I recall years ago an uproar over at the GPWA where, from memory, it was FA who were trying to hand-cuff affiliates. Again, as far as I can recall, it all came down to affiliates who had, lets say lucractive accounts & were earning each month, but had stopped promoting FL casinos (for whatever reason). It got so venomous that BigBCasinos (Brian D - the GPWA manager) had a face-2-face meeting with the powers that be at FA and a resolution was found.
Granted many moons ago but player qouta's and retroactively changed T&C's are becoming more of the norm these days.
It's always been my firm belief, any affiliate who signed up to a program before they had quota's etc, whatever the T&C's were then, should NOT be overrridden (errr retoactively) changed by "new terms". However there's more than one way to skin a cat. And, this industry are experts in finding ways to circumnavigate (renege) past agreements and promises and make it all sound legally legit.
How many programs have now changed their names or consolidated...
Owership hasn't changed, neither has the true management either, yet every single time this has happened, I've had to agree to new T&C's or forfeit my current players and income - essentially bent over a barrel with my pants down.
A long time ago, we as affiliates (Big or small), had a combined power, we flexed and smart programs listened because they knew the consequences if they didn't. We can ALL pat each other the back and say we're still doing a great job. But truth is, if we still had the influence we once had, these quotas, retrocative changes etc., etc., wouldn't see the light of day. Programs would know, if they tried any of this funny business, we'd act en masse to protect our futures and past agreements.
Sadly that power & control over our agreements which affect out livilihoods, has slowly been eroded and we're now at the mercy of aff programs.
I'm no better than anyone else, I'm faced with the same Bullsh#t every day.
My ethical compass tells me to drop Program-A like a hot cake but the bottom line means I'm kissing goodbye my rightful income if I do. I hate living like a slave BUT that's basically how it is these days as an affiliate in the gaming industry.
Things need to change soon, we need to somehow clawback some power, to even the scales, or pretty soon we'll have nothing left to fight for!