What Happens to Affiliates if the US Regulates?

[Doolally]

Should in the next year or two, the US open it's doors to regulated online gaming, how does everyone think it will affect the affiliate?

If the big guns like Harrahs, etc, get into online gaming, with their huge client base and even larger advertising budgets, will they need or even want affiliates to work with them?

An open question for opinions.

[LiveCasinoPartners]

If it was regulated in the states and the larger companies got on board would the growth out pace the supply of new affiliates? Will it still be profitable? (so far for me not too profitable.. )

I suspect it will for those who stick it out and adapt.

[bb1web]

personally i think all but the biggest will fold. affs will no longer see a % of income. there will be paid to advertise and it won't be near what you make now. I dearly hope I'm wrong.

[ironman2000]

we All Get Rich$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

[mojo]

It's all speculation at this point. I have seen some predictions that it will be the end of the affiliate. I sure hope not! IMHO affiliates will be needed still, as they are on most of the online industries. They could and may use their own marketing but we are a powerful bunch. After all, we bring in the business..it's what we do.

[Nandakishore]

I think the affiliates will have tougher time if the US gambling market opens up. But I don't think that is going to happen, also because, as far as I know, the majority of the land-based gaming sites there forms a strong lobby against such a move.

Nandakishore
Online Casino Newsroom

[bb1web]

we All Get Rich$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

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dude........

what makes you think that? if it is allowed that harrahs or mgm can advertise on tv .... billboards.... ect ... with their crediblility.... that we as affs are needed?

what makes a portal useful is we (hopefully) only list casinos that pay. this is a no-brainer if such regulated casinos by the US gov are allowed to advertise all over the place. and they will. they have deep, deep pockets and with regulation comes guarantee of payout ratios and that players will get paid.

I ask you? what importance does your site have that gives reason for players to sign up thru you? even if you have great advice ..... great content ...... you're no reason for players to return to your site to choose to sign up at a casino guaranteed by US regulations. I think you're missing the importance of your existence.

[matted]

I certainly think the biggest affiliates have a chance to get rich if the US regulates. But offshore casino operators (and their employees) and all other affiliates will be left out in the cold. Ironman, I would take a closer look - or explain why we would all get rich... I just dont see a scenario where that happens.

Why would the average gambler "trust" Casino X when they could gamble with the big names in Vegas and across the US. They can offer brand recognition, account security, and even customer service unseen in the industry ever before.

[universal4]

Why do people bother playing slots at the airport in Vegas....I mean many are on their way to the MGM or Harrah's or...

If my next door neighbor tells me about a restaurant that I never heard of, and he talks it up as a nice place with great food and good service, I will be quite tempted to go try it out.....even if they don't advertise on TV like the more established places in town...

Rick
Universal4

[mojo]

Why do people bother playing slots at the airport in Vegas

I still kick myself for dropping 200 in the Airport while waiting for my plane to leave. Vegas has airports that have slots. There have been winners at the Airport however. In fact, they missed their plane.

As for making lots of $$$$$ ironman may be right. If the doors are open for free enterprise... we can only hope.

[bb1web]

Hi all,

Rick we seldom disagree but i have to say risking the price of a dinner vs the possiblity of losing a huge amount of money that you'd won at a jackpot are two different things.

I think Matted is right. for the bigger players anyway. there's just too much in favor of a proven name like harrahs vs an unproven name or one that exists (this for US players anyway) overseas without US regulation for the smart player to gamble ...... after they've beaten the odds.

gamblers are gamblers by nature. yes there will be a number of them to take chances but I think for the most part the smarter ... and IMHO bigger players will stick to a place with a proven history of paying ..... and a proven audtited situation that they have a good payback ratio.

I don't see any US based casino offering a % of losses to affs. I think they'll opt to buy ad space. whether that proves to be as profitable ... I doubt.

I hope I'm wrong.

[Nandakishore]

dude........

what makes you think that? if it is allowed that harrahs or mgm can advertise on tv .... billboards.... ect ... with their crediblility.... that we as affs are needed?

The market will undoubtedly undergo a big shake-up if the US gambling market gets regulated, which I don't think is going to happen, not at least within the next two years. Before asking what is going to happen to the affs, one must ask, what will happen to the groups like Brightshare, Rewards etc.? How will they survive? And can they survive without us?

Nandakishore
Online Casino Newsroom

[ironman2000]

There will always be a need for affiliates and for us affiliate managers to manage you. To have web sites with content and not just click throw banners all over them. I look for web sites with content. A site that sets itself out to help me, a site I can trust. With knowledgeable people that can give me the information, I need, when I need it. If you can build up a trust with your people (TRAFFIC), and we can build the same bond together, then a successful partnership will develop.

[villa10]

This is online business and always the large corporations are in need of affiliate networks.

Visa, Mastercard, Bank of America etc, etc, are maybe well above of Harrash or another gambling group in terms of financial and marketing presence.
However they uses affiliate networks to market online.
Why? Simply because the net is too big.
That's the only reason because we are here or in other industries making our living......

If for Harrash is enough with the offline marketing, that's OK.
If they plan to market online, I'm sure that we'll see some arrangement with Commission Junction or similar nets.

[ck8795]

Here is my two cents and you all have been around much longer than me but anyway here it goes.

First I dont think Harrah's will allow affiliates. Simply, why would they need to? Anyone who plays poker knows who Harrah's is, again as pointed it's brand recgonition. No different than Yahoo opening it's doors. They don't need us.

As far as people playing underneath us. I think as stated previously this will drop as well. If I am an avid online player I will go try out Harrah's and if I like it I will stay. If I am a new player again I will go try out Harrah's or Poker Stars, Full Tilt. Why? Because that's who I hear people talking about, that's who has been nailed inside my head when I think of Poker.

I can honestly say, and I didn't think this was true a year ago that players go to what is familiar to them. It won't be the affiliates unless you have a massive network like Pokernews or something that they become dependant on or fall in love with the community. They will go to what they know and trust. I tried going with smaller rooms for a here is a new one approach and it sank. I have made more money from teh larger rooms which currently isnt alot but its growing than I have with teh low key rooms that many have downloaded from me with.

If something proves to be unpleasent than they go somewhere else. From everything I have read about Harrah's (have yet to experience the place myself) they will surely make up for any unsatisfactory experience.

Now as far as if I was a new player looking for somewhere to go and I had to choose Harra's over PS. It would be Poker Stars hands down.

Why?

Because that site has been around much longer than the other no matter how much money the otehr has for fancy marketing. I want somewhere that I know without a shadow of a doubt that they are the real deal. The huge sites have built a such a remarkable reputation that they will continue.

So long story short. If the US regulates I think that the big networks that are portals will do alright. Small timers like me dont stand a chance in hell, and Harrah's will be at the top along with PokerStars

[WebMeisterQ]

What you people are forgetting is that there are currently 1000's of people playing online tonight for example, and betting on sports, and they've come to love and trust their offshore bookies, poker rooms and casinos. You think they'll just leave for MGM or Harrah's? Think again. If they were getting paid from Offshore Casino (A) not all will leave to play with a Nevada casino. It just won't happen. As long as you have a website with good content and traffic being key as well, you'll continue to make money...There's to many people out there on the web surfing, and more every day. This isn't going anywhere. Trust me.

[LiveCasinoPartners]

I've been thinking about this for a few days now.

If there's a shake up in the industry there going be a whole flood of webmasters coming from every corner of the web. Why? because adsense has virtually killed the webmasters revenue stream the last few years.

V7N's Scott explained it here: http://blog.v7n.com/2006/05/03/adsense-is-evil/


So, thinking that other qualified competent affiliates will flood into the market where's that leave us? I think that who's going to be in a sweet position will be the gambling forums like GPWA.org and such . They'll cater to training and providing (expanding) the gambling affiliate community while earning a decent percentage. We (the casino webmasters) will be thrown into competing with 1000's of other webmasters who are used to a highly competitive environment.


That's assuming that the open market will cater to affiliate marketing.

On another note, I was reading about prohibition in the 1920's. There's some remarkable similarities. The termination of prohibition (syntax?) shifted wealth all over the place. Anyway, something to think about.

Cheers!

[slotplayer]

Since my site was a land casino site before I added online gaming this is what I think will happen.

The big (land) casinos will release online versions of popular games only found in land casinos.

I get tons of searches for online versions of popular land casino slots like Lucky Larry's Lobstermania and even slots I played years ago that my closest casino doesn't even have anymore.

The searches for the whole Wagerworks game suite is just outrageous. (I had so many Wagerworks free play downloads that I had to move them off the home page as they were taking away from other programs. It's too bad they don't take USA players or I would be rich!)

Unless the Microgamings of the online world get to produce some of the land casino slots they'll slowly disappear. The land casino following is much larger and game recognition is much greater.

However if the land casinos do allow affiliates you all stand to make a bundle.

One drawback is patrons that visit land casinos will be able to pick up a cd and easily register a credit card for online play right at the casino cutting out the affiliate.

Just as an FYI - Land casino manufacturers are planning to eventually dump the individual bulky slot machines for an "on demand" network like cable has. Players just pick a game from a menu and it downloads to a generic terminal.

Cheers,
Slotplayer

[Fergie]

Great Britain has regulated online gambling. Why don't we ask British affiliates how that has affected their businesses...

I think that things will remain largely the same whether or not Harrods et al establish affiliate programs for their online ventures - the competition between U.S. landbased casinos and offshore casinos will keep affiliates afloat.

Another thing that may happen is, as is the case for other industries, the affiliate's cut will be a much smaller share. Although, as I already said, the competition between U.S. land casinos (and their online counterparts) and offshore casinos could make this scenario unlikely.

At least that's what I am hoping!

As far as poker rooms go, several online poker rooms are already huge names in the poker world. I, in all my naivety, don't see them being hurt too much no matter what happens. Smaller poker rooms, however, may have something to fear.

[bb1web]

If they were getting paid from Offshore Casino (A) not all will leave to play with a Nevada casino.

Hi all,


you make my point for me. the odds are ..... are that it will get harder to get paid by offshore sites... while if its allowed for the vegas companies to enter the mix..... the payment is all but guaranteed. actually... it is guaranteed.


see where I'm going with this?