Terms and Condition Changes - Brightshare (I Sense Something)

[Webzcas]

Changes to T & C's for affiliate programs I haven't encountered for a long time.

Looks like Brightshare and Roxy Affiliates are the latest programs to introduce some crappy terms to their affiliate programs. There are many reports of Roxy actively closing down affiliate accounts with the reasoning that they are no longer producing new players. So much for life time revenue of an affiliates existing player base.

Brightshare have as of this morning introduced a player quota. Basically if you fail to introduce one new player in a rolling three month period, your earnings on your player base gets reduced to 15%.

Both moves are predatory and also unethical. Especially if as I believe they are in Brightshare's case being applied retroactively.

I work with both programs and have not been effected by these changes ( YET ), but will not hesitate kicking them both off all my sites and group them with Wagershare and the Palace Group as blacklisted and rogue, should they not see the error of their ways.

I also understand these programs are eCOGRA accredited. Well if this is the case, I will be joining the growing crowd who believe eCOGRA is a toothless organisation, with no ones interest but their members at heart, if they stand back and do nothing.

I am also going to be flagging this with Bryan when he returns. Enough is enough. We all have businesses to run and families to look after. When I sign up to a program, I don't expect the goal posts to be moved years down the line.

 

[Webzcas]

I have sent PM's to the Roxy Affiliates Rep and also the Jackpot Factory Rep here on the forum notifying them of this thread and also requesting their response.

Bryan as well as Max and Simmo have also been copied in on the PM.

Any webmasters who want to comment on this, please do so. Without your voice then it is very likely nothing will be reversed.

 

[KasinoKing]

Thanks for bringing this to CM.
I read about this new Brightshare quota rule on another forum (AGD) and was shocked that this highly regarded group would be going down that route.

I did get notification that some terms would change, but the e-mail does not give the full details or say whether the changes are retroactive or not. Here is the e-mail (I've added numbers to the terms list):

Dear Xxxx,

As we announced recently, our clients have now moved to be hosted in Malta under a European license (LGA).

Due to the changes in the market and current industry standards, we revisited the financial and business terms of the current Affiliate program.

The terms were updated on the BrightShare site, and will be taking effect as of May 1st 2013.

For your convenience, the main changes to the terms and conditions are listed below:
1. Rev share will be calculated on a sliding scale according to the number of new players the affiliate brings in each month.
2. We will continue with NO negative carry-over, with the addition of a high-roller policy.
3. Payment will be made for new unique players that were not already active with any of our clients.
4. Rev share affiliates will receive a single aggregated rev share payment each month for all products, markets and brands.
5. Revenue share for markets that are closed (i.e. France, Italy, etc.) will be paid based on a reduced rev share percentage.
We are, as always, 100% committed to our tag line: Playing Fair, Sharing Success. You will continue to enjoy all the benefits of affiliating with BrightShare, with top revenues, payments like clockwork and the dedicated support of our professional affiliate managers and support team.

eCOGRA certification for both the affiliate program and the casinos will continue to be renewed annually, and our casinos will continue to work to produce the best offerings in the market, while entering new, attractive markets and incorporating the latest technology in the industry. This will include expanding their mobile offerings and providing affiliates with additional marketing tools to enhance their performance.

Please do not hesitate to contact your affiliate manager with any questions you may have.

These changes go into effect on May 1st, and as such, BrightShare reports will not be accessible during this update.

We look forward to maintaining our strong partnership and continuing to grow our success together.

The e-mail contained NO link to the terms on their website.

In addition to the new "quota" rule, it looks like there are some other very predatory changes in there too:
2) High Roller Policy... is that new?
3) If you refer someone to one of their casinos but they happen to have already joined one of the others - they wont be tagged to you.
5) They are reducing your "lifetime commission" on closed market players.

To say I am very disappointed with Brightshare (if these terms ARE retroactive), would be an understatement!

KK

 

[incrediblestuff]

I would state that i find that unacceptable, if there was no room for negotiation:
Of course i'm pretty sure that any contractual agreement cannot be broken by either separate partner on a whim, so to speak.

If a program is announced to be altered, for whatever reasons, and in the new structure/business model there would somehow be no room for running deals to continue, then a settlement should be arranged, which should ensure both parties to be satisfied.

Thereafter it is up to the affiliate to see if they want to continue promoting the partner in question, under the new model.

But if they just enforce it, and more or less screw you out of your lifetime revenue, that is in my eyes definitely rogue behavior.

I am also curious what Bryan has to say about this, and of course the rest of the affiliates that roam the forum.
I would also be interested in what the Casinos in question have to say for themselves.

 

[est129]

I also read about this change on Brightshare yesterday, and i am about to remove them from all websites.

It's unethical tactics and those terms have nothing to do with a serious affiliate program. To me, it appears like a 'method' to reduce revenue from both existing profitable affiliates and probably new ones.

I'll keep reading this topic to see if there will be any change, if not, i will have to remove them from all my blogs/partners sites.

 

[Webzcas]

But if they just enforce it, and more or less screw you out of your lifetime revenue, that is in my eyes definitely rogue behavior.

The affiliate accounts being closed by Roxy is ROGUE behaviour. Stealing an existing player base sent by those affiliates who signed up to the program on the understanding, that they would receive revenue for life, for those players they sent to Roxy.

As for Brightshare, as KasinoKing mentions above, they have not stated whether the term changes are retroactive and have so far side stepped any question on this topic, on the other forums where they have been asked.

Bryan is currently away but have notified him of this thread and I am very keen on his input on this.

 

[Simmo!]

If these terms are applied to take effect on players referred from the date the term is implemented, that isn't unreasonable in that it gives the affiliate a choice as to whether to refer under those conditions going forward.

If however they have been applied retroactively then while it might be within the "we can do whatever we want whenever we want" rule, it would be unethical to do so IMO. It would also tell you something about the way affiliate arrangements are viewed by casino management.

Some clarification would be good.

 

[Webzcas]

If these terms are applied to take effect on players referred from the date the term is implemented, that isn't unreasonable in that it gives the affiliate a choice as to whether to refer under those conditions going forward.

I agree with this. But the problem is, Brightshare have so far not been forthcoming with any answers to any questions, although their rep hasn't visited the forum yet today, so would not have seen my PM pointing them in the direction of this thread.

As for Roxy closing affiliate accounts. That is bang out of order to be honest. It costs nothing to keep an affiliates details in a database. This smacks of a cost cutting exercise, giving them an excuse not to pay affiliates who have an active historical player base.

Regarding eCOGRA and their affiliate trust seal. I have written to Andrew this afternoon, copying Bryan in on the email. As I want to understand exactly what the Affiliate Trust Seal implies and covers. Both Brightshare and Roxy Affiliates have been bestowed this seal from eCOGRA.

Just to reiterate, the actions taken by Roxy and Brightshare have not affected me personally and I have worked with both programs since 2005. I am hoping, that this thread along with the others at places like AGD will make the two programs reverse their recent decisions.

 

[Webzcas]

For those affiliates that are concerned about these developments and changes, Affiliate Guard Dog will be shortly commencing a rogue campaign via their Social Media Accounts.

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If you use Facebook and Twitter and want to be fully informed as to what programs are going south you really should be following AGD's accounts.

I also want to add that Andrew at eCOGRA has informed me that they are to look into the changes made by Brightshare and the closure of affiliate accounts made by Roxy Palace. However, he is refusing point blank to discuss with me further on this matter, as he made it quite clear he did not like my comments regarding eCOGRA in the opening post in this thread.

He also failed to answer any of the questions I put to him, regarding the Affiliate Program Seals they award. Bryan was copied in on all email correspondence and hopefully dialogue on this issue with Andrew will continue down this avenue.

I stand by the comments I made and to be fair they were not that abrasive. It is quite simple. If an organisation such as eCOGRA is to bestow a seal labelled 'Affiliate Trust' on any program, then eCOGRA need to take action if that perceived trust is broken by the program.

If they fail to take action, then they should not have anything to do with dishing out seals to affiliate programs. Hopefully eCOGRA will prove that this is not the case and that they are up to the task in hand and also have the necessary bite required.

As for Brightshare and Roxy, so far the reps have not looked in here

 

[Webzcas]

Further update on this, Andy has confirmed that Roxy Affiliates and Brightshare are to be moved into the rogue program category on AGD:

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From the eCOGRA Affiliate Trust Seal Page -

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Accreditation is open to all online gambling affiliate programs, which may be awarded the Affiliate Trust Seal under the following circumstances :

• The affiliate program shares the eCOGRA vision toward fair and responsible treatment of affiliates and players, and has and proves the highest level of integrity;
• The affiliate program complies with the eCOGRA Generally Accepted Practices (eGAP); and
• The affiliate program is approved by eCOGRA’s Seals Compliance Committee.

These are the six programs who have been awarded the seal:

AffClub - Rogued on AGD
BrightShare - Introduced retroactive predatory terms. About to be rogued on AGD
Fortune Affiliates
Party Partners - Party Partners no longer in existence. Now part of bewinners and bwin.party partners. A program that is rogued on AGD
Roxy Affiliates - Closing of affiliate accounts who they deem are not sending enough traffic. About to be rogued on AGD
StarPartner

 

[mattsgame]

Thanks for binging this up here Dave,

I am seriously getting fed up with the industry as a whole and not just the affiliate side of things. I dropped Brightshare a little while ago after reading a few things about the tracking, I had 0 sign ups anyway.

I started adding my own warnings to a site a few weeks ago and I have more warnings to go up, the sad part is I have more warnings than those casinos that I can recommend

Lets just hope that not to many or any for that matter follow the trend that is happening today.

Following, Tweeting and doing what ever I can mate, lets hope others follow and get some sense out of some of these programs/operators.

Cheers
Matt

 

[Webzcas]

Some further information concerning Brightshare with some inside perspective from Lloyd Apter who many will know was with the program from their beginning until he left ( turned out he was fired ) a couple of years back. The contents of which are alarming to say the least.

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[Webzcas]

Further information concerning Roxy Affiliates and the closing of affiliate accounts. The termination of affiliate accounts is also not mentioned anywhere in their current T & C's, let alone from years gone by.

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The Roxy Rep and the Jackpot Factory Rep appear also not to be monitoring their accounts here on Casinomeister. They still have not even bothered to log in here since I sent them a PM on 1st May. Maybe they are both on holiday?

 

[The Dude]

Hi All,

I'll be getting involved with this come Monday since I've just returned from the States last night. This is a serious issue that definitely needs to be addressed - especially since these affiliate programs represent Casinomeister Accredited Casinos and are bound by the standards of fair treatment.

...

The Roxy Rep and the Jackpot Factory Rep appear also not to be monitoring their accounts here on Casinomeister. They still have not even bothered to log in here since I sent them a PM on 1st May. Maybe they are both on holiday?

The Roxy account was dormant - I've reopened it. I'll see what's up about the JF account.

 

[bonustreak]

Simmo just an update so you are aware the terms update at Brightshare are retroactive. I have started the removal of all their brands as well from our sites. Roxy was removed last week.

I hope everyone can get involved in this because we need to stand up together against these companies!
Here is a response from Brightshare to Andrew at AGD...

Hi Andrew,

It’s Liyu here - the Support manager at BrightShare.
I’m monitoring Marcia’s inbox as unfortunately she is only partially available these days because of personal reasons, and I want to ensure a swift and full reply to your emails.

First, I’d like to ensure we are on the same page and as a matter of clarification, the general terms & conditions have come to affect as of yesterday (May 1st) - they apply to all existing deals and new deals to be signed. All earnings made until April 30th will not be affected and will be calculated based on the old terms and conditions.

As for the second point mentioned regarding the inactive rule – We are not removing commission, we will be paying the affiliate for all his players, always. However, when not brining any new player at all for 3 consecutive months or more, his revshare percentage for the month after will be set to 15% instead of 25%. In other words - It requires only one new player over a period of 3 months to be entitled to the standard plan percentage as before.

Please let me know if there is anything else we can assist or you need any further clarifications.
You can also write directly to me at [email protected]
Regards,

Liyu Lu
BrightShare Support manager
[email protected]

 

[lnspin]

Think i got all there links removed from my sites.

Anyway i have a few spots to post articles about this, but not the time to write them, so if someone wants to write an article and include a link to the agd banning or anything let me know and i can get it up

 

[Dave]

I can also confirm that the Brightshare changes are retroactive and apply to the entire player base. In my stats, I see that I am now earning only 15% on all of the players I ever sent to them.

All because they couldn't convert any of the hundreds of visitors I sent to them in the last few months. (Meanwhile, conversions are just fine at many other places.)

This is not the way to treat a partner of 8 years.

Also worth noting is that Brightshare plans to pay for 2,500 lunches per day at the Amsterdam conference next month. If they can afford to spend thousands on travel expenses and on lunches for the conference attendees, they can certainly afford to pay everyone what they were promised years ago.

 

[The Dude]

Just an update: Roxy has already gotten back to me and are looking at this situation. Brightshare hasn't yet, but I anticipate that they will soon.

I can understand making changes to their terms and conditions. But unless they negotiate an agreement with their affiliates, applying these changes retroactively is unacceptable.

I'll be reviewing this in depth on Monday.

 

[Webzcas]

Bryan, it's not good enough to be honest that they are still looking into this situation. They both after all made their decisions without even consulting us ( affiliates ) in the first place.

Roxy have visited this thread at least twice yesterday since you reactivated their forum account. They also have not responded here https://sussexmskpartnershipeast.com/forums/threads/roxy-palace-not-paying-me.56676/. In addition they are stonewalling affiliates in their respective forums on the GPWA, AGD and also CAP.

In the case of Roxy they haven't even bothered updating their T & C's. They have just been shutting down affiliate accounts. Breaching their own T & C's as nothing is mentioned about terminating accounts due to lack of traffic or sign ups.

 

[Webzcas]

I have blacklisted Roxy Affiliates on Online Casino Reviewer and will be removing Roxy Palace from all my sites over the course of the next 24 hours. I will also be taking the same action against Brightshare and their properties, should a positive response and outcome not be forthcoming.

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[kahva75]

Just an update: Roxy has already gotten back to me and are looking at this situation. Brightshare hasn't yet, but I anticipate that they will soon.

I can understand making changes to their terms and conditions. But unless they negotiate an agreement with their affiliates, applying these changes retroactively is unacceptable.

I'll be reviewing this in depth on Monday.

You should check wagershare too

They are far worse than Brightshare and Roxy combined

 

[kahva75]

So, no one have nothing to say about WS

 

[mattsgame]

So, no one have nothing to say about WS

Yes

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I would agree they are worse than both combined and have been so for a pretty long time it would seem, I was just glad I sent them no players when I was promoting them in my naivety days.

 

[Webzcas]

So, no one have nothing to say about WS

Oh I have a LOT to say about Wagershare, how long have you got? Look at my signature for a start, then there is also this link here:

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If anything, Wagershare are far far far worse.

However, this thread is about the current changes made by Roxy Affiliates and Brightshare, so prob best to keep this thread on that track and discuss Wagershare in another thread.

 

[bonustreak]

I been screaming to the roof top for a year now about the crooks over at Wagershare!!!

 

[Marcia]

The BrightShare program has always been, and will remain, trusted, fair and committed to positive long term business relationships. Our tagline reflects what we believe in – Playing Fair, Sharing success.

The markets around us have changed dramatically in the past few years. We have not changed the essence of the program and the core of our business terms for more than 8 years and we therefore decided to revisit and update the program.

We have a deep obligation to share our success and profits with our affiliate partners. This must be done in a way that is attractive both for our partners, and to the casinos we represent, in order to create a Win-Win situation, in which all parties benefit.

We have checked ourselves against other programs and compared it against common and accepted business industry standards.

As stated, the change applies to all of our affiliates as of May 1st 2013.

As always, for any commercial or technical inquiry we invite you to contact your dedicated account manager directly or send an email to [email protected].

The BrightShare Team

*This is posted on behalf of Marcia , our formal Forums moderator, as she is not available due to personal reasons.

 

[Webzcas]

This is predatory and retroactive if it includes those players referred by affiliates prior to May 1st 2013 which I believe is very much the case.

We have checked ourselves against other programs and compared it against common and accepted business industry standards.

Yes, probably against the likes of Wagershare and Roxy Affiliates which are also rogue microgaming affiliate programs. Or are you comparing yourself to the likes of BWin or Ladbrokes who have never needed and never have relied on affiliates? Very short sighted if you are.....

The BrightShare program has always been, and will remain, trusted, fair and committed to positive long term business relationships. Our tagline reflects what we believe in – Playing Fair, Sharing success.

Your response indicates otherwise. By all means enjoy stealing my money and the money of countless other affiliates who have worked with you over the years. I hope you will also enjoy the consequences it buys your program and the casino properties it represents.

 

[The Dude]

As I await further information, I think everyone should take a look at this thread from some years back. Fortune Affiliates made some changes to their affiliate contract that they tried to implement retroactively - well, that didn't quite work out so well at first:
https://sussexmskpartnershipeast.com/forums/threads/fortune-affiliates-retroactive-terms.8913/

What FA failed to do in the beginning was to consult with their partner affiliates. After realizing that what they were doing was short-sighted and wrong, they stepped back, regrouped, and proposed a more agreeable solution which worked:
https://sussexmskpartnershipeast.com/forums/threads/fortune-affiliates-retroactive-terms.8913/

Most of the outraged affiliates re-instated the FA properties on their sites; many are still in a partnership with them. FA saw the light and came to their senses.

I hope I can say the same for Brightshare in the next few weeks. I don't believe Brightshare consulted with anyone except for their beancounters and lawyers and decided this is the way to go. I'm quite flabbergasted knowing that there are many seasoned operators and affiliates who could have counseled BS on how to do what they need to do without breaching their contract with their established affiliates.

To introduce ANY term retroactively on their affiliates without their affiliates approval is NOT a partnership; it's a dictatorship.

This can be said about bonuses - what if a casino offers a bonus with a 20x wagering requirement, and while the player is pounding the "spin" button, they come back and say - oops sorry, we miscalculated - it's 30x play-through. How is this not different than what is happening now? Is this analogy valid?

I think so. Retroactive terms are not okay. Brightshare needs to do as FA did several years back and relook at this situation with eyes wide open.

 

[The Dude]

By the way, Affiliate Club did the same thing here:
https://sussexmskpartnershipeast.com/forums/threads/affiliate-clubs-t-cs-problem.30073/

They were dropped from the site when this happened. They are listed in the Reservation section.
https://sussexmskpartnershipeast.com/grey-zone-casinos/

 

[Webzcas]

It has been raised by a couple of affiliates that Brightshare who are sponsoring the free lunches at the Amsterdam Affiliate Conference in June should be banned from the conference. A very valid point has been raised over on AGD by Engineer, that if Brightshare can afford to pay for 2500 free lunches every day during the conferences, that they can also afford not to introduce retroactive changes to their terms and conditions.

Furthermore, I believe as an eCOGRA approved affiliate program, having been awarded their 'affiliate trust seal', that eCOGRA need to investigate the claims made by their former affiliate program director Lloyd Apter, which were raised in December 2012 over on the GPWA.

The full thread where Brightshare's honesty is called into question can be read here:

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Since eCOGRA will not discuss this issue with me, perhaps Bryan, you can raise this with Andrew Beveridge?

Furthermore, what about Roxy Affiliates? Roxy have so far not responded in this thread and have been pretty much silent elsewhere. If anything their actions are worse, as they are going around shutting down affiliate accounts.

Also something else that requires looking into deeply, is the fact that many affiliates, myself included, have experienced an incredibly high number of locked accounts at Wagershare. Then when they get pulled from those affected affiliate sites, they implement the FU non promotion clause. Subsequently stealing ( I do not use this term lightly ) earnings accrued by their affiliate partners.

If these issues are not dealt with by the affiliate community at large and are allowed to happen unchecked or unchallenged, what we are going to ultimately see is more spam in the search engines and webmasters taking on paid tenancy deals with casinos, which are less than player friendly.

So this really does affect players just as much as it does the webmasters like myself and others who rely on the revenue generated by our active historical player base.

 

[The Dude]

One thing that I think that should be considered is that affiliates should be given the chance to give feedback on future changes to any Terms and Conditions. In a perfect world, that could be the case. Perhaps a select few who know not only the affiliate business, but casino business as well.

In other words, affiliates should be offering solutions - not just castigations. It then becomes an "us vs them" environment which alienates and polarizes everyone involved. This is supposed to be a partnership in marketing, right?

As for eCOGRA investigating the claims made by Lloyd, I can forward the link and give a synopsis. I'm sure that they will be interested in looking into this. Mind you that at the moment it is all hearsay. On the surface it's a ex-employee making claims on a message board. You know Lloyd, I know Lloyd, many of us know Lloyd and trust the guy. But as you know, that's not good enough.

What Lloyd should have done (or could still do) is submit a complaint at eCOGRA and explain everything. If you have read the eGAP for the affiliate programs, you will see that this covers mostly the auditing of accounts, security and payments:

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So if there are any discrepancies, hopefully it will come out in any wash. The thing is, it takes more than complaining on a message-board - no one is obligated to do anything. But once you've submitted an official complaint, it becomes answerable in some form or another.

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I've already been in touch with Andrew, and most of the staff is on the road at the moment, but I'm sure they will be looking at this upon their return.

As for Roxy, like I mentioned - they've already gotten back to me and are reviewing the situation.

Wagershare is another story - perhaps needing their own thread.

 

[Webzcas]

In other words, affiliates should be offering solutions - not just castigations. It then becomes an "us vs them" environment which alienates and polarizes everyone involved. This is supposed to be a partnership in marketing, right?

I agree with you here. But when a program decides to move the goalposts without any discussion overnight, it is to be expected their partners are to be miffed to say the least. Their actions have single handedly already alienated their supposed partners.

What we are seeing playing out here, are webmasters reacting to having their revenue stream cut or removed in it's entirety in some cases, overnight.

Dialogue is good and constructive, but the programs concerned should have thought about this, before making said changes. The keeping of said programs and their properties on sites such as CAP, GPWA etc whilst the dialogue is ongoing or not even started, does not bring the programs back to the table to reconsider. Case in point the Fortune Affiliates thread you referenced on the previous page.

The programs would rather this be kept out of the public environment. The only power we have as webmasters to bring programs back to the table for dialogue is by putting these issues out in the public environment. Something the programs clearly do not want, hence the Marcia Account here posted please email ......

 

[Webzcas]

Wagershare is another story - perhaps needing their own thread.

Pointless doing so as they have a policy of not getting involved in any forums. My issue with them started 3 years ago and I have already written off the money they owe me.

I have surmised the whole Wagershare issue here for anyone that is unaware of what they have done and are doing:

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[Webzcas]

An update:

Brightshare this morning have been listed as a rogue program by Affiliate Guard Dog.

Roxy Affiliates have also been listed as a rogue program by Affiliate Guard Dog.

Furthermore looks like Roxy have also introduced a new predatory term to their T & C's in addition to the closing of affiliate accounts, citing non promotion.

The term is this:

5.1 If your account has been inactive, meaning you have not delivered any new depositing players, for more than 3 consecutive months we reserve the right to lower your commission to a minimum threshold of 10%.

When the Roxy rep finally responds in this thread, it would be good for them to also address term 5.1 and confirm whether this is applied to new affiliates signing up from now or covering all existing affiliates, thus being applied retroactively.

 

[Dave]

It has been raised by a couple of affiliates that Brightshare who are sponsoring the free lunches at the Amsterdam Affiliate Conference in June should be banned from the conference. A very valid point has been raised over on AGD by Engineer, that if Brightshare can afford to pay for 2500 free lunches every day during the conferences, that they can also afford not to introduce retroactive changes to their terms and conditions.

Yes, I think this is absolutely ridiculous, and they definitely need to be banned from the show and all future shows unless they make things right by honoring all the existing deals that were in place before May 1.

One thing that I think that should be considered is that affiliates should be given the chance to give feedback on future changes to any Terms and Conditions. In a perfect world, that could be the case. Perhaps a select few who know not only the affiliate business, but casino business as well.

In other words, affiliates should be offering solutions - not just castigations. It then becomes an "us vs them" environment which alienates and polarizes everyone involved. This is supposed to be a partnership in marketing, right?

Dealing with T&Cs (existing and proposed) pretty much sums up what AGD does every day. Most of the discussions are in private, and if the properties within the affiliate program are rogued here at Casinomeister, we refuse to review the affiliate program T&Cs.

Brighshare could have (and should have) spoken to AGD about their proposed changes before they went ahead with them, but they chose not to. We were all blindsided. I suspect they chose not to engage with us because they knew we would not approve of such sweeping retroactive changes.

Affiliates are rightfully pissed. I am personally losing thousands of dollars because of this mess. Partly from the commission drop, and partly because many of my players have now stopped playing because of all the bad press (and possibly because of Jackpot Factory's lower maximum daily withdrawal limits which went into effect recently).

 

[Dave]

Regarding Roxy Affiliates -- we were all promised lifetime residual income from the beginning, and there is nothing in their terms (new or old) that indicates they will close accounts (and steal affiliate earnings) if the affiliate doesn't send a certain amount of traffic.

They were rogued at AGD because we have proof that they are closing accounts for that reason, even though there is nothing mentioned about this in any version of their T&Cs.

 

[Webzcas]

Kudos to CAP. Warren has listened and taken the decision to immediately suspend Brightshare's sponsorship on CAP. In addition CAP have rogued Roxy Affiliates as a result of the changes both programs have been implementing

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So far the GPWA are the only webmaster association dragging their feet on this issue.

 

[mattsgame]

What the hell is going on with this industry atm.. Now we have Referback sending traffic to bloody Wagershare who are rogue in the finest order and they seem to have done so without informing affiliates. I will be watching what comes out of this next and looks like I may have some more casinos to remove.

The last few weeks have opened up a lot of spots on many affiliates websites, will 1 program step up to the plate and treat us with some sort of respect and like a true partner, and not their dirty laundry.

 

[Webzcas]

Now we have Referback sending traffic to bloody Wagershare

Yep, this I think will most definitely require it's own thread at some point. Probably also not in this forum as this affects players as well....

 

[Webzcas]

I have blacklisted Brightshare and will be removing All Slots from my sites over the next 24 hours. I have also referenced and linked to the other sites that have taken the same course of action or forums discussing the changes made by Brightshare.

If you have blacklisted Brightshare and do not have a link on my page, please let me know and I'll add it.

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[Webzcas]

The GPWA have suspended Roxy Affiliates with immediate affect. Michael Corfman has posted the following.

Over the past day we have had some additional interactions with Roxy Affiliates concerning the closing of affiliate accounts. Our communications have been limited, and not with the individuals within Roxy Affiliates that we feel are in the greatest position to be responsive to affiliates. However, we view that the interactions we have had over the past day are not consistent with our expectations based on the email exchanges and conference call we previously held with the Roxy team.

The recent interactions, which took place this morning, indicate that a further decision has been made to not reopen some of the accounts for which reconsideration was requested. In light of this development, we don't feel the spirit of our prior discussions with Roxy Affiliates are being honored in the way we anticipated.

Accordingly, I have made a decision to suspend Roxy Affiliates as a GPWA sponsor with immediate effect. We remain committed to continued communication and discussion with Roxy Affiliates in an effort to reach a better resolution of the current situation.

Michael

Many thanks Michael

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[mattsgame]

The GPWA have suspended Roxy Affiliates with immediate affect. Michael Corfman has posted the following.



Many thanks Michael

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Yes it is good to see, but it seems like it took a bit of pressure for them to do so, now we await to see Brightshares fate.

Bryan have you had any more word from any of these programs on these issues?

 

[Webzcas]

The Roxy Rep has been on the forum, but failed to address this thread, once again.

https://sussexmskpartnershipeast.com/forums/threads/roxy-palace-not-paying-me.56676/

 

[Dave]

Bryan, have Roxy and Brightshare been in touch with you?

 

[The Dude]

Bryan, have Roxy and Brightshare been in touch with you?

Yes, and as far as I know they are deciding on what they want to do.

Brightshare said that they are "taking this into further discussion" and will get back to me early next week.

 

[Webzcas]

Hello Brightshare, hello Roxy Affiliates!

Is anyone there???......

 

[Marcia]

BrightShare Update

The BrightShare team cares deeply about having a strong, fair and long lasting relationship with our affiliate partners.
We have carefully reviewed the comments and input we received from the affiliates regarding the changes we recently announced.

We wish it were possible to operate using the same terms and conditions as we have in the past but the online gaming marketplace has changed over the years, and it is now a much tougher marketplace with different operating margins for affiliates and operators alike.
However, in reflecting on the issues raised, we understand and appreciate affiliate concerns around earnings for previously referred players.

While we stand by our decision to implement our update as a whole, we have made a decision to apply the new revenue share terms only on new players as of May 1st 2013 and we will maintain the net revenue calculation as per the previous terms for all active players the affiliates brought until April 30th (Revenue percentage scales calculation based on Net revenues, no Negative Carry Over without a High Roller policy, and no reduced Revshare for inactive affiliates on those players).
Revenue share for previously referred players from markets that are closed (France, Italy) will be paid based on a reduced rev share percentage.

All new Players as of May 1st will be under the new terms as was updated.

We feel strongly that this is the right course of action, and that it reflects our beliefs, our deep commitment to the values of fairness and integrity.
We will develop and test the system and reports to reflect the above mentioned exception, and will update our affiliate partners once this is implemented in our system.

We encourage our affiliates to contact their dedicated account manager for any question they still have, and to inquire about other incentives we offer from time to time for ALL affiliates, both large and small, in order to continue to grow a long term partnership, as we have always supported over the years.

The BrightShare Team



(*) This is posted on behalf of Marcia, our Forums moderator, as she is not available due to personal reasons.

 

[KasinoKing]

While we stand by our decision to implement our update as a whole, we have made a decision to apply the new revenue share terms only on new players as of May 1st 2013 and we will maintain the net revenue calculation as per the previous terms for all active players the affiliates brought until April 30th (Revenue percentage scales calculation based on Net revenues, no Negative Carry Over without a High Roller policy, and no reduced Revshare for inactive affiliates on those players).

Well making these terms not retroactive is very welcome news, and may mean you avoid getting rogued everywhere...
But the new terms from May 1st make your program very uncompetitive and affiliate unfriendly - especially for the smaller affy like myself.
I will have no option but to stop promoting your brands (as I'm sure will many other affs), which is a great shame for such a previously highly regarded operator.
I think Brightshare are shooting themselves in the foot with this move; you may increase your profit margin in the short-term, but in the long term this move can only damage your prospects.

KK

 

[bet4fun]

The BrightShare team cares deeply about having a strong, fair and long lasting relationship with our affiliate partners.
We have carefully reviewed the comments and input we received from the affiliates regarding the changes we recently announced.

We wish it were possible to operate using the same terms and conditions as we have in the past but the online gaming marketplace has changed over the years, and it is now a much tougher marketplace with different operating margins for affiliates and operators alike.
However, in reflecting on the issues raised, we understand and appreciate affiliate concerns around earnings for previously referred players.

While we stand by our decision to implement our update as a whole, we have made a decision to apply the new revenue share terms only on new players as of May 1st 2013 and we will maintain the net revenue calculation as per the previous terms for all active players the affiliates brought until April 30th (Revenue percentage scales calculation based on Net revenues, no Negative Carry Over without a High Roller policy, and no reduced Revshare for inactive affiliates on those players).
Revenue share for previously referred players from markets that are closed (France, Italy) will be paid based on a reduced rev share percentage.

All new Players as of May 1st will be under the new terms as was updated.

We feel strongly that this is the right course of action, and that it reflects our beliefs, our deep commitment to the values of fairness and integrity.
We will develop and test the system and reports to reflect the above mentioned exception, and will update our affiliate partners once this is implemented in our system.

We encourage our affiliates to contact their dedicated account manager for any question they still have, and to inquire about other incentives we offer from time to time for ALL affiliates, both large and small, in order to continue to grow a long term partnership, as we have always supported over the years.

The BrightShare Team



(*) This is posted on behalf of Marcia, our Forums moderator, as she is not available due to personal reasons.

Yes I just received that e-mail but will no longer be promoting them as an affiliate, its not just the last changes, its been the slight cumulative changes that have left me saying what the hell, kind like the days of C-planet. Which ultimately left me high and dry. But as a newbie in the past i have had to learn the hard way.

 

[Webzcas]

Whichever way Spiral Solutions spin this, the trust has already been broken. The terms as they stand moving forward concerning new players referred are predatory and I will continue to warn my visitors as such.

There are also many unanswered questions, but how the management of Brightshare have handled this issue, to me at least, proves they are a program that cannot be trusted and as such, they will remain listed as a rogue program on OCR.

At least for players referred prior to May 1st 2013, the new terms are not now being applied retroactively. But then again, we have to trust Brightshare, that our active historical player base will remain under our affiliate account. Just commenting out loud on something a high profile former director of the Brightshare Affiliate Program alluded to back in December 2012.