Why are they selling our addresses?

[Balthazar]

I've an email address that I only registered with one casino group and I never used it elsewhere. Not only that, but it's an email that don't exist in any database, it's from my own .net ([email protected]). No one knew that this email even existed except that one casino and the domain provider. Now I receive (casino-related) spam through it, funny isn't it? I won't name the casino but it's an accredited casino here and I've deposited several thousands of dollars there over the years.

Does a few pennies worth more than respecting your players? Because that's a severe lack of respect in my book.

You know what? I'm not going to play there anymore. Hopefully they made a lot of money by selling my email address, because that's all they'll get from now on.

 

[vinylweatherman]

I've an email address that I only registered with one casino group and I never used it elsewhere. Not only that, but it's an email that don't exist in any database, it's from my own .net ([email protected]). No one knew that this email even existed except that one casino and the domain provider. Now I receive (casino-related) spam through it, funny isn't it? I won't name the casino but it's an accredited casino here and I've deposited several thousands of dollars there over the years.

Does a few pennies worth more than respecting your players? Because that's a severe lack of respect in my book.

You know what? I'm not going to play there anymore. Hopefully they made a lot of money by selling my email address, because that's all they'll get from now on.

The sellers do it because it is easy money. If challenged, the defence would be that it must have been sold on by someone else. They could say it is your domain provider, as they also used this email address. In fact, it could have been passed on by anyone who has ever had access to it, and crossed into the casino spamming industry from a completely unrelated sector.

What is needed is a way to prove from where a mailing list originated. Currently, we have probabilities, such as the "most likely source" having been this casino. The impossible task of tracing this back to the original seller answers the question "why do they do it", they are not going to get busted on certainty.

The best that can be done is to make a complaint to a relevant authority, who can investigate as to whether there are grounds to make a case. Here in the UK we have the Information Commissioner, but to make a complaint we first have to find out who initially sold the information, and even then, a complaint is only worthwhile if it has been sold by a company that comes under the jurisdiction of the UK.

If many players get together and share data, we can reach a better conclusion as to whether we can say that other routes are so improbable that it is almost certain the addresses have come from the casino.

The spammers probably know more about the origins of such lists, but they are not going to say, else they risk incriminating themselves.

 

[mrmark21]

I'd name and shame the casino. That's completely disrespectful... You have more restraint than me

 

[Balthazar]

I'd name and shame the casino. That's completely disrespectful... You have more restraint than me

It's funny because only 2 reps have visited the thread so far (I can see it because I'm the OP) and one of them is the rep from the guilty casino (and he's usually not a very active rep). Guess the thread title caught his attention.

 

[maphesto]

I've an email address that I only registered with one casino group and I never used it elsewhere. Not only that, but it's an email that don't exist in any database, it's from my own .net ([email protected]). No one knew that this email even existed except that one casino and the domain provider. Now I receive (casino-related) spam through it, funny isn't it? I won't name the casino but it's an accredited casino here and I've deposited several thousands of dollars there over the years.

Do you get spam from totally different casinos or is it from same group?

My suggestion is, if you don't want to name the casino here, that you send Bryan and the casino rep a PM with this info. If they are accredited here, they have to play by the rules.

And yes, of course I want to know the name of the group, but I understand if you don't want to tell everyone

 

[Balthazar]

Do you get spam from totally different casinos or is it from same group?

Totally different, generic casino spam. Here's a screenshot:

 

[ValDes]

Hmm, I bet the name of the group in question begins with Cas*** and ends with ***rds! I have exactly the same problem with them and when I've asked what the hell is going on here, all that I get in return was some "We do not know what you are talking about?!"

Edit: Oops, this come up before I saw the previous one! Anyway, we have a competition here!

 

[Balthazar]

The sellers do it because it is easy money. If challenged, the defence would be that it must have been sold on by someone else. They could say it is your domain provider, as they also used this email address.

I honestly don't remember how I joined this casino (I joined this one in 2009 I think) but there's a slight possibility that it was through an affiliate link. Do MG affiliates see the email addresses of their referees?

And no, it's not from Casino Rewards. They aren't accredited (I think?) and are notorious spammers already.

 

[vinylweatherman]

I honestly don't remember how I joined this casino (I joined this one in 2009 I think) but there's a slight possibility that it was through an affiliate link. Do MG affiliates see the email addresses of their referees?

And no, it's not from Casino Rewards. They aren't accredited (I think?) and are notorious spammers already.

I don't think so, unless they have signed up for an affiliate newsletter or registered for something like a forum on the site. Affiliates will get something that will allow them to track individual players, but it should be something like their casino account number (NOT password!), and of course their net loss (or win) for commission purposes.

When you give your email address to a casino, it is meant ONLY to be used to receive account information and marketing for the casino you have joined (such as bonus offers). Some will also use it for cross marketing. What should NOT happen is them selling your details to the industry as a whole, so you should NOT be spammed by competing groups, or other businesses (such as Canadian pharmacies). If you get spam for other casinos unrelated to where you signed up, it means the email address has been sold on to marketing agents, who in turn repeatedly resell the information, thus spreading it far and wide, including the spammer networks.

There is also the problem of security of your data, which operators always claim is "of the highest standard". It seems a common means of leakage is the employee who leaves (or is fired) and steals contact details from the database on the way out. They can then use this as a bargaining chip when securing a post with another casino, or even just sell the list to anyone prepared to buy.

 

[mrmark21]

It's funny because only 2 reps have visited the thread so far (I can see it because I'm the OP) and one of them is the rep from the guilty casino (and he's usually not a very active rep). Guess the thread title caught his attention.

Got anymore clues?

 

[ChopleyIOM]

Personally I don't trust any casinos to keep my information private, accredited or not. They can always wash their hands of the leak one way or another.

I think you just have to accept that spam comes with the territory of playing at online casinos - I simply let gmail handle it, and TBH it does a 99.9% complete job of filtering the spam out, (and there's a lot of it, I occasionally check my spam folder), so I never see it.

If you're sure on this one Balth just name and shame, I never make any secret of the fact that Red Flush effectively coerced a phone number out of me for a measly £175 withdrawal, and then used that phone number to make an unsolicited marketing call to me from some Indian call centre a few days later.

 

[KasinoKing]

It's funny because only 2 reps have visited the thread so far (I can see it because I'm the OP)...

I can see who viewed it too - I thought everyone could! Maybe it's because I'm an Uber-Member...
(By now about 8 reps have viewed, but I have a suspicion which one you are talking about).

Regarding affiliates & e-mail addresses: No, we NEVER get that info. That would really open up the floodgates for the unscrupulous spammers!

KK

 

[The Dude]

Just to chime in - if you have used a unique email address and get some spam mail from a third party, you need to contact the casino that you used it at immediately. Casinos don't sell their email databases to their competitors - disgruntled ex-employees or thieves do. There could be a chance that the casino's player database has been compromised - they need to know about it right away.

There is also a rogue operator that has stolen a number of RTG data bases in the past. I'm betting that this is an example of this.

 

[Balthazar]

Just to chime in - if you have used a unique email address and get some spam mail from a third party, you need to contact the casino that you used it at immediately. Casinos don't sell their email databases to their competitors - disgruntled ex-employees or thieves do. There could be a chance that the casino's player database has been compromised - they need to know about it right away.

There is also a rogue operator that has stolen a number of RTG data bases in the past. I'm betting that this is an example of this.

PM to the rep sent.

 

[maphesto]

I can see who viewed it too - I thought everyone could! Maybe it's because I'm an Uber-Member...
(By now about 8 reps have viewed, but I have a suspicion which one you are talking about).

Meister members and above can view this.

Link Outdated / Removed

 

[The Dude]

Meister members and above can view this.

Link Outdated / Removed

And the OP

 

[Balthazar]

Ok here's an update:

I received a total of 2 spams on that email address. Both spams lead to bonus-station.com and then get redirected to Playtech casinos (one to Europa Casino and the other to ClubDice Casino). I "unsubscribed" by clicking on the unsub links in both emails and I'll see what happens from there.

The rep that I contacted earlier is very cooperative and offered to investigate. However, since both spams come from the same source, I decided to wait to see to see if I get more spam before doing anything else. I want to be 100% sure that they are at fault before asking them to investigate.