It appears as though most Rival programs have decided to refund progressive fees from March 01, 2009 to February 28th, 2010. Does anyone know where they got their starting date from? Can anyone confirm that March 01, 2009 is when they started deducting these fees and deductions did not happen prior to this date? I believe they had progressive games in place prior to this date (although I am not 100% certain).
Anyhow, here is what we have learned so far (broken down by group):
400 Affiliates
Issue #1 - Progressive Fees: Refunding All Fees From March 01, 2009 to Feb 28th, 2010. No decision on how they will be handling fees from March 2010 onward.
My Take: It's great that they are refunding the progressive fees. This is the right thing to do and I am glad they have realized that. I am still concerned about how they will handle the fees going forward. If they choose to charge the affiliates these fees on players they have sent prior to March 2010 then it is still a retroactive change and that is not acceptable.
Issue #2 - Mastercard Funds Confiscation: No comments/updates on this subject that I am aware of.
My Take: Unless they take full responsibility for their own processor issues and pay their affiliates their commissions on any "lost deposits" due to processor seizures then I will not be promoting them.
Igaming.pro (Tradition Casino)
Issue #1 - Progressive Fees: Refunding All Fees From October 2009 to Feb 28th 2010. No decision on how they will be handling fees from March 2010 onward.
My Take: It's great that they are refunding the progressive fees. This is the right thing to do and I am glad they have realized that. I am still concerned about how they will handle the fees going forward. If they choose to charge the affiliates these fees on players they have sent prior to March 2010 then it is still a retroactive change and that is not acceptable.
Issue #2 - Mastercard Funds Confiscation: No comments/updates on this subject that I am aware of.
My Take: Unless they take full responsibility for their own processor issues and pay their affiliates their commissions on any "lost deposits" due to processor seizures then I will not be promoting them.
Spin Time Partners
Issue #1 - Progressive Fees: This is what Spin Time has to say with regards to their progressive fees:
At SpinTime Partners, our calculations are as follows : bets - win - promo/bonus -charge back - progressive fees, so when your players win a jackpot and plays it back into the casino, affiliates will reap all their % rewards so this excludes us from the Affiliate Guard Dog thread.
Don't want to pay the Progressive Fees? We can do a change for you but when a player wins and plays back their jackpot winnings, you will not be awarded the commission.
My Take: I'm still a little confused on how their calculation benefits the affiliate and how it differs from any other Rival group. Can someone please help clarify this? Regardless, I appreciate that they are giving their affiliates some options here.
Issue #2 - Mastercard Funds Confiscation: Covering all Mastercard funds and not passing on any costs to affiliates.
My Take: This is exactly what every Rival group should be doing.
Superior Share
Issue #1 - Progressive Fees: Refunding All Fees From February 2009 until March 2010. No decision on how they will be handling fees from March 2010 onward.
My Take: It's great that they are refunding the progressive fees. This is the right thing to do and I am glad they have realized that. I am still concerned about how they will handle the fees going forward. If they choose to charge the affiliates these fees on players they have sent prior to March 2010 then it is still a retroactive change and that is not acceptable.
Issue #2 - Mastercard Funds Confiscation: They appear to be going forward with passing off this cost onto their affiliates. They are offering 10% extra on NEW signups from April-June for the affiliates who were affected by the Mastercard issue.
My Take: This is exactly what every Rival group SHOULD NOT be doing. Affiliates should not be paying for their processor issues. It's insulting that a program is pushing these costs onto their affiliates and then trying to sound like they are doing us a favor by offering extra commission for a few months.
Sloto'Cash
Issue #1 - Progressive Fees: Affiliates Do Not Incur These Fees From Sloto.
My Take: Fantastic
Issue #2 - Mastercard Funds Confiscation: Sloto has their own processing and is not affected by the Mastercard issue.
My Take: Fantastic
Affiliate Wide (Box24)
Issue #1 - Progressive Fees: Affiliates Do Not Incur These Fees From Affiliate Wide.
My Take: Fantastic
Issue #2 - Mastercard Funds Confiscation: Box24 has their own processing and is not affected by the Mastercard issue.
My Take: Fantastic
Royal Apollo
Issue #1 - Progressive Fees: Refunding All Fees From March 01, 2009 to Feb 28th, 2010. No decision on how they will be handling fees from March 2010 onward.
My Take: It's great that they are refunding the progressive fees. This is the right thing to do and I am glad they have realized that. I am still concerned about how they will handle the fees going forward. If they choose to charge the affiliates these fees on players they have sent prior to March 2010 then it is still a retroactive change and that is not acceptable.
Issue #2 - Mastercard Funds Confiscation: No comments/updates on this subject that I am aware of.
My Take: Unless they take full responsibility for their own processor issues and pay their affiliates their commissions on any "lost deposits" due to processor seizures then I will not be promoting them.
23 Partners (Planet23 Casino)
Issue #1 - Progressive Fees: This is what 23 Partners has to say with regards to their progressive fees:
Planet23 would like to inform you that the recent changes with Rival Gaming Progressive calculations will not effect our affiliates and all differences and deductions due to this change will be added to your affiliate account or will be paid directly to you via Planet23.
My Take: Fantastic!
Issue #2 - Mastercard Funds Confiscation: They pledge no deductions related to processor issues.
My Take: Perfect!
As of now, the above groups are the only ones that I am aware of that have made official statements. I expect we'll get more updates on Monday and throughout the week.