Casino sponsor compensating for server downtime

[ultra100]

Have you seen example where casino sponsor compensate affiliates for server downtime? Me so far, not. And the question is why not?

Before I started to promote gambling affiliate programs, I have been in adult industry advertising popular adult websites including dating, webcams and movie sites. Sometimes server issues happens, and 24 hour downtime could cost affiliate few hundreds or even few thousands of $$$. In those cases, sponsor would officially send emails to affiliates with the information for how long the downtime lasted, including information how much affiliates will be compensated.

For example: If you finish that month with $10,000 earnings for particular sponsor, and the downtime was 24 hours, sponsor add 5% plus on your earnings for that month.


Sounds more then fair to me. Your thoughts?

 

[Consultant]

Let's turn the tables

Are you willing to compensate the casinos for server downtime on your end?

Also, do you think the benefits exceed the transaction costs?

 

[WCD Admin]

Consultant: Is the casino sending us something we forget about? I didn't think so. In the original message the ultra100 guy is pointing out something valid. Your post is pointless since the casino does not send my portal traffic.

 

[ultra100]

Consultant: I am not accusing any sponsor here. My original question was: Have you seen example where casino sponsor compensate affiliates for server downtime? I have seen those examples in other industries, so why it wouldn’t been possible to see it in gambling industry?

Are you willing to compensate the casinos for server downtime on your end?

As WCD Admin pointed – Affiliates are the ones that send traffic to casinos. Not casinos sending visitors to affiliates. Traffic is going in one-way street. To make it simple, if affiliate is sending 100 visitors to a blank page in 24 hours period, there are no-possibility for sales/signups/depositors = $0 commission for that day. Simple as that. Is it affiliate fault for server downtime?

Also, do you think the benefits exceed the transaction costs?

Yes, I do think. I would see it as gesture of good will, and a gesture of professionalism which is far more valuable then costs of small % add-up for that month.

 

[Consultant]

The casino is not sending our portals traffic, but they are investing in the relationship with us - thus lose money if we have server downtime.

I am not saying your request is not valid, I just want to point out that the argument goes both ways.

 

[Guard Dog]

It makes sense and I know other industries will do this. I think we will have a difficult time finding a program that will do so for us. It's very difficult to quantify player signups/deposits in this industry. Retail is a bit different. It is much easier to quantify purchases than it is the spending habits of gamblers.

That's my opinion - I doubt programs will be willing to pay for this (even if you are a 'big gun'). Guest a WAG (Wild-Ass-Guess), though.

 

[WCD Admin]

Consultant: Your name makes me wonder who you work for - do you consult for affiliates or online casinos ? I guess the latter.

The casino is not sending our portals traffic, but they are investing in the relationship with us - thus lose money if we have server downtime.

Yes, yes, I understand now. Your philosophy is right in-line with another poster who has about 2 posts. We must obey the manager. It is he who allows us to make money.

Anybody with a lick of logic in their head realizes it is the affiliate and their traffic that we are talking about here and without it there would be nothing to talk about. In fact, I'm sick of calling it a partnership. It really is a simple advertising deal. Plain and simple. It's been portrayed as a partnership, for a very specific reason that should not be hard to figure out.

It's psychology folks, now what that make you wanna do?

 

[Vladi]

It's a valid point but you have about three-fifths of no chance of it ever happening.

Having experience in online advertising deals in other industries I was shocked when I started in this one that you can't even track referred players when they enter a casino website. If there were more professionally run programs I could have my players tagged with my own cookies then report on exactly which pages they browsed to, what they clicked on etc, while on the casino website. Ideally I'd love to track when a player reaches the deposit confirmation page, just like what happens in retail, travel, and other industries. Fat chance here.

Right now its like sending them to a big black hole and relying on the honour of the casino to tell you if they deposited. We track our outbound clicks and found that some programs regularly under-reported clickthroughs by up to a staggering 40%. So what does that tell you about depositing players? Experience has shown that honesty is in very short supply in this game, so I don't like your chances of ever seeing this sort of a policy introduced.

 

[Consultant]

My user name is consultant because this is what I was (in strategy, nothing casino related) before starting my new venture.

I will change my user name to the name of my site when I launch it.

Now if you would like to provide arguments for the claim that...
- The weighted average level of investment from the AM point of view is not higher for online gambling than it is for other industries with the policy like the OP proposes. ("Weighted average" = This analysis should be program wide, i.e. taking into account the % of new affiliates that never make any money.)
- Downtime is as severe or more severe a problem than in other industries where they have a policy like the OP proposes.

... Than I am very happy to discuss this further and maybe even change my mind.

Calling counter arguments pointless and making assumptions out of the blue is not debate.

 

[bb1webs]

Hi all,

actually it has happened way back in the day (if memory serves), and you can probably find the discussion at either gpwa or cap.

If I remember correct the sponsor chose to just map over some of the players that were signed up during the down time... to a select few affs ..

I wasn't one of them.

granted I probably didn't deserve more than one or two ... that's still one or two I'd like to have had.

thus the reason I remember it happening. There's several programs I could offer up as good possibilities but I couldn't say which one for sure.