I have almost made it to the big leagues. I was approached about an affiliate deal with a bookmaker that mainly focuses on the US market. They loved my content and it was just what they were looking for apparently.
I was told it was going to be something other than just a normal affiliate deal. As it transpires it was just a normal affiliate deal where you would have the option of either money for each account opened or a percentage of revenues. It is the revenue share deals I have huge issues with.
I obviously said I had no interest because I am not a complete c***. Affiliate deals (revenue share) in this industry are one of the industry’s dirtiest secrets and I have lost count how many times I have mentioned it in these tweets.
The general concept of affiliate deals is fine and is a good way for someone to monetise a following they may have acquired or for a business to attract new customers. It is a standard marketing strategy used for the sale of many products across many different industries. If I was offered a deal for a product I used and really liked then I would have no hesitation in suggesting it to my followers. However, it would be on the proviso that I would not profit from the losses that they had endured.
The problem with the betting industry is that so many areas of it have gotten fat on the back of these hideous affiliate deals, where the company or individual benefits more, the more money the customer has lost. The more you lose the more we make. Happy punting! One of the biggest problems is that it includes all products. In particular the casino business. I hate to think how much money someone like the Racing Post, Sporting Life or Oddschecker have made over the years from problem gamblers and those who simply cant afford it. It is morally reprehensible that this is a standard practice in any industry. It is why I was happy to call out the Racing Blogger out on the affiliate nonsense he had going on with Betbull. He was no doubt making a fortune on the back of losses accumulated by those following his awful tips. A mind-blowing scenario. He didn’t even have the decency to let his followers know when they went tits up. I see it all the time in this industry. It is morally bankrupt. I would say we all have our own moral compasses and draw the line where it suits each of us.
Everyone and every company is entitled to make money however they see fit. However don’t be surprised if you are called out for this sort of stuff. It’s a terrible practice and something that the Gambling Commission should have been all over many years ago. Unsurprisingly it wasn’t and we are in the situation where it has been going on for over 20 years. I am sure the media would question some of these practices. Wouldn’t they? Of course not, as that’s how the majority of them make their money.
The irony of course being that all these publications or websites give out betting advice. No conflict of interest there then. The more you lose the more we make. Happy punting! Bet responsibly. Maybe it is why the said publications don’t want to help improve the average punter.
There are plenty of questionable practices in the industry. I struggle to think of any though that encapsulates what a sordid industry this is, better than affiliate deals and revenue sharing.
ProPunting 