12-17-2008, 07:14 AM
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Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: GamTrak Island
Posts: 12,509
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Quote:
Oy Vey, Oy Vey, Grand Privé...
Trust is a must in this industry - and in the midst of flaccid regulators and licensing jurisdictions, self regulation is the only recourse when trust has been discarded and kicked to the curb. Here we have a Microgaming powered casino group announce their departure from the US market, and the closing of all affiliate accounts.
From Infopowa News 28 November 2008
GRAND PRIVE GROUP'S U.S. EXIT December 1st is last day of US operations
Earlier information that the Microgaming-powered Grand Prive online casino group is to depart the US market entirely (see previous InfoPowa reports) has been confirmed by recent emails to the group's affiliate marketers making the move official.
The email advises that as of December 1st 2008, Grand Prive Affiliates - the program which administers the group's affiliate marketing - will cease to exist with the closing of all US operations. It goes on to assure affiliates that all payments due for November will be made as usual, but that this will be the last payment made by the program.
The email cites recent developments in general trading conditions in the United States as the reason for Grand Prive's departure after several years of operations in the region, concluding that GrandPrivé Affiliates is no longer a viable business division.
In what seems to be an alternative offering for affiliates, the email announces that a new European-based program, Villa Fortuna Affiliates, is "...up, running and ready to forge a new business relationship with you."
But the Microgaming-powered Villa Fortuna Casino.com will handle only non-US business. The new casino is available in English, German, Italian and French, with Flash casinos currently available in all languages excluding Italian.
Italian and Spanish Flash casino software will be added shortly.
Affiliate marketers are urged to visit the new Malta-licensed casino into which: "Massive capital investment is going to build this new casino to where she rightfully belongs – at the very top of the gaming food chain," the email informs, ending on an optimistic note by anticipating European success following the US departure.
It was not clear when InfoPowa went to press as to what arrangements have been made by Grand Prive to keep their soon-to-excluded US players in the loop....or what the exit arrangements will be.
Okay, so they are closing their affiliate program. That's fine and dandy, but the problem is that the affiliates who have been loyal to them over the years just got screwed over. Let me explain.
An affiliate is a webmaster who receives a percentage of the profit from the clients they send customers to. This is a business model common to the travel industry, adult industry, Amazon.com, and the casino/poker industry. Many webmasters earn their living from these marketing programs. And when the webmaster sends a customer to the client, the agreement is (in most cases) for the lifetime of the player.
In this situation, Grand Privé has decided to close their affiliate program, and to stop all future payments for those webmasters whose players are still active.
Baaaad casino practice.
Trust has been shattered. The casino group will continue to profit while tossing hundreds if not thousands of webmasters into the cold. If they are willing to do this with their business partners, how do you think they plan on treating their players?
Footnote: I have never been an affiliate of the Grand Privé Group, so this rogue listing is not out of spite. This listing is to inform the online casino community that this sort of underhanded behaviour is unacceptable.
Avoid these casinos at all costs.
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They cheated me after getting them THOUSANDS of players!
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