Social responsibility and the modern affiliate site

At a House of Lords Select Committee on the social and economic impact of the gambling industry last month, GVC CEO Kenny Alexander said he believed affiliates should be licensed and regulated by the UK Gambling Commission, just like operators.

The UK Gambling Commission has largely left affiliate marketers to go about their business undisturbed, but could that be about to change?

As the gambling industry comes under the harsh glare of the media spotlight in markets like the UK, so, increasingly, do affiliates. And in an era of tightening regulation, responsible gambling has never been more of a watchword for those who want to futureproof their business and the industry.

Currently, affiliate sites are required to abide by the advertising laws of any jurisdiction they engage with. In the UK and elsewhere, this includes not using misleading language – such as suggesting that gambling can lead to wealth and sexual attractiveness, for example.

But we are also answerable to the gambling companies we represent, and any transgression – particularly one that paints an affiliate partner in a bad light – is likely to lose us business.

This creates a form of loose self-regulation, where affiliates are required to conform to the standards of the gambling operators – a highly regulated industry – or face the consequences. But politicians are increasingly suggesting this does not go far enough.

Some in the industry believe that the licensing of affiliates would be a good thing. An unregulated market adds to a perception of untrustworthiness that we should be anxious to avoid, and it’s true that a lack of direct oversight on any industry is likely to make it attractive to companies with less than reputable practices.

Regulation would weed out the bad apples and help remove the perception that information provided by some affiliates is not to be trusted. For companies with a clear conscience, that should be good for business.

However, others are concerned that tighter regulation could hurt the affiliate industry’s bottom line.

While it’s unclear exactly what shape regulation would take, there is a new trend in the UK towards adopting extreme regulatory measures when it comes to gambling. The proposed £2 cap on the maximum bets on online slots, for example, suggests the UK government could be developing a taste for draconian rules that – if applied to the affiliate industry – could hurt its bottom line, stymieing growth and innovation.

If regulation were to translate into a financial hit for the industry, it would likely be one that    only the biggest affiliates would be able to suck up.

That’s why promoting responsible gambling is now more crucial than ever – because if the industry ain’t broke, there’s no need for regulators to step in and fix it.

Protection at the core

But this really shouldn’t just be about reacting to the current regulatory climate. It goes deeper than that. We believe player protection is part of an affiliate site’s job and readers should be provided with strategy advice and game know-how, and gambling responsibly is a key part of that.

It’s just as important that our readers players understand concepts like “return to player” as they know they should always split aces and eights. That they know not to gamble with money they can’t afford to lose or money they’re supposed to pay bills with. That they don’t chase their losses or play when they’re are depressed, upset or anxious.

These are all part of the bigger picture – the overall “macro-strategy” – for online gamblers and part of the information that an affiliate site has a responsibility to provide, along with links to problem gambling organisations and resources for those who believe they may have issues with addiction.

For affiliates, these should be the fundamentals. We plan to roll out innovative new measures in the coming months that we believe will lead the way in player protections and herald a new era of more stringent self-regulation.

We urge others in the industry to also devote time and resources to finding new ways to protect players – to innovate before it’s too late – otherwise a government with little love for our industry will do it for us.

Matej Novota is the lead of Casino Guru online casino review team and complaint resolution team. He manages a team responsible for collecting, evaluating and updating data about casinos, thanks to which we have one of the biggest and most up-to-date databases of online casinos. And that’s suitable, as Matej really enjoys collecting, analyzing, and processing data.