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The Inside Scoop – WSOP bridges the gap of online and land based poker

Posted by :admin On : May 30, 2014
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poker affiliate Inside Scoop Column

May is finally almost over, and that can mean only one thing; it’s time for the WSOP!

Earlier this week, the 45th annual World Series of Poker kicked off in Nevada at the Rio in the Pavillion Ballroom. This year’s series of tournaments brings something different with it however, online real money satellites at WSOP.com.

In both New Jersey and Nevada where online gambling is legal and regulated, players have been able to play in online satellites to win entries into the various events leading up to the WSOP. And with online poker now legal in the Nevada, WSOP.com is being heavily promoted to visitors to this year’s iconic tournament series.

WSOP.com unites their online and offline brands

One of the areas that the land based casinos in New Jersey and Nevada have been heavily criticized about in recent months is their lack of cross-promotion with their online counterparts.

And while some casinos or poker sites have awarded overnight stays and other types comps, none have been very heavily promoted. That however has all changed with the beginning of this year World Series of Poker. It goes without saying that WSOP.com and Caesars Interactive have just raised the bar.

In a recent column I outline the various ways in which this years World Series of Poker is cross promoting their online property to land based players.

Some of the groundbreaking things they are doing to help bridge the gap between land based and online poker are:

  • Proactively informing players on KYC documents needed
  • The ability to deposit at WSOP.com from the land based casino cages
  • Continuous online satellites in Nevada thoughout the WSOP
  • A “Grind Room” at the Rio for players to sign up and play online
  • Online play from tablets and mobile devices being permitted at the tables

Then in New Jersey for players that couldn’t make the trip to Nevada, the WSOP.com is hosting an online tournament series with over $550,000 in guaranteed prizes.

With the WSOP just getting underway, it will be interesting to observe the results of this all-in effort by Caesars Interactive when it’s all said and done.

The New Jersey DGE drops the hammer on affiliates

Since the inception of regulated online gambling in New Jersey, there has been one gray area that nobody seemed to have the answer to; Can affiliates promote unregulated sites alongside NJ’s newly regulated sites?

Last week the New Jersey boldly answered that question when they sent six of our fellow gambling affiliates cease and desist letters.

The letters were actually issued by the New Jersey Assistant Attorney, George N. Rover, and cited the New Jersey Casino Control Act. The cleverly worded C&D letters stated that online poker affiliates in violation may be guilty of a fourth degree crime and subject to a fine of up to $100,000.

The affiliates confirmed to receive these letters were:

  • CardsChat.com
  • PokerSource.com
  • RakeBrain.com
  • Pokersites.com
  • RaketheRake.com
  • One unnamed site

A full version of this ”cease and desist” letter from the DGE was provided by one of the affiliates involved and can be read in its entirety here.

In one respect this is great for the overall New Jersey market as it is fighting for liquidity with the unregulated sites, but from the affiliate standpoint, well, it sucks. So if you’re thinking about being an affiliate in New Jersey, you better start thinking about a mini-site, or promotional method that doesn’t also promote non-regulated U.S. rooms.

Unregulated sites continue to leave New Jersey and Nevada

Around the same time affiliates began receiving C&D letters from New Jersey’s DGE, all the poker sites on the Winning Poker Network began not allowing New Jersey players.

Shortly thereafter it was also announced that sites on another unregulated network, the Equity poker network, would also stop allowing players from New Jersey, Nevada, and Delaware.

It should also be noted that sites on the Merge Network also left the markets months ago.

There is plenty of speculation as to whether these networks have received C&D’s themselves from authorities, but in my opinion, it’s more than likely they are just attempting to stay off the radar.

Although, in the last 48 hours Bovada.lv unexpectedly left the New Jersey market as well. With the mass exodus of all the other rooms, and then the powerhouse sports, casino, and poker brand of Bovada, one has to ask, is there more to the story here?

What is the status of poker affiliate marketing in New Jersey?

As it stands right now, the affiliates that have been working with the operators in the Garden State have been doing it through paid advertising deals. There are currently no revenue sharing or CPA models in place.

And even with the paid advertising deals, affiliates are still required to have a vendor’s permit that comes with a fee of $2000.

I do expect in the very near future however that the DGE is going to loosen up their guidelines and allow affiliates with vendor’s permits to promote through CPA’s. Stay tuned for that.

One of the most important aspects of how affiliate marketing transpires in New Jersey is that it very well may set the precedence for how other markets approach working with affiliates. A pure CPA model is actually favorable for affiliates in many respects.

As professional marketers with numerous ways to make money on the Internet though, it seems crazy that we should have to pay a state $2000 for the privilege to promote gambling brands which the state actually is profiting from anyways.

The Inside Scoop – Busy Week For Regulated Markets and Horse Racing

Posted by :admin On : May 15, 2014
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poker affiliate Inside Scoop Column

With spring in full bloom and the WSOP just around the corner, the online poker industry is preparing for the inevitable slow down that occurs every year at this time. But just because the action on the virtual felt is expected to slow down, it doesn’t mean news out of the regulated markets will.

So let’s jump right in and look at some of the biggest industry stories and chatter taking place this week.

New Jersey’s April Gambling Revenue = Flat

As soon as the DGE (Division of Gaming Enforcement) April numbers hit the net, social media was buzzing with back forth chatter amongst industry analysts and followers. The overall initial sentiment was that the numbers are flat and that poker is the biggest reason why.

Overall, the total revenue for April was $11,428,737. Borgata continued to lead the Garden States operators with total revenues of $4.1 million. Caesars had disappointing month with revenues falling over $700k from March, down to $3 million.

Golden Nugget and Trump Taj Mahal also saw decreases in revenues.

The two shining stars in this months DGE report were Tropicana and Trump Plaza bringing in revenues of $2.1 million and $926k respectively.

Personally these are numbers are in line with what I expected. While it can be argued that payment processing and geo-location continue to plague the NJ market, the real issue is simply consumer awareness.

Until New Jersey operators can figure out how to attract casual players, and those players new to online poker, the monthly reports will continue to stagnate.

Winning Poker Network (WPN) Says Adios To The U.S. Regulated Markets

Other breaking news coming out of the regulated markets this week includes the Winning Poker Network (True Poker, Americas Cardroom, and Black Chip Poker) abruptly exiting the New Jersey market.

This was not the first non-regulated online poker operator to leave these states though. In January Merge forced all of its skins to exit the regulated markets.

Reported first by Chris Grove at Online Poker Report, a lot of speculation is floating around as to why the abrupt decision by WPN. The official statement offered by WPN suggests that the network left these regulated states out of respect to the regulated operators.

While I don’t think the DGE or authorities in the U.S. have made any specific threats to operators like WPN, I do believe that the decision by both Merge and WPN is a precautionary measure and a way of staying of the radar and playing nice.

Will Bovada be next? Don’t count on it, their sports betting revenues would make leaving these regulated states a much more expensive decision.

Who’s Next To Regulate Online Gambling In the U.S.

Trying to handicap the U.S. regulated online gambling market is more difficult than trying to handicap a race in the Triple Crown. Every week there seems to be a new front-runner, as well as a state that once looked positive but is now all the sudden on the back burner.

Craig Klinski from NJPokerOnline.net recently wrote a column assessing the states next to regulate online poker.

Give this article a read, it’s easily the most up to date and realistic assessment I’ve read in a while. I don’t for see any states regulating and coming online in 2014, but if I had to pick a trifecta for the next three states to be live, it would be California, Pennsylvania and New York. And yes, I will be boxing those three!

Speaking of Horse Racing

As a large majority of the readers of this blog are affiliates, allow me to share some Inside Scoop with you. The Triple Crown is one of the most lucrative betting events in the world.

Every year, people who never bet on horses otherwise come out of the woodwork to wager on each of these races. While the off track betting facilities are popular, more and more individuals are going online looking for places to gamble.

The opportunity for affiliates to convert these bettors is tremendous. Whether it’s SEO, email campaigns, or press releases, the amount of people looking to bet horse racing online this weekend and then again in two weeks is remarkable.

I actually had a chance to speak with one of the bosses from BetAmerica.com a few weeks ago, and the figures he told me that the top affiliates earn throughout the Triple Crown made my jaw drop. So boom, there you go. Get ready to make some money this weekend!

The Inside Scoop – California Love & a Big Week in NJ

Posted by :admin On : April 25, 2014
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poker affiliate Inside Scoop Column

I typically publish this Inside Scoop column on Wednesdays, however this week the poker Internets were buzzing with news about California, so I took a few days to absorb it all.

So let’s get started!

California’s Online Poker Hearing

If you’re a part of the online poker media, or someone interested in U.S. online gambling regulation, there’s a good chance that you were glued to your laptop on Wednesday afternoon listening to the testimonies being given in front of the Assembly Committee on Governmental Organization. And don’t worry; if you missed the hearing, you can listen to it here.

So here are the cliff notes:

On Wednesday, many of the biggest names in regulated gambling came together to give hours of testimony both for and against regulated online gambling in California.

Much of the discussions focused on the collaboration and consensus amongst the various Indian tribes throughout the Golden State. The largest point of contention is without a doubt the inclusion or exclusion of the bad actor clause.

What is the Bad Actor Clause?

The term “bad actor” refers to any online gaming company that continued to accept wagers in the U.S. after UIGEA (Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act) was passed in 2006.

It is each individual states decision to place a bad actor clause or not in any bill. All three states that currently have regulated and legalized online gambling in the various forms all have different bad actor clauses in their legislation.

Speaking of bad actors, PokerStars……….

One of the most interesting parts of the day happened during the third panel session when news emerged that PokerStars just put a press release out to the public.

The press release disclosed that PokerStars had officially partnered with not only the Morongo Band of Mission Indians, but also California’s largest card rooms; Bicycle Casino, Hawaiian Gardens Casino, and Commerce Club.

To sum it all up in one sentence, this would be PokerStars “Battle of the Alamo” moment in history. Stars knows good and well that if they miss the boat in California, their hopes of doing business in the regulated U.S. markets will become even more of an uphill battle.

And with California presenting a market over 4 times larger than that of New Jersey, don’t expect Stars to give up without a relentless fight.

A few of the best write-ups I have found regarding California, bad actors, and PokerStars are listed below:

California Gambler

Hearing Wrapup

24 Things We Learned at the California Online Poker Hearing

Online Poker Report

PokerStars Big Announcement

Summary of CA online poker hearing

New Jersey Poker Online

PokerStars California presence and it’s impact on New Jersey

A big week In New Jersey for poker

While all the attention has been focused on California this week, New Jersey has been rocking and rolling with their own excitement. The World Poker Tour’s championship $15,400 buy-in event sponsored by nj.partypoker.com has been going on every day at the Borgata Casino Hotel & Resort.

With a $5 million guarantee, this event has made history in New Jersey, as it’s the first time in its 11-year tenure that the event has ever been held outside of Las Vegas. Without a doubt, this goes to show the significance of regulated online gambling in New Jersey.

In addition to the WPT’s richest annual event, the nj.partypoker.com NJCOP (New Jersey Championship of Poker) has also been underway. With 15 events, this series guaranteed New Jersey online players over $600,000in prize pools throughout the week.

Many industry analysts and followers are watching both these events closely, as it appears that the New Jersey online poker market may be stagnating a bit.

Check back to this column next, as we will analyze both of these events in New Jersey, as well as report on any new developments in California. And after such a busy week following the California market, it only makes sense to end the column and head into the weekend with this song.

Inside Scoop – A Look Back the U.S. Poker Affiliate Market Since Black Friday

Posted by :admin On : April 18, 2014
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poker affiliate Inside Scoop Column

Tuesday marked the three-year anniversary of one of the darkest days in history for U.S. gambling affiliates. Appropriately named “Black Friday,” April 15, 2011 will be a day that will be remembered by many U.S. gambling affiliates, especially poker affiliates, for years to come.

A Walk Down Memory Lane – Black Friday

I can remember it like it was yesterday. On that fateful morning I was sitting in a dentists chair actually thinking about what affiliate payments had come in during the week, as well as which I was still expecting.

All of the sudden, it was either my Blackberry Bold, or iPhone 3 that began blowing up. As soon as I saw the first text roll in saying all of my U.S. facing money makers were being seized by the U.S. DOJ, I figured it was a prank.

But then another, another, and another came in.

Living through losing most of my affiliate income in 2006 when U.S. iGaming affiliates were smacked in the face with the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, I couldn’t help but have one thought run through my mind, “Aw Geez, not this again!”

But, indeed it happened; the U.S. successfully seized and shut down the four largest online poker sites in the country. (PokerStars.com, FullTiltPoker.com, UltimateBet.com, and AbsolutePoker.com).

What Happened Next For U.S. Poker Affiliates

What transpired in the months and weeks to come can only be described as multiple meltdowns of epic proportions.

Existing U.S. facing online poker sites not caught up in the DOJ seizure all began changing their domain tld’s from .com to .eu’s, .ag’s, or other non-US  extensions. Many of these operators were on high alert, and began changing their payment processing and the way they did business in the U.S. market.

In the poker affiliate market, there was a massive sell-off going on.

Affiliate sites were going for pennies on the dollar. The amount of value many of these sites could be picked up for was obscene. And while I won’t name any names, a few non-U.S. super affiliates took full advantage of this fire sale, and essentially bought out a large percentage of the mid-level affiliate market.

Many larger poker affiliates were forced to downsize, cut back on staff, or trim their spending down to a shear level of survivability.

Sure, U.S. facing affiliates were still making money off of operators like CarbonPoker or BetOnline, but the revenues were paltry compared to what they once were with the Big 4. Many poker affiliates simply moved on into different industries and left their old life of “poker affiliate marketing” behind them.

The good news, this may have been the best decision some ever made, as I personally know several former poker affiliates who are currently using their previous acquired skills to crush it in other industries.

Once The Dust Settled

It’s hard to say that the dust ever officially settled. We could go into the entire story of Full Tilt Poker being caught with their hands in the cookie jar, and PokerStars bailing them out; however I’m pretty sure anyone reading this is well aware of that story.

As painful as it was, perhaps Black Friday had to happen in the U.S. to get us to the point we are today. Give that article by John Mehaffey a read, and you may agree.

With three states currently allowing regulated online gambling in some form (Nevada, New Jersey, Delaware), we’re currently on the cusp of a much larger regulated U.S. online gambling market. And most importantly, we are seeing a market emerge that is trusted and monitored to ensure player safety.

What Lies Ahead For U.S. Poker Affiliates?

It’s impossible to have a crystal ball and predict what the market will look for U.S. poker affiliates in the months and years to come. One thing is certain though, there will be opportunities, and a great deal of wealth will be created.

America’s largest regulated market, New Jersey, has been slow to adapt and offer a clear view of their stance on affiliate marketing. Currently affiliates are working on a strict paid advertising model.

As the online poker market continues to stagnate however, and as the poker sites look to attract more casual players, the emergence of a true performance based affiliate model should become much more prevalent.

The Inside Scoop – My Trip To iGaming North America

Posted by :admin On : March 26, 2014
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Inside Scoop Column

IGNA - iGaming North AmericaIn this week’s edition of the The Inside Scoop, I will recap my recent trip to Las Vegas for the 2014 iGaming North America Conference. Held at the Planet Hollywood Hotel Resort & Casino, this was probably one of the best conferences I’ve been to in a long time.

My trip started with a lunch meeting alongside the crew of one of my favorite poker brands, WSOP.com. Joined by the legendary @BillRini, as well as the other marketing rockstars, Adrian and Dee, we discussed some of the exciting promotions and developments WSOP.com has coming up in the regulated markets.

After working in this industry so long, it’s nice to see such a reputable and iconic brand such as WSOP.com making big moves online in the U.S. regulated markets. I’d look for more innovation and outside the box marketing from WSOP.com throughout the rest of 2014.

With the actual World Series of Poker in Vegas coming up this summer, it would be impressive to see if WSOP.com can successfully pass its main competitor’s, nj.partypoker.com, market share in New Jersey.

Notable Speaker Sessions At The 2014 IGNA

With the 3 regulated online gambling markets currently in the U.S. and several others on the brink of legislation, this may have been one of the most important IGNA’s to date. And with that, the organizers of IGNA pulled out no stops when making sure the speaker sessions were absolutely stellar.

With multiple sessions going on at once, there were several times I had to make tough decisions on which to actually attend.

Below are a few recaps of the three most notable sessions I attended:

Visionaries Perspective – Is iGaming the Problem or the Solution?

Probably one of the most anticipated speaker sessions of the entire conference, Mitch Garber, CEO of Caesars Interactive and Andy Abboud, VP of Government Relations, sorry, Government Payoffs and Corruption (I kid Mr. Abboud), for Las Vegas Sands Corp. went toe to toe on regulated online gambling in the U.S.

As everyone knows, Sands Corp. is owned by billionaire geezer, Sheldon Adelson, who has pledged to spend whatever it takes in an effort to make online gambling in the U.S. completely illegal. The debate was a lively one that in my opinion made Mr. Abboud appear as a complete idiot.

Some of his arguments against regulated online gambling were laughable. At one point he mention 8 year old kids under Star Trek blankets in their bedrooms gambling online.

Mitch Garber, who is arguably one of the brightest minds in U.S. regulated gambling market was brilliant in his responses, as well as his arguments for online gambling. As he said, gambling in general is simply evolving with the times. The U.S. land based casinos need to evolve with times.

Garber mentioned that it’s nonsense trying to eliminate online gambling, as non-regulated rooms will always be here. Instead we need to protect consumers by allowing regulations.

He also made a strong point backed by studies that regulated online gambling will have no effect on land based profits, and if anything help land based casinos.

Easily one of the best conference speaker sessions I have ever attended. Howard Stutz wrote a nice summary of the exchanges here.

Regulated Online Poker – The Story So Far

How can you not like a panel with guys like @John_Mehaffey, @BillRini, and Dan from @PokerScout1. Even better, it was moderated by one of the regulated markets foremost industry journalist Chris Grove @OPReport. What a great mix of people to discuss this topic.

With two online poker operators (WSOP.com & UltimatePoker.com) the opinions on the questions asked varied greatly. It was interesting to hear the challenges still facing operators such as geo-location, as well as credit card processing.

It was also nice having the founder of PokerScout.com on the panel, who undoubtedly kept everyone honest with respect to traffic and stats. The panel agreed that although more poker rooms such as Virgin and Golden Nugget are expected to launch in New Jersey, the market can realistically only handle four online poker sites.

While opinions differed on many of the topics, all the panelists seemed to agree that California would be the “game changer” for U.S. regulated online gambling should that market open up.

Live at IGNA: As Close As You Want To Get To A Federally Prosecuted Sports Betting Trial

This was probably one of the more interesting sessions I attended. It opened with the Assistant U.S. Attorney from the U.S. Department of Justice of the Southern District of New York giving opening remarks. While he seemed like a nice enough gentleman, this is honestly the closest I would want to get to him again!!!

Where it got interesting though is when the team from @ifrahlaw hosted a mock federal trial that gave the audience a unique insight and understanding as to what a real federal sports betting trial might look like. A defendant stood trial on a mock stand and was examined and cross-examined.

At the end everyone was able to vote via twitter or text in real time on if the defendant was guilty or not. The audience indeed did find her guilty.

Overall, it was very well staged and gave a great perspective to those of us who have never been in a courtroom. And yea, that is the closest I EVER want to be to a federally prosecuted sports betting trial.

The Level Of Professionalism At iGNA Was Resounding

One resounding thing that stuck with me from this year’s IGNA was the shear level of professionalism. Not to take anything away from the IGB affiliate conferences, but there were a lot more executive level type individuals at this conference. Sure, it’s Las Vegas, but people were there to primarily do business versus the late night partying and gambling.

It was also finally nice to be back at a conference on U.S. soil where there was a great deal of optimism and excitement.

If I had to suggest a single conference that individuals working in the U.S. regulated gaming market should attend, it would be this one. In fact, I would say iGNA is a conference that is a must-attend.

The Inside Scoop – March Madness & Updates On The Regulated U.S. Markets

Posted by :admin On : March 12, 2014
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Inside Scoop Column

Welcome to the new home of one of my favorite columns to write each week, The Inside Scoop!

With PAL and PAS being so closely knit these days, it only made sense to move the column over to PAL. So keep an eye on this area every Wednesday for the latest juicy gossip and commentary from the online gambling industry. We have a lot to cover this week, so let’s dive right in!

PAL March Madness Bracket Contest – $500 Added

It’s that time again, one of the best months of the year; March.

Not only is spring right around the corner, but so is one of the largest betting periods of the year in the US. It’s March Madness folks, and with that comes great opportunities for affiliates to capitalize on all the betting action taking place surrounding this tournament.

As expected, this year PAL is once again hosting an NCAA Bracket Contest that is FREE to enter. We have added $500 cash to the prize pool courtesy of our good friends at Chipsplit.com and CarbonSports.ag.

The payouts will be 70/20/10, and as always this bracket is interesting because we give underdog points for those games you win where you don’t pick the favorite. You can visit the official 2014 PAL NCAA Bracket Contest thread for all the information, and to talk a little smack with fellow PAL members.

Full Tilt Remission Process Paid Out Over $80 Million

For past Full Tilt players, March proved to be a great month. Finally after years of waiting, several players have been reimbursed their players funds from the Full Tilt cashier.

With over 27,000 players being reimbursed, Chris Grove over at Online Poker Report published an interesting article showing that U.S. facing poker sites saw growth of around 5% in the week immediately following remission payments. Read more here

And for the love of God, I really hope none of this growth was at Lock Poker, you know, the U.S. facing poker site still in business that owes players over $900,000. Speaking of Lock Poker, one of my most speechless moments was when I read that Lock actually just launched a new skin. Read more and feel free to share your thoughts in this PAL thread.

New Jersey February Numbers & Is California Next To Regulate?

Earlier this afternoon, the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) released the official February revenue numbers for the states land based and online gambling operations.

With an 8.9% monthly increase, February online gambling in the Garden State generated revenues of $10.3 million. It should also come as no surprise that Party / Borgata still lead in market share, primarily fueled by their strong casino revenues. OPR’s post today displays the numbers in easy to digest graphs.

New Jersey is still seen as test market for the rest of the country. Obstacles such as geolocation issues, as well as payment processing continue to plague online gambling in the Garden State.

Overall, what is most impressive to me is the continued month over month growth, especially from the casino side of the business.

California?

For months now, many of us following the regulated markets in the U.S. have been speculating on which state would be the next to follow Nevada, New Jersey, and Delaware to become the 4th state in the country to regulate online gambling. While it’s impossible to have a crystal ball and say for sure, many analysts are predicting it will be California. It already has two bills proposed in the state legislature.

And what a market this would be! With a population of over 38 million people, compared to New Jersey’s 9 million residents, California would be an entirely new animal.

Unlike other states, California would have zero issues with liquidity, and would more than likely become on of the largest online poker markets in the world. The question now becomes, who will the casinos and operators be in the California online poker market?

That remains to be seen. One thing is certain though, all eyes will be on California for the remainder of 2014.

Interested in writing a guest column or post for PAL? Now’s your chance to become a contributor in one of the industries largest poker affiliate communities. We’re looking for writers to share their industry experiences or knowledge. To be considered, send Jeremy an email or PM in the forums.