even the reputable MG is stooping to levels that I wouldn't have imagined. The climate has become so untrustworthy lately and Mario's "the cat is out of the bag" comment was just about all I needed to hear to send chills up my spine. Pina - you really know how to get to the bottom of an issue and even though many of us do not post very often, your hard work does not go un-noticed
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Thanks very much Everyday, your thumbs-up is appreciated. Regarding the cat out of the bag statement...doesn't that just take the cake? Like oopsy, tee hee hee.....caught with our hand in the cookie jar. This has been going on for quite some time, and why Mario even had to go check on it to see what was up...laughable. He knew EXACTLY what was up. What he really needed to do was come up with some ad copy.
It's just another marketing technique, and it's something that a lot of affiliates go for.
Not surprising, seeing as there is money to be made. Damn the torpedoes, full steam ahead...show me the money!!! That is not to say that all affiliates or webmasters are bad or deceitful, because they are not...it is a generalization. Shame on me.
I'm still waiting for someone to explain to me in layman's terms...how does this campaign benefit any player in any way, shape or form? It is beneficial to the casinos, it is beneficial to affiliates. How does this help the player? Especially the uninformed one?
I do understand the motivation behind white labels: from the casino's point of view, it's a great way to increase the customer base and revenue. From the affiliate's point of view, it's a good way to offer something truly unique to earn revenue from.
I think that if MG white labels are here to stay (and sadly, they probably are) then the following changes need to be implemented ASAP:
1. Keep track of player accounts and signup bonuses at the white label level, NOT the source casino level. This would allow new players to obtain the signup bonus at each white label brand of the same casino.
2. Mandatory disclosure of the actual/source group on the white label's home page and T&C. Just put it there at the bottom of each page. For example, "MintLasVegas is a member of the Spamming Assholes Group of Online Casinos".
3. A requirement that affiliates MUST NOT USE EMAIL CAMPAIGNS (commonly referred to as SPAM). There should be mandatory termination of relationships with affiliates who use spam in an effort to obtain new players. At first this might not sound easy to track from the source casino's perspective, however, some casinos have a field called "How did you hear about us?" during the signup process with a drop-down menu of choices. Such a field should be present on all white label casino signup screens. Make the field required so that the player has to choose something, and make sure that one of the options is "Unsolicited email" or something similar. If the source casino starts seeing too many new players who selected "Unsolicited email" then it's time to start investigating the affiliate.
That all being said, wise players would probably never deposit at a white label casino. Or at least I know I wouldn't because I always check for the following things before signing up anywhere:
Absolutely outstanding and well thought out post SW. And with some very good suggestions that should be forwarded to Microgaming by anyone who has an ear there.
Regarding the motivation part of your post..spot on. It is money, money, money. For the casino and for the affiliate. Again I ask, what is the benefit to the player? Didn't Mario say that Playshare's first priority was to offer the player a top notch playing experience? The player always comes first right? At least be honest about it..it has nothing to do with their concerns for the player, and everything to do with cold hard cash.
I have nothing against anyone making an honest buck, but how much is enough? And to what levels will you sink to make that buck? No doubt that UIGEA hit everyone involved in the industry hard and that tons of revenue was lost. So in their zeal to make up for lost revenue, this is the scheme they hatched. Are they all that close to bankruptcy that this was the only solution?
Maybe a huge group such as Microgaming should have put some of those millions of greenbacks they earned off of US players into lobbying Washington for regulation, rather than just pretending the situation didn't exist in the first place, and sucking out every last penny they could right up until the end...then running for the hills when the going got tough. And who's paying for that now? Yep, the players. Although, to be totally fair, there are probably many players who also could have done more on a smaller scale.
so if someone isn't that sharp,like say...me..lol..how would i know if my fav started this practice, meaning casino action group and fortune lounge???
I'm not really sure yet Petey..but I will find out. If I could dig up I don't know how many of the sleazy websites that JPF posted last year, I figure I can make a pretty good dent in this. I'll post them as I find them. Besides Playshare, we know for sure that the Grand Prive Group and the Roxy Palace Group have their hat in the ring.
Just out of curiousity, you should try writing to one of the casinos you play at, and ask them outright if their group is involved in white label casinos? Or..both Casino Action and Fortunelounge have reps on this board, why not drop them a PM, and see what reply you get. It's worth a shot.
No need to apologise as no offense was taken in the first place.. But thank you. My intentions where never bad and never will be.
I appreciate your input. thanks.
I felt the need to apologize to you after my tirade directed at you. One piece of advice...you say you're not a webmaster, but a businessman. When you get back home, hire yourself a decent website builder and have a professional site built..if you don't have the knowledge to do it yourself. You don't have to spend a ton of money, but something a touch up from what you have...and preferably with some actual written content on it.
OH MY GAWD!!!
I know I shouldn't shout in an online forum, but I couldn't help it.... And that 35 is only from the Playshare bunch.... what are their name brand casinos, btw? I get lost when we start talking about the affiliate groups.
Playshare's flagship casinos are Grand Monaco and CasinoShare Mouse.
Yep, 35 just from them. Imagine if 5 or 6 different groups are involved in this..times 35 (maybe more, maybe less). And this is obviously just the beginning.
I may have to rethink how I think about the playshare group....Thanks for the list.....and yes, it's TOTALLY RIDICULOUS.
If you can't redeem a bonus if you've taken one from their other white label casinos, then you're screwed if you mistakenly take it and try to cash out.
I looked at some of the casinos on their list, and I have to ask: WHY?
The only thing that sets them apart is the color scheme and logo. That's IT. The only reasoning I can figure out for them providing WL casinos is to CONFUSE PLAYERS. Nothing else.
If you want to provide WL casinos within your group (any group), then at least offer different bonuses/loyalty schemes/whatever for each casino.
WHY indeed? Oh, I remember now....money.
Totally excellent post SlotsWizard, and I might incorporate some of this in "How to Choose a White Label to Play at" on the main section. Very good points:
Or how about a section entitled "How to Spot A White Label" and "101 Reasons to Not Play at One"? I know, you're of the view that they're here to stay, and make the best of it. I'm not entirely sure that any sort of encouragement for people to actually play at any of the white labels themselves is what I'd be aiming for. But hey, not my site.
As long as it is well managed, then there shouldn't be an issue. You had a great experience - don't spoil it by fretting over something that might not be a problem.
Maybe he's not fretting over what may or may not be a problem, but over the total concept...just like I am.
Playshare is taking the brunt of this right now....but there are others. Personally, I absolutely will not play at any group I find out is a part of this. That's just me. It is totally up to each individual player to decide for themselves if they have a problem with this situation or not. Some won't and that's fine. Some will feel like I do, and that's fine too.
Bottom line, it is deceptive advertising, no two ways about it. Clutter on the internet? Yeah, in the same sort of sleazy way that Jackpot Factory's pages were clutter too. Different scenario, but the ultimate goal is the same..and neither campaign has/had the player's best interests at heart in any way. The player was never given a second thought in any of this, nor were they last year. Only the player's pocketbook.
