The relationship between online casino operators and marketing affiliates has been strained due to unfair contracts and terms and conditions.
Affiliates are required to agree to terms and conditions that heavily favor the operators.
These conditions can change at any time, making it uncertain and unsustainable for affiliates to run their businesses.
Here are some examples of how operators may change their contracts and terms:
- Lowering the revenue share for affiliates, even if they have already sent and converted players
- Reducing or stopping commissions if affiliates do not meet a certain number of First-Time Depositors (FTDs) per month
- Introducing additional fees, significantly reducing the affiliate’s share of revenue
- Untagging or removing high-value players from the affiliate’s account to avoid paying the agreed revenue share
This instability in affiliate income makes it impossible for them to reinvest in their businesses and puts job security at risk.
To address this issue, the Professional Gambling Affiliate Association (PGAA) has been established to fight for contractual stability.
The PGAA is open to all affiliates, from large super affiliates to smaller sites with only one webmaster.
The goal of the PGAA is to work with operators to create a single contract that provides basic standards and guarantees revenue share over an agreed period of time.
The contract will also address regulatory guidance and aim for a balanced and fair agreement.
We encourage discussions with operators on other topics like high roller policies, negative carryover, and baseline triggers.
Affiliates of all sizes are called upon to join the association, and operators are invited to enter discussions and work together.
Next steps involve discussions with operator partners and covering legal fees for contract writing.
By providing affiliates with contractual security and a fair share of the revenues, the relationship between operators and affiliates can improve.
This will allow affiliates to invest in their businesses, driving growth for themselves and their operator partners.
Joonas Karhu, the chief business officer at Bojoko.com, is an expert in regulated online gambling and actively writes for industry press on various topics related to responsible gambling, regulation, and affiliation.
