged this, thrown it on the public, everyone riding the wave who has a shoe in. Lottery , scratch cards tax for the poor. But to make my point, something changed. Changed so much it was written into the contract you were obliged to agree to when signing up and every affiliate was on board. They brought political correctness into the business, by calling it ENTERTAINMENT, instead of gambling. When was the last time you heard of a cinema/movie theatre ban of self exclusion. NEVER! I in all my lifetime never heard people walking out of a casino after losing a few hundred or thousand and saying damn that was a good nights entertainment, we should do it again next week. If affiliates want to take the moral high ground you could very easily call up any affiliate casino manager and ask to be off revenue share and be put on a flat fee for a sign up. The hell you will, your addicted more than the punter that funds your lifestyle. When if ever have you promoted a casino on the basis of entertainment, no you advertise and promote WIN WIN WIN. Yet if a player was to actually play to win, and not for entertainment purposes he would be denied winnings on irregular betting etc. The Pogg is the only affiliate I see that plays this game straight, as it should be, hats off to them.. A pimp a prostitute and a john all exchange services and money, all willingly and everyone's needs are satisfied, sorry but the casino, especially online business does not work in that matter. The former might be morally repugnant and have very serious hazards, but are nothing compared to the filth this industry has become.. I said to a friend that was very aggressive the next day after losing his shirt at a casino - "You better hope you get tired of losing before you get tired of living, because if you continue to lose you wont want to live. But as an affiliate we all know its entertainment, its not losing, all the more to live for !

 

[colinsunderland]

You not heard of paragraphs? I honestly couldn't read all that.

 

[Thewizardofslots]

Actually made me abit sad that chipmunkz decided to promote them yesterday. But well.

I think chip had wrong info and no longer works with them just a mistake I think.

 

[Fridayhigh]

And to think I feel bad about my timeshare days when some poor couple handed over their credit card for two weeks in the red period when they could have had the same thing through Thomas Cook including flight for half the price of the annual service fee. At least they got something in return before the outfit went bankrupt. I could sleep well today doing that job now.

 

[Fridayhigh]

@colinsunderland - Have you not read Joyce?

 

[colinsunderland]

So seeing as most casinos who have read this thread are still listed on the sites in question, will the affiliates who have been vocal about the subject be removing those casinos from their sites if the casinos continue the relationship with the dodgy sites?

Edit: And same for players, will you be closing your accounts with them for the same reason. Because, quite simply, if it doesn't hit them in the pocket, they won't care.

 

[ThePOGG]

So seeing as most casinos who have read this thread are still listed on the sites in question, will the affiliates who have been vocal about the subject be removing those casinos from their sites if the casinos continue the relationship with the dodgy sites?

At the present time I see:

NonStopCasinos dot co dot uk - MagicalSpins

CasinoMir dot com - Regent, Pelaa, Cashmio, Live Roulette, Casino Gods, 7Casino

ChoiceCasinos dot com - AllBritish, BGO, CasinoCruise, CasinoJoy, Casino.com, Dunder, Energy, Genesis, Karamba, Mansion, MrPlay, Regent, Sloty, SpinIt, Yako

These are the programs on these sites that we currently carry links to.

Each of the above programs has now been sent the following message:

Hi [BRAND] Team,

I want to make sure you're aware of this conversation on Casinomeister - WARNING - Affiliates Who Target Problem Gamblers

The summary is that some affiliates have been identified explicitly targeting keywords they know to be associated with problem gambling and directing addicts as to how to circumvent responsible gambling measures. This is activity that is highly likely to draw unfavourable attention from the UKGC.

I see [BRAND] listed on one of the sites identified doing this - [SITE]

Moving forward we will be removing links to any program that continues working with these affiliates as this type of practice actively targets and exploits vulnerability. This is not an issue where removing the content is sufficient - these groups have actively and intentionally profited from addiction.

I'm contacting you today to ensure [BRAND] are fully aware of what's been going on and have the opportunity to consider whether they want to be associated with affiliates who would sink to this level, but this is a serious issue and needs to be acted on quickly.

I hope [BRAND] will stand with us on this issue and send an absolutely clear message that this type of activity is unacceptable on every level.

All the best,

Duncan Garvie

Manager
ThePOGG.com

TP

 

[BetBlocker]

edit

 

[ThePOGG]

Energy Casino have already responded - the affiliate's account is closed.

TP

 

[colinsunderland]

From a quick look, casinos still live on casinomir and/or choice casino, who's reps have read this thread so are fully aware of it are

ComeOn, PlayOjo, Rizk, Guts, ABC, Casumo, NoBonusCasino, LuckyNiki, Yako, Slotsmagic,

Energy bet is still listed on choice but the link doesn't work, so well done to them

haven't looked yet at the other sites either owned by the same sites (maxfreebets for example) or done the same (fruityslots for example)

 

[LHofsdal]

First, let me start out with a big KUDOS! to all the affiliate managers taking action so quickly. And to Bryan and the POGG making everyone informed. It is also great to see so many members here have high ethical and moral standards!! Being in the USA I can't play at most of these places, but one thing I do know about it addiction.

For these morons trying to lure a gambling addict to gamble is honestly to me, a crime that should be equivalent to murder. I lost friends that took their own lives because they lost everything due to gambling.

With the UKGC laws, are these morons in violation of that? Can they step in and do something to them? Just curious of what is the worst thing that can happen to people pulling this crap. Does anyone know?

LH

 

[Mining Might]

FS BetUp media interestingly have 25 years experience in digital marketing, working for William hill, 888 and others, yet don’t have control over their own sites content according to them.

 

[ThePOGG]

From a quick look, casinos still live on casinomir and/or choice casino, who's reps have read this thread so are fully aware of it are

ComeOn, PlayOjo, Rizk, Guts, ABC, Casumo, NoBonusCasino, LuckyNiki, Yako, Slotsmagic,

Energy bet is still listed on choice but the link doesn't work, so well done to them

haven't looked yet at the other sites either owned by the same sites (maxfreebets for example) or done the same (fruityslots for example)

With regard to the other sites I'd need to be made aware of 100% proof that they are owned by the same people. I would not be okay stringing up sites that never hosted any offending content just because it looked like they might be owned by the same people.

FruitySlots - SEO or not this is exactly the same as the other sites that have been highlighted here, right down to including 'Casinos not on Gamstop' within there menu system. When you see the exact same strategy being implemented here - WARNING - Affiliates Who Target Problem Gamblers - are we to start believing that all these sites did this by accident because of rogue SEOs?

The UKGC hold operators accountable for the actions of their affiliates. While I think if it is going to happen it will take time, I suspect that the regulator may start pulling operators up for conversations about what their partners have been up to in this instance. I'd suggest that likewise affiliates have to be held accountable for their SEOs. Denying accountability for your own employees doesn't hold water for me.

FruitySlots has to be viewed in the same manner as the others and I'll contact the programs listed on that site tomorrow.

TP


[All of this ignores the obvious questions that 'blame it on the SEO' raises - that being who gives an SEO unmoderated access to their site like this and does the SEO have absolutely no common sense at all in putting together this type of content? You don't need to know anything about the industry to know that helping players get round this type of exclusion is not even approaching okay. So the SEO you've chosen to engage has to be considered totally amoral.]

 

[colinsunderland]

With regard to the other sites I'd need to be made aware of 100% proof that they are owned by the same people. I would not be okay stringing up sites that never hosted any offending content just because it looked like they might be owned by the same people.

Choice, Maxfreebets and mobilecasinoking all have the exact same footer, linking to the other 2 sites. They all use wordpress and the same templates. If you look at the b-tags for some casinos they are the same, casinojoy for example is 663192
The chances of them being not owned by the same people but using the same affiliate account is tiny to start with, but by looking at the templates etc I am 100% sure they are one and the same

 

[dunover]

Choice, Maxfreebets and mobilecasinoking all have the exact same footer, linking to the other 2 sites. They all use wordpress and the same templates. If you look at the b-tags for some casinos they are the same, casinojoy for example is 663192
The chances of them being not owned by the same people but using the same affiliate account is tiny to start with, but by looking at the templates etc I am 100% sure they are one and the same

You could be 100% sure if you harvested links between the various sites for the same casino and checked the affID part of the url. If that's the case it's impossible for them not to be associated. They possibly may use a different campaign number, but the b-tag as you say will be identical. Then again, it could all be a big mistake as their 'SEO guy' may have mistakenly planted the same aff accounts in different sites..

 

[colinsunderland]

FruitySlots - SEO or not this is exactly the same as the other sites that have been highlighted here, right down to including 'Casinos not on Gamstop' within there menu system. When you see the exact same strategy being implemented here - WARNING - Affiliates Who Target Problem Gamblers - are we to start believing that all these sites did this by accident because of rogue SEOs?

The UKGC hold operators accountable for the actions of their affiliates. While I think if it is going to happen it will take time, I suspect that the regulator may start pulling operators up for conversations about what their partners have been up to in this instance. I'd suggest that likewise affiliates have to be held accountable for their SEOs. Denying accountability for your own employees doesn't hold water for me.

FruitySlots has to be viewed in the same manner as the others and I'll contact the programs listed on that site tomorrow.

TP


[All of this ignores the obvious questions that 'blame it on the SEO' raises - that being who gives an SEO unmoderated access to their site like this and does the SEO have absolutely no common sense at all in putting together this type of content? You don't need to know anything about the industry to know that helping players get round this type of exclusion is not even approaching okay. So the SEO you've chosen to engage has to be considered totally amoral.]

Completely agree with all that about Fruityslots. Even if what they say is true, no matter what they say, it was published on their site and undoubtedly got hits through it.

 

[ThePOGG]

FTR - I've contact both GiG and MrQ regarding this issue.

MrQ have responded informing me that they're contacting the affiliate to terminate the relationship. Big thumbs up!

TP

 

[colinsunderland]

You could be 100% sure if you harvested links between the various sites for the same casino and checked the affID part of the url. If that's the case it's impossible for them not to be associated. They possibly may use a different campaign number, but the b-tag as you say will be identical. Then again, it could all be a big mistake as their 'SEO guy' may have mistakenly planted the same aff accounts in different sites..

I did, thats how I know
Will you be removing the casinos from your site who continue to work with them, that are aware of this thread?
Come Tuesday, after the bank holiday weekend, giving all the casinos plenty of time to act, I will be removing the couple of banners I have up at the moment for any who still work with them. I think thats the right thing to do.

 

[JGslots]

FS, were running a £2,500 giveaway for the casino that was removed. I believe they had 63 user entries when I checked last, what will happen to all those people who signed up for the removed giveaway?

Not entirely sure what they could do really, other than offering something to those who had entered?

Rob

 

[dunover]

From a quick look, casinos still live on casinomir and/or choice casino, who's reps have read this thread so are fully aware of it are

ComeOn, PlayOjo, Rizk, Guts, ABC, Casumo, NoBonusCasino, LuckyNiki, Yako, Slotsmagic,

Energy bet is still listed on choice but the link doesn't work, so well done to them

haven't looked yet at the other sites either owned by the same sites (maxfreebets for example) or done the same (fruityslots for example)

Yes, sounds bad but three of those are the same licensee (Playojo, Luckyniki, Slotsmagic) as are Guts and Rizk, ABC/Yako/NoBonus also share. So that's just 5 licensees which suggests robust action may have been taken already by many others which looks promising. I would hazard a guess that the licensee is exposed to punishment far more than the individual aff programmes, so the ass-kicking would emanate from them.

As for your other question, I will be resolving the issue of promoting those programmes by the 31 August, 11 days. I will start September off without those programmes if I am aware (and I will be checking, on here and elsewhere) that live links are still held by those main offenders for any of those remaining sites that have not either terminated those affiliates' accounts or forced them to remove their copy, hopefully in every case the latter.

 

[colinsunderland]

Yes, sounds bad but three of those are the same licensee (Playojo, Luckyniki, Slotsmagic) as are Guts and Rizk, ABC/Yako/NoBonus also share. So that's just 5 licensees which suggests robust action may have been taken already by many others which looks promising.

Not really as I'm only going from the reps who have viewed this thread, and are still listed. When I first looked at the site properly, there weren't that many 'decent' casinos listed anyway, by decent I mean accredited and with reps. Still what, 80+ casinos listed on most of them.
Having said that I know sometimes these things can take more than 5 minutes, which is why I won't do anything for a week, thats around 10 days since the thread was started and more than enough time for an affiliate program to terminate an agreement.

 

[dunover]

Not really as I'm only going from the reps who have viewed this thread, and are still listed. When I first looked at the site properly, there weren't that many 'decent' casinos listed anyway, by decent I mean accredited and with reps. Still what, 80+ casinos listed on most of them.
Having said that I know sometimes these things can take more than 5 minutes, which is why I won't do anything for a week, thats around 10 days since the thread was started and more than enough time for an affiliate program to terminate an agreement.

Yes, that's why I said above I'm waiting until end of business this month to review my front pages, given it's peak holiday period and people aren't on the ball although with something like this they should be, and fast. This thread is thus very important as I will be checking and establishing the status of those hopefully few programmes who are unwise enough to still be allowing placement on those sites. It would be good if we have a public resource here, pool our knowledge and definitively list those programmes which are indisputably using them.

 

[EkJR]

Is this the same as the streamer Fruity Slots by the way? If so, he is also promoting such bastions of the industry as TheyWhoShaltNotBeNamed...Vegas

 

[ThePOGG]

Looking at the sites highlighted in this thread:

maxfreebets dot co dot uk and mobilecasinokings dot com are as other users have confirmed part of the choicecasinos dot com network - so are equally involved whether or not the content was specifically hosted on these sites.

pokerplayernewspaper dot com/casinos-not-on-gamstop/ - this is a page put up to try and help nongamstopcasinos dot co dot uk rank as it links directly to it and uses the same aff code. The operators on these sites are all GTG operators that no-one here should be working with anyway.

TP

 

[Matti]

Maxfreebets has just been bought by a listed Swedish company, NetGaming. Here is the press release(in Swedish).

You do not have permission to view link Log in or register now.

 

[dunover]

First, let me start out with a big KUDOS! to all the affiliate managers taking action so quickly. And to Bryan and the POGG making everyone informed. It is also great to see so many members here have high ethical and moral standards!! Being in the USA I can't play at most of these places, but one thing I do know about it addiction.

For these morons trying to lure a gambling addict to gamble is honestly to me, a crime that should be equivalent to murder. I lost friends that took their own lives because they lost everything due to gambling.

With the UKGC laws, are these morons in violation of that? Can they step in and do something to them? Just curious of what is the worst thing that can happen to people pulling this crap. Does anyone know?

LH

Whilst there is no specific rule against using the GamStop bypass keywords, the casinos are held responsible for actions of their affiliates under threat of license removal and/or huge financial penalties if they are proven to be breaching advertising standards and strict responsible gambling checks. Obviously this is about as big a violation of RG and advertising as a casino's affiliate could make, so it's more than covered.

All the affiliate programmes have terms allowing arbitrary closure and non-payment of earnings to anyone using false, misleading or non-approved advertising or not applying the required RG logos and links.

You aren't even supposed to use bonus wording, even if the compliant standards are met with crucial terms and T&C links, if it implies a sense of urgency i.e. 'Sign up and get 100% NOW!!!' - it should really be understated like '100% Bonus to 200 available to new players' so purely factual. More than one exclamation mark and you're overdoing it.

So most definitely, these morons are in severe violation of advertising and RG standards. Now common-sense would tell me if I were an aff. manager that these bastards have just handed me a great reason to not pay them this month nor ever again in the future for lifetime rev share earnings, although that shouldn't be the primary factor, more the concern about the problem gambling encouragement.

Alas as you may have seen, many of the non-UKGC sites listed by these scumbags don't give a toss as they are part of criminal networks and are outside the reach of European courts and regulators anyway so can basically act with impunity.

It will also be a feather in the cap of the regulated casinos' hats that they were seen to act immediately and decisively when they became aware of those affiliates participating in this filth, when the UKGC or MGA get to hear about it which they already should have, thus avoiding fines or other sanctions and demonstrably having acted according to the standards laid down in the regulations.

This is why a speedy cessation of any relationship with the scumbags is the best and only option in my view, for everyone. Then these creatures will be left crawling in the slime with just a few shithole casinos left to promote, by then totally castigated on the web anyway.

 

[sufferinsilence]

Is this the same as the streamer Fruity Slots by the way? If so, he is also promoting such bastions of the industry as TheyWhoShaltNotBeNamed...Vegas

Yes that's them.

 

[FruitySlots]

Hi all, first time posting in the forum. I had been aware of this thread but i am currently away on holiday and had to prioritise some other things before being able to post here.

This thread, or something very similar but specifically aimed at us has been posted in another forum but I don’t think its right for me to direct users there. I have spent quite a bit of time on that forum so don’t want to overly repeat myself but do want to make a few points here.

I think its unfair and ultimately not right to view us in the same manner as some other culprits for a few reasons.

1. I wont blame our SEO contractor because as owners of the site we are still accountable. That said the content for the page he ordered was removed well before this thread started when we became aware of the page.
2. Unlike other culprits who were/are affiliating with these non gam stop casinos to make financial gains we had absolutely no links on that page because we have never affiliated or even been in contact with those brands. The page was purely content (yes completely awfull) and removed when discovered.
3. Further evidence of the lack of knowledge shown by our SEO contractor about specific topics that are being written about has become clearer on review of further pages listed on our 'casino guides' (where said page was originally listed ). One page listing USA casinos but going on to mention UK brands with no license in the U.S. We are off course responsible for our site but like any business mistakes can and do happen and its normally how you react and what measures you put in place that should define you. Based on the overriding fact that no affiliation was remotely targeted on this page through the list of casinos named i do strongly believe its unfair to put us in the same category as these other affiliates who are actually earning of there strategy.

It was a monumental mistake and total lack of oversight that the page every got published. But we are a tiny operation with no full-time staff and our SEO contractor did have full admin rights and ownership of the whole 'casino guides' section of our website. Given what occurred and further evidence on review of his work wont be continuing to work with him, not solely based on this one article but it was clear that he does not have the experience or knowledge needed for our type of business, especially as streamers who are much 'closer' to gamblers than most faceless affiliate sites.

I would still argue that i don’t think its inconceivable to believe that someone who does SEO does not know about the seriousness of gamstop like we do or you guys do who are members of this community. Someone who does SEO may not even be a gambler themselves and wouldn’t even know about reputable casinos or rouge casinos like we do but that’s a separate conversation/debate altogether and not one I’m here to get into.

Finally to reiterate, we absolutely agree that the content on the page was terrible and inexcusable and we took swift action upon finding out about it to remove it because the last thing we ever want to do is suggest any ways for problems gamblers who have opted into GamStop to continue gambling.

As streamers we take problem gambling very seriously. I give out my personal number to strangers who contact us about their addictions and gave helped countless individuals. I have gone as far as covering people debts and losses on occasions where I have felt a sense of duty or influence.

I really don’t believe putting us in the same boat as these other affiliates is the same at all. Obviously, I would say that to defend ourselves but for me there are too many differences in what happened and what others have done or are doing vs what we did to warrant being judged the same.

It’s a very strong move to contact our partners with the view of damaging our business and one that I think is very extreme and over board given the circumstances. To actively go out of your way to impact our business without reaching out to us first or getting in touch with us is not something I agree with at all.

I am happy to share my contact details with whoever wants to discuss this in a more private matter.

We do sincerely apologise that this ever came to light and take full accountability that it was published on the site. As soon as this article got removed, we set in place a procedure that all content needs to be approved/checked by myself before publishing to ensure we don’t encounter something as terrible as this again. I have a lot of work to do when I return from my holidays to ‘tidy up’ the site even further.

I’m sorry I won’t be able to respond much but i thought it was important to come into this thread given the seriousness nature of it and at least offer our response to the situation.

 

[FruitySlots]

@JGslots we will email everyone registered to the giveaway to let them know the site was taking down but will still go ahead with the giveaway for those that entered at the time of taking it down.

Taking that particular site down was something of a slightly different subject/issue because as @Casinomeister has alluded to, listing a site not on gamstop vs targetting gamstop players or casinos targetting these players is something very different altogether. Im sure lots of affiliate list sites not on gamstop. However given what else had occured it seemed fitting and the most sensible thing to remove them and stop promoting them.

 

[Harry_BKK]

@ThePOGG

And one more with the meanwhile famous SEO hit slogan, all regular Tier 1 casinos promoted as well.

zamsino (dot) com/uk/casinos-not-on-gamstop/

 

[colinsunderland]

Whilst there is no specific rule against using the GamStop bypass keywords

16.1 of the CAP code would cover it.

 

[colinsunderland]

And one more with the meanwhile famous SEO hit slogan, all regular Tier 1 casinos promoted as well.

zamsino (dot) com/uk/casinos-not-on-gamstop/

I saw that the other day and then forgot about it
Also, none of their advertising is CAP compliant, no significant terms listed, seeing a bit of a pattern in the casinos allowing breaches recently, seems to be the same names getting mentioned regularly, despite the ever threatening emails we all got a year ago, certain affiliates seem to be immune from following the rules.

@L&L-Jan @CasumoAffiliates @Krystal_EGO @Team.Videoslots @Katy-Cherry @Guts @Mark_32Red @UnibetDavid @Sebastian - Rizk just some of the reps who have their casino listed on that site without a single term listed on the page apart from '18+ T&C's apply' which isn't sufficient to satisfy the CAP code. Considering its a website and isn't space limited it could be argued full T&C's should be listed, not just significant ones.

In case the page suddenly disappears regarding non gamstop casinos

And to show the non compliant adverts

 

[Nicola]

Maxfreebets has just been bought by a listed Swedish company, NetGaming. Here is the press release(in Swedish).

You do not have permission to view link Log in or register now.

Lots of affiliate sites being sold recently

 

[dunover]

Hi all, first time posting in the forum. I had been aware of this thread but i am currently away on holiday and had to prioritise some other things before being able to post here.

This thread, or something very similar but specifically aimed at us has been posted in another forum but I don’t think its right for me to direct users there. I have spent quite a bit of time on that forum so don’t want to overly repeat myself but do want to make a few points here.

I think its unfair and ultimately not right to view us in the same manner as some other culprits for a few reasons.

1. I wont blame our SEO contractor because as owners of the site we are still accountable. That said the content for the page he ordered was removed well before this thread started when we became aware of the page.
2. Unlike other culprits who were/are affiliating with these non gam stop casinos to make financial gains we had absolutely no links on that page because we have never affiliated or even been in contact with those brands. The page was purely content (yes completely awfull) and removed when discovered.
3. Further evidence of the lack of knowledge shown by our SEO contractor about specific topics that are being written about has become clearer on review of further pages listed on our 'casino guides' (where said page was originally listed ). One page listing USA casinos but going on to mention UK brands with no license in the U.S. We are off course responsible for our site but like any business mistakes can and do happen and its normally how you react and what measures you put in place that should define you. Based on the overriding fact that no affiliation was remotely targeted on this page through the list of casinos named i do strongly believe its unfair to put us in the same category as these other affiliates who are actually earning of there strategy.

It was a monumental mistake and total lack of oversight that the page every got published. But we are a tiny operation with no full-time staff and our SEO contractor did have full admin rights and ownership of the whole 'casino guides' section of our website. Given what occurred and further evidence on review of his work wont be continuing to work with him, not solely based on this one article but it was clear that he does not have the experience or knowledge needed for our type of business, especially as streamers who are much 'closer' to gamblers than most faceless affiliate sites.

I would still argue that i don’t think its inconceivable to believe that someone who does SEO does not know about the seriousness of gamstop like we do or you guys do who are members of this community. Someone who does SEO may not even be a gambler themselves and wouldn’t even know about reputable casinos or rouge casinos like we do but that’s a separate conversation/debate altogether and not one I’m here to get into.

Finally to reiterate, we absolutely agree that the content on the page was terrible and inexcusable and we took swift action upon finding out about it to remove it because the last thing we ever want to do is suggest any ways for problems gamblers who have opted into GamStop to continue gambling.

As streamers we take problem gambling very seriously. I give out my personal number to strangers who contact us about their addictions and gave helped countless individuals. I have gone as far as covering people debts and losses on occasions where I have felt a sense of duty or influence.

I really don’t believe putting us in the same boat as these other affiliates is the same at all. Obviously, I would say that to defend ourselves but for me there are too many differences in what happened and what others have done or are doing vs what we did to warrant being judged the same.

It’s a very strong move to contact our partners with the view of damaging our business and one that I think is very extreme and over board given the circumstances. To actively go out of your way to impact our business without reaching out to us first or getting in touch with us is not something I agree with at all.

I am happy to share my contact details with whoever wants to discuss this in a more private matter.

We do sincerely apologise that this ever came to light and take full accountability that it was published on the site. As soon as this article got removed, we set in place a procedure that all content needs to be approved/checked by myself before publishing to ensure we don’t encounter something as terrible as this again. I have a lot of work to do when I return from my holidays to ‘tidy up’ the site even further.

I’m sorry I won’t be able to respond much but i thought it was important to come into this thread given the seriousness nature of it and at least offer our response to the situation.

I saw that the other day and then forgot about it
Also, none of their advertising is CAP compliant, no significant terms listed, seeing a bit of a pattern in the casinos allowing breaches recently, seems to be the same names getting mentioned regularly, despite the ever threatening emails we all got a year ago, certain affiliates seem to be immune from following the rules.

@L&L-Jan @CasumoAffiliates @Krystal_EGO @Team.Videoslots @Katy-Cherry @Guts @Mark_32Red @UnibetDavid @Sebastian - Rizk just some of the reps who have their casino listed on that site without a single term listed on the page apart from '18+ T&C's apply' which isn't sufficient to satisfy the CAP code. Considering its a website and isn't space limited it could be argued full T&C's should be listed, not just significant ones.

In case the page suddenly disappears regarding non gamstop casinos

View attachment 113034

And to show the non compliant adverts

View attachment 113035

Outdated URL (Invalid)
Yep, nice to see criminal sites being placed next to heavyweights like Rizk, Dunder…...

 

[Katy-Cherry]

@L&L-Jan @CasumoAffiliates @Krystal_EGO @Team.Videoslots @Katy-Cherry @Guts @Mark_32Red @UnibetDavid @Sebastian - Rizk just some of the reps who have their casino listed on that site without a single term listed on the page apart from '18+ T&C's apply' which isn't sufficient to satisfy the CAP code. Considering its a website and isn't space limited it could be argued full T&C's should be listed, not just significant ones.

Hi Colin,

We have already taken action with this affiliate, the account has been closed from our end and we will chase again to have our brand content removed.

Thanks

Katy

 

[ThePOGG]

Hi all, first time posting in the forum. I had been aware of this thread but i am currently away on holiday and had to prioritise some other things before being able to post here.

This thread, or something very similar but specifically aimed at us has been posted in another forum but I don’t think its right for me to direct users there. I have spent quite a bit of time on that forum so don’t want to overly repeat myself but do want to make a few points here.

I think its unfair and ultimately not right to view us in the same manner as some other culprits for a few reasons.

1. I wont blame our SEO contractor because as owners of the site we are still accountable. That said the content for the page he ordered was removed well before this thread started when we became aware of the page.
2. Unlike other culprits who were/are affiliating with these non gam stop casinos to make financial gains we had absolutely no links on that page because we have never affiliated or even been in contact with those brands. The page was purely content (yes completely awfull) and removed when discovered.
3. Further evidence of the lack of knowledge shown by our SEO contractor about specific topics that are being written about has become clearer on review of further pages listed on our 'casino guides' (where said page was originally listed ). One page listing USA casinos but going on to mention UK brands with no license in the U.S. We are off course responsible for our site but like any business mistakes can and do happen and its normally how you react and what measures you put in place that should define you. Based on the overriding fact that no affiliation was remotely targeted on this page through the list of casinos named i do strongly believe its unfair to put us in the same category as these other affiliates who are actually earning of there strategy.

It was a monumental mistake and total lack of oversight that the page every got published. But we are a tiny operation with no full-time staff and our SEO contractor did have full admin rights and ownership of the whole 'casino guides' section of our website. Given what occurred and further evidence on review of his work wont be continuing to work with him, not solely based on this one article but it was clear that he does not have the experience or knowledge needed for our type of business, especially as streamers who are much 'closer' to gamblers than most faceless affiliate sites.

I would still argue that i don’t think its inconceivable to believe that someone who does SEO does not know about the seriousness of gamstop like we do or you guys do who are members of this community. Someone who does SEO may not even be a gambler themselves and wouldn’t even know about reputable casinos or rouge casinos like we do but that’s a separate conversation/debate altogether and not one I’m here to get into.

Finally to reiterate, we absolutely agree that the content on the page was terrible and inexcusable and we took swift action upon finding out about it to remove it because the last thing we ever want to do is suggest any ways for problems gamblers who have opted into GamStop to continue gambling.

As streamers we take problem gambling very seriously. I give out my personal number to strangers who contact us about their addictions and gave helped countless individuals. I have gone as far as covering people debts and losses on occasions where I have felt a sense of duty or influence.

I really don’t believe putting us in the same boat as these other affiliates is the same at all. Obviously, I would say that to defend ourselves but for me there are too many differences in what happened and what others have done or are doing vs what we did to warrant being judged the same.

It’s a very strong move to contact our partners with the view of damaging our business and one that I think is very extreme and over board given the circumstances. To actively go out of your way to impact our business without reaching out to us first or getting in touch with us is not something I agree with at all.

I am happy to share my contact details with whoever wants to discuss this in a more private matter.

We do sincerely apologise that this ever came to light and take full accountability that it was published on the site. As soon as this article got removed, we set in place a procedure that all content needs to be approved/checked by myself before publishing to ensure we don’t encounter something as terrible as this again. I have a lot of work to do when I return from my holidays to ‘tidy up’ the site even further.

I’m sorry I won’t be able to respond much but i thought it was important to come into this thread given the seriousness nature of it and at least offer our response to the situation.

Here are some basic facts.

You state that:

Unlike other culprits who were/are affiliating with these non gam stop casinos to make financial gains we had absolutely no links on that page because we have never affiliated or even been in contact with those brands. The page was purely content (yes completely awfull) and removed when discovered.

However, a quick look at the web archieve shows this:

and this

and this

Con******* are one of the few operators left with a UK license that are not participating in the GamStop scheme. So your claim is that an SEO in your employ has put a page up that is specifically intended to drive traffic related to bypassing GamStop and it just so happens that you've also selected to give one of the few remaining operators not participating in GamStop 2 out of 3 top positions on your homepage and by far the greatest click exposure of any operator on your homepage.

For the sake of clarity, I will also highlight that this is at a time when the offending page can be confirmed to have been present on your site:

I could have posted links to Wayback Machine but it is note worthy that someone has had the archieve page for the 'Casinos not on GamStop' page removed from the archieve. This may have been an attempt to clean up this mess, but it also stops verification of what was actually on the page prior to takedown.

Whether or not you had advertisements on that particularly page, your SEO strategy was clearly intended to bring traffic to your site from search terms related to bypassing GamStop. Saying that you have not financially benefitted from this traffic because their were no advertisements on that page is to ask everyone to naively believe that all of the traffic only visited that page and left.

Personally I find it a little difficult to believe that not only has an SEO been given entirely unsupervised access to post whatever they like, but that your selection of premium partner just so happened to be one that could take advantage of the vulnerable traffic your SEO was specifically tapping into. I note that this brand appears to have been removed as well, so it seems likely you are aware that they weren't participating with GamStop.

Moving on you also state:

I wont blame our SEO contractor because as owners of the site we are still accountable.

If you are genuine in your position of being held accountable for this issue you'll understand that you have brought in vulnerable traffic looking to bypass GamStop, then presented them with your '#1 pick', an operator that doesn't participate in GamStop. Other than taking down the content, what are you intending to do to set right the damage that has been done by your business?

You also understand that there's a good possibility that operators found to have been involved with affiliates engaging these practices could face regulatory sanction? Are you prepared to take responsibility for any subsequent negative consequences for your partners that come from your actions?

TP

 

[Mining Might]

 

[dunover]

Hi all, first time posting in the forum. I had been aware of this thread but i am currently away on holiday and had to prioritise some other things before being able to post here.

This thread, or something very similar but specifically aimed at us has been posted in another forum but I don’t think its right for me to direct users there. I have spent quite a bit of time on that forum so don’t want to overly repeat myself but do want to make a few points here.

I think its unfair and ultimately not right to view us in the same manner as some other culprits for a few reasons.

1. I wont blame our SEO contractor because as owners of the site we are still accountable. That said the content for the page he ordered was removed well before this thread started when we became aware of the page.
2. Unlike other culprits who were/are affiliating with these non gam stop casinos to make financial gains we had absolutely no links on that page because we have never affiliated or even been in contact with those brands. The page was purely content (yes completely awfull) and removed when discovered.
3. Further evidence of the lack of knowledge shown by our SEO contractor about specific topics that are being written about has become clearer on review of further pages listed on our 'casino guides' (where said page was originally listed ). One page listing USA casinos but going on to mention UK brands with no license in the U.S. We are off course responsible for our site but like any business mistakes can and do happen and its normally how you react and what measures you put in place that should define you. Based on the overriding fact that no affiliation was remotely targeted on this page through the list of casinos named i do strongly believe its unfair to put us in the same category as these other affiliates who are actually earning of there strategy.

It was a monumental mistake and total lack of oversight that the page every got published. But we are a tiny operation with no full-time staff and our SEO contractor did have full admin rights and ownership of the whole 'casino guides' section of our website. Given what occurred and further evidence on review of his work wont be continuing to work with him, not solely based on this one article but it was clear that he does not have the experience or knowledge needed for our type of business, especially as streamers who are much 'closer' to gamblers than most faceless affiliate sites.

I would still argue that i don’t think its inconceivable to believe that someone who does SEO does not know about the seriousness of gamstop like we do or you guys do who are members of this community. Someone who does SEO may not even be a gambler themselves and wouldn’t even know about reputable casinos or rouge casinos like we do but that’s a separate conversation/debate altogether and not one I’m here to get into.

Finally to reiterate, we absolutely agree that the content on the page was terrible and inexcusable and we took swift action upon finding out about it to remove it because the last thing we ever want to do is suggest any ways for problems gamblers who have opted into GamStop to continue gambling.

As streamers we take problem gambling very seriously. I give out my personal number to strangers who contact us about their addictions and gave helped countless individuals. I have gone as far as covering people debts and losses on occasions where I have felt a sense of duty or influence.

I really don’t believe putting us in the same boat as these other affiliates is the same at all. Obviously, I would say that to defend ourselves but for me there are too many differences in what happened and what others have done or are doing vs what we did to warrant being judged the same.

It’s a very strong move to contact our partners with the view of damaging our business and one that I think is very extreme and over board given the circumstances. To actively go out of your way to impact our business without reaching out to us first or getting in touch with us is not something I agree with at all.

I am happy to share my contact details with whoever wants to discuss this in a more private matter.

We do sincerely apologise that this ever came to light and take full accountability that it was published on the site. As soon as this article got removed, we set in place a procedure that all content needs to be approved/checked by myself before publishing to ensure we don’t encounter something as terrible as this again. I have a lot of work to do when I return from my holidays to ‘tidy up’ the site even further.

I’m sorry I won’t be able to respond much but i thought it was important to come into this thread given the seriousness nature of it and at least offer our response to the situation.

OK, so this 'SEO guy' has been given carte blanche to operate your website, without industry knowledge and the fact that any errors can prove costly for both you and the good casinos promoted?

2.Unlike other culprits who were/are affiliating with these non gam stop casinos to make financial gains we had absolutely no links on that page because we have never affiliated or even been in contact with those brands. The page was purely content (yes completely awfull) and removed when discovered.

So this image, which shows one of the prime non-Gamstop sites mentioned and who are number one on your list plus having the large tile ad on the page, was placed there and you NEVER had an affiliate account with them?? You could never earn from them? Pull the other one.

Look, greed overtook ethics, you won't be the first or last. As you say, ultimately YOU bear responsibility and I suspect many reader here will be highly sceptical that a SEO contractor who, if as you say, isn't an industry expect had a brainstorm and suddenly took it upon himself to quite professionally open an affiliate account with a non-GamStop outfit knowing it would monetize those search terms and then pay commission to you.

You're talking to numerous other affiliates on this forum as well as seasoned players, YT viewers and industry professionals and I find this denial insults our intelligence to be frank. It seems to me simply a case of "well, others are doing it so it why should I miss out?"

Yes, being an affiliate can be complicated and there's an ongoing learning process and we all make mistakes along the way - that we can all accept. I can't see any unlicensed shithole casino sites that others have advertised so at least that's one good thing unless I've missed something.

Alas in today's climate you won't find much sympathy or understanding for utilizing problem gambler-targeting keywords and those who have are now learning a very costly and harsh lesson about the potential regulatory consequences for the reputable casinos that they have accounts with, as well as their own income and reputation.

P.S. - It's a bit late to pull the 'WayBack' page, don't you think? You can't un-ring a bell.

 

[Mining Might]

 

[colinsunderland]

OK, so this 'SEO guy' has been given carte blanche to operate your website, without industry knowledge and the fact that any errors can prove costly for both you and the good casinos promoted?



So this image, which shows one of the prime non-Gamstop sites mentioned and who are number one on your list plus having the large tile ad on the page, was placed there and you NEVER had an affiliate account with them?? You could never earn from them? Pull the other one.

View attachment 113039

Look, greed overtook ethics, you won't be the first or last. As you say, ultimately YOU bear responsibility and I suspect many reader here will be highly sceptical that a SEO contractor who, if as you say, isn't an industry expect had a brainstorm and suddenly took it upon himself to quite professionally open an affiliate account with a non-GamStop outfit knowing it would monetize those search terms and then pay commission to you.

You're talking to numerous other affiliates on this forum as well as seasoned players, YT viewers and industry professionals and I find this denial insults our intelligence to be frank. It seems to me simply a case of "well, others are doing it so it why should I miss out?"

Yes, being an affiliate can be complicated and there's an ongoing learning process and we all make mistakes along the way - that we can all accept. I can't see any unlicensed shithole casino sites that others have advertised so at least that's one good thing unless I've missed something.

Alas in today's climate you won't find much sympathy or understanding for utilizing problem gambler-targeting keywords and those who have are now learning a very costly and harsh lesson about the potential regulatory consequences for the reputable casinos that they have accounts with, as well as their own income and reputation.

P.S. - It's a bit late to pull the 'WayBack' page, don't you think? You can't un-ring a bell.

From what they said on the other forum, they got paid for the con traffic CPA, but didn't have affiliate links to the other casinos.

They are another large affiliate who seem to not have to comply with the CAP code though. Funny that, isn't it?

 

[Harry_BKK]

The plot thickens!

My pitchfork is on standby!

 

[Harry_BKK]

It was a monumental mistake and total lack of oversight that the page every got published. But we are a tiny operation with no full-time staff and our SEO contractor did have full admin rights and ownership of the whole 'casino guides' section of our website. Given what occurred and further evidence on review of his work wont be continuing to work with him, not solely based on this one article but it was clear that he does not have the experience or knowledge needed for our type of business, especially as streamers who are much 'closer' to gamblers than most faceless affiliate sites.

I would still argue that i don’t think its inconceivable to believe that someone who does SEO does not know about the seriousness of gamstop like we do or you guys do who are members of this community. Someone who does SEO may not even be a gambler themselves and wouldn’t even know about reputable casinos or rouge casinos like we do but that’s a separate conversation/debate altogether and not one I’m here to get into.

Sorry but it sounds rather unbelievable that you would "trust" a contractor who has no clue about gambling with publishing gambling content. General articles for SEO purposes, yes, I can see but not such specific pieces. I have written for dozens of sites, small and large, and never ever have I encountered either such a level of negligence/lack of care nor non-guidance of the content people as to what should be published.

That is unless, of course, you or your partner directed the SEO guy what to do.

Plus, I assume you are using Wordpress (but it applies to any other software). This is copied from the WP website. Applying even just the smallest/tiniest amount of due diligence an affiliate is expected to, you could have easily set up push-messages to be informed about what has been published, especially when the SEO guy is such a "know-nothing" as you are trying to paint him.

 

[FruitySlots]

I not going to be able to respond much and just wanted to post that 1 thread.

But giving the points raised about Conquestador which i find completely off topic i will respond with the following.

Conquestador casino who were not mentioned or promoted on said page. The page which has now been shared via screenshots on this forum had no affiliation on them at all and we are not affiliated to any of these casino. There is evidence of this.

We did have an affiliate relationship with Conquestador and like @Casinomeister has rightly pointed us this thread is about affiliates targetting gamstop players with non gamstop casinos. Not which casinos do or dont have Gamstop. Im pretty sure Bitstarz is listed on here, do they have gamstop?

Conquestador is currently not listed on Gam Stop but we didn’t know this when we signed up with them. Yes this may be very naive and people may not believe us but we generally did not think of ever checking or looking because to our knowledge no UK license we work with is now not on gam stop and we simply believed it was a fundamental pre requisite for any UK license casino to have so it was not something we would ever think of asking or checking. Another lesson learnt.

As soon as we found out they were not on gam stop we asked them immediately if it was intentional or whether they had plans to join and we were told unequivocally that they have applied to be listed but due to technical integrations it doesn’t happen overnight. When we more recently followed up on this (last week) we were told that testing has now taking place and all being well they will be added by sept latest. For us that was enough to know, and we were satisfied with that answer. WE NEVER once promoted the fact that they were not on Gam Stop. We believe there was no malice behind the fact that a fairly new casino had not got listed on gam stop immediately although on reflection given what has occurred and our expectations and duty as streamers to promote safe and responsible gambling it can certainly be seen as a big error of judgement. For those reasons we removed them from the site yesterday because the matter of being partnered with them and being number 1 on our site was far to close to association with the other issue.

As a new streaming partner of ours Conquestador were giving 2 months of top positions on our site. This for me is completely seperate to what this thread is about but for us a very unfortunate connection because Conquestador happens to not be on gamstop.

I dont want to ruin my holiday by getting involved with what appears a witch hunt now. But i did want to share our version of events and get our opinion/points across.

For me i dont see any point in going back and forth about our negligence for allowing the article to get listed on the site. Like i said it was removed well before this thread started. We are a far from perfect business and lack major resource. Thats not an excuse just the way it is. The site needs a lot of work and there is plenty of content on that 'casino guides' section that is a little baffling. I dont want to remain in this forum being told how bad we are and how irresponcible it was the give a free reign to an seo consultant. I appreciate the magnitude of the error but i dont believe for one minuate every web master here runs a perfect opertion in a very morally questionable industry as it stands.

Enough said from me. There is too much trolling for my liking because certain people on here are only here to bash others.

 

[FruitySlots]

Look, greed overtook ethics, you won't be the first or last. As you say, ultimately YOU bear responsibility and I suspect many reader here will be highly sceptical that a SEO contractor who, if as you say, isn't an industry expect had a brainstorm and suddenly took it upon himself to quite professionally open an affiliate account with a non-GamStop outfit knowing it would monetize those search terms and then pay commission to you.

your completely mis interpretating what we responded and what happend. The seo guy was responcible for publishing the 'non gam stop' listed on our 'casino guides' page which listed a bunch of casinos we had zero affiliation with and no links on the page.

This was the page that was removed and what this thread is about.

It just so happens we were also working with conquestador at the time, and before thie page was published. This affiliate deal was done by myself and was a streaming deal where we streamed on thier site and started working with them before we even know they were on gamstop.

The Conquestador deal and our seo shortfalls are seperate matters but connected by the same theme of Gamstop.

Promoting a non gam stop casino is certainly no criminal offense in my opinion, especially if you were unaware of it. It just transpires that after reading this thread said casino has picked up a bad name, but this was not common knowledge when we started with them as they were a fairly new casino. We didnt have one bad experience with them and neither did our audience so some accusations dont stand true for everyone.