Long after the
passing of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement
Act, the Grand Prive network of online casinos stayed in
the U.S. market. Although there was always the
possibility the popular Microgaming powered network
could drop out of the U.S. sector at any time, when the
time actually came for them to do so, it was still
somewhat of a shocker nonetheless.
However, what was
even more of a shocker was Grand Prive's decision to
allow their current U.S. players to keep gambling but to
banish the affiliates who brought these players to Grand
Prive in the first place. For anyone not familiar with
an affiliate marketing relationship, it's akin to you
telling your friends to join up at your favorite online
casino and being promised a friend referral bonus. But
in the end, the online casino takes your friends money
but doesn't give you your promised bonus.
Thanks to casino
affiliate communities like Casino Affiliate Programs
(CAP), however, Grand Prive found themselves between a
rock and a hard place. Immediately after Grand
Prive announced their intentions, affiliates struck back
with a vengeance, lighting up the forum boards and
directly letting Grand Prive know how unacceptable this
maneuver was. The President of CAP, Lou Fabiano,
thereafter stepped in and began discussions with Grand
Prive management, whose affiliate program is listed on
the CAP website.
The latest word on
the matter, according to Fabiano, is that the most
recent teleconference with the owners of Grand Prive was
productive and showed signs that some headway would be
made on the issue. Grand Prive asked Fabiano to directly
inform all affiliates that Casino Affiliate Programs
will be the lone point of contact for resolving the
matter. All affiliates are asked to direct all concerns
to CAP, who will be meeting with Grand Prive management
at the Casino Affiliate Programs Euro conference in
London late January, 2009. It is expected that a
resolution will be finalized during these talks.
Until then, all
discussions regarding terms of any agreement will remain
private. Affiliates should rest assured, however, that
with Lou Fabiano on their side, an amicable deal is in
the making. CAP has long been the online gambling
industry's leader in affiliate resources and networking
tools, and has long been respected for it's commitment
to ensuring affiliates get their fair share.
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