Ladbrokes-Coral Introduces Retroactive Predatory Terms

[bigaffiliate]

Now Ladbrokes-Coral have merged they want you to sign up to what they call an "Affiliate Amendment Agreement". Basically another contract that supercedes the one you originally signed up to with each individual brand.

GuardDog - please PM me and i'll send over the contracts so you can post the pertinent points.

The major retroactive addition is this one:
"In additional to Clause 5.2 and Clause 5.3 of the Agreement, either party may terminate this AAA by giving the other party no less than forty-eight (48) hours prior written notice (email shall suffice)."

AAA being Affiliate Amendment Agreement i.e. the new contract.

Basically the original contract had a term that allowed the contract to be cancelled if the affiliate broke the rules.

Now, they're saying they can just cut you off with 48 hours notice for NO REASON.

Upon querying this with Ladbrokes-Coral they just reiterate that it's just there for affiliates who break the rules. Upon asking them why they therefore now needed a 48 hour rule in additional to the perfectly apt terms and conditions we all signed up to, they dodged the question.

Shady practices IMHO now the affiliate team has moved. Seems like Ladbrokes-Coral now becoming very much less-friendly! Shame, the UK Coral guys were nice to work with.

 

[bigaffiliate]

I would urge anyone given these new terms to challenge them and refuse to sign up to this 48 hour cancellation term.

Effectively you can send them thousands of players and they can legitimately cancel you and steal your revenue share.

 

[KasinoKing]

What's new?
Ladbrokes have been changing terms without so much as a by your leave for at least a decade...

I feel for you Sports affiliate guys.
I stopped promoting their casino last time they stabbed me in the back...

KK

 

[bigaffiliate]

This is also Coral too now that they've got rid of the UK team and have sent the affiliate management side off to Israel. Basically the new team in Israel manage both brands.

 

[CygX1]

Unfortunately Ladbrokes has not been a good place to deliver customers to in the first place. Their first widely spread CON already took place before the launch of the old Score platform, after the affiliate program was moved from the United Kingdom to Israel. The problem with this brand is that they tend to treat customers a lot better in the long run than most of their affiliates, which is why there will always be affiliates who step in the same trap. The shiny booths at the conferences are doing the rest.

I doubt the situation with Ladbrokes Partners will change again to the better. Which is a shame considering the long history and previously superb reputation of this brand.

 

[bigaffiliate]

Unfortunately Ladbrokes has not been a good place to deliver customers to in the first place. Their first widely spread CON already took place before the launch of the old Score platform, after the affiliate program was moved from the United Kingdom to Israel. The problem with this brand is that they tend to treat customers a lot better in the long run than most of their affiliates, which is why there will always be affiliates who step in the same trap. The shiny booths at the conferences are doing the rest.

I doubt the situation with Ladbrokes Partners will change again to the better. Which is a shame considering the long history and previously superb reputation of this brand.

Yeah, I think we're all aware of Ladbroke's history, but many affiliates will probably be unaware that Coral will now go this way when managed by the same people. Yet another good UK brand that is now impossible to promote.

 

[CygX1]

@bigaffiliate Yes, this move is a very unfortunate situation for those who have been working with Coral on a revenue share basis.
The upcoming conference will give Ladbrokes/ Coral a good platform to whitewash their actions and the circle will start again all over until the next round of affiliates gets booted.

Thank you for the heads up though. I am sure this should be an alert for at least some affiliates to overthink who they are working with.

 

[bigaffiliate]

@bigaffiliate Yes, this move is a very unfortunate situation for those who have been working with Coral on a revenue share basis.
The upcoming conference will give Ladbrokes/ Coral a good platform to whitewash their actions and the circle will start again all over until the next round of affiliates gets booted.

Thank you for the heads up though. I am sure this should be an alert for at least some affiliates to overthink who they are working with.

Yeah, would like to get the message out as much as possible. I have a lot of affiliate contacts, big ones too, so will be mentioning this to them. I doubt the big guys will just put their signature on a contract addendum without going through it with a fine tooth comb anyway.

It's a sly move by Ladbrokes-Coral and their reluctance to explain why they need a new 48 hour get out clause when they had a perfectly fine clause in the original contract is strange. I smell a rat!

 

[bigaffiliate]

On top of the above, when I refused to agree to the new terms and sign the contract, my ignoramus affiliate manager just blocked me on Skype!

They go from nice guys when you're eager to do a deal, to nasty when you start questioning things!

 

[Syd]

Thanks for sharing this info.

 

[bigaffiliate]

Thanks for sharing this info.

No problem. I hate programs that try sneak in new terms to their advantage. If we allow this to keep happening, and with the mergers in the industry, it's going to be the death of small affiliates. Ladbrokes was already a toxic brand, but they're just intoxicated Coral too. No going back

 

[Syd]

No problem. I hate programs that try sneak in new terms to their advantage. If we allow this to keep happening, and with the mergers in the industry, it's going to be the death of small affiliates. Ladbrokes was already a toxic brand, but they're just intoxicated Coral too. No going back

Absolutely agree with you. These terms and their behaviour is totally unacceptable. I will spread this around.

 

[Moonlight Cat]

This is also Coral too now that they've got rid of the UK team and have sent the affiliate management side off to Israel. Basically the new team in Israel manage both brands.

Not big surprise for me. Ladbrokes/ Coral must be prepared for losses. Israel affiliate team (i think this team based on playtech affiliate unit) shave them, as they do before with William Hill.

 

[Jack Lee]

I have heard many affiliates is starting to make their own contracts with the partners they promote, by doing this, the betting site cant change the terms how they want. I'm currently working on this myself with lawyer. So to be on my site, I will require them to sign my contract.

 

[bigaffiliate]

I have heard many affiliates is starting to make their own contracts with the partners they promote, by doing this, the betting site cant change the terms how they want. I'm currently working on this myself with lawyer. So to be on my site, I will require them to sign my contract.

Would ideally like to do this, but the likes of Ladbrokes would either ignore it, or they would sign it and then go back on the deal in 3 years time and tell you to see them in court as they couldn't care.

Just make sure the jurisdiction of the contract is in the UK or somewhere where you can take Ladbrokes on, and cheaply (UK small claims is relatively easy and cheap).

If you get anywhere with Ladbrokes signing your deal I'd love to try do that myself.

I do know the big guys like Catena media insist on their terms.

Problem is, they might sign your terms if you sign theirs, which then gives them all the loose clauses for getting out that they need.

 

[bettingappguide]

They are doing a lot of people over with this, not a good move at all.

 

[bigaffiliate]

They are doing a lot of people over with this, not a good move at all.

They're doing themselves over even more though. Short term thinking, their affiliate business will shrink by 75%+ as people walk away and never trust them again, and new entrants won't even look at them.

 

[bettingappguide]

They're doing themselves over even more though. Short term thinking, their affiliate business will shrink by 75%+ as people walk away and never trust them again, and new entrants won't even look at them.

Yes totally and it will put off future affiliates too when they read all these bad reports.

 

[Shay]

We've currently got a message out to the affiliate manager and the head of affiliates about this issue. I will keep the forum posted as our situation updates.

 

[CygX1]

Their upper management are aware of this issue indeed. This is what affiliate partners are told who are seeing their accounts closed and locked:

(...)Nevertheless, we’d like to stress that due to compliance issues we have faced with a number of affiliates in the past few months; we have decided to reduce the number of inactive accounts in order to minimize exposure.

Coral/ Gala/ Ladbrokes are not doing themselves a favor with this acting. The merger would have offered a good opportunity to try to start over with the already tarnished Ladbrokes affiliate program, but obviously the opposite is happening.

This is one place to avoid.