iGame refer a friend?

[PaaskeUK]

hi just recieved this email.
I find this really silly and it is a laugh towards us affiliates who work hard to promote brands.

I am not one of those who work hard for iGame Affiliates but this seems bit to me like getting a knife smacked in your back?? (i would to apologize for this comment after thought)

The Refer a Friend program works so that if a player refers a friend to us they get a €50 bonus for each friend who makes a deposit of at least €25. In addition the friends get an extra (no deposit required) 15 free spins on Starburst when they register. As a simple way to earn extra bonus money we believe this gives great additional value to our players.

Yes free new signups for you which we should promote for?? what is in it for us??



Dear Affiliate,
We are excited to present our new Refer a Friend program.

The Refer a Friend program works so that if a player refers a friend to us they get a €50 bonus for each friend who makes a deposit of at least €25. In addition the friends get an extra (no deposit required) 15 free spins on Starburst when they register. As a simple way to earn extra bonus money we believe this gives great additional value to our players.

Between July 17 and August 17 we will be running a contest where the player who has referred the most friends during this time wins a €2000 travel gift voucher. 2nd to 10th place will get extra bonus money. The Refer a Friend program is valid in: Sweden, Finland, Norway, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Austria, Switzerland, Portugal, Netherlands and Iceland.

If you have any question please feel free to contact me via one of the methods below.

Regards,

Shaun O’NeillHead of Affiliate Marketing
Mail: shaun.oneill@igame.com
Skype: oneillshaun

 

[PaaskeUK]

Just seen promotion on igame website as well so basically you are making all your players "Mini Affiliates" with a small CPA amount. I would say this is very rogue behaviour sorry if I am overreacting. ((i would to apologize for this comment after thought I do not feel this is Rogue behaviour))

 

[AussieDave]

If you take a look at other casinos, not all but some do have a "refer a friend offer" aimed at their players. Not sure how successful these type of offers are. Given that most people tend to keep their gambling habits hush hush.

 

[PaaskeUK]

Yes I know but to send out a whole email with promotion for their affiliates? I guess it was just ment as heads up for us so my apologies to Sean. I guess got my head wrong before on my way to bed.

 

[PaaskeUK]

Andy can you please help delete this thread I don't wish to put any bad name to iAffiliate or Sean please.

I have just reported my own thread shame on me Andy should be aware now

 

[Shaun O'Neill]

Hi Guys

I am more than happy to comment on this, I think the subject of the thread is bit of an over reaction.

The email that we sent to our affiliates was simply informing you that we have set up a refer a friend our sites, this is very common pretty much most companies offer a refer a friend.

What is in this for affiliates:

Well, if for example if a player has been to your site clicked on one of our banners but does not open an account and then reacts to a refer a friend email this player would be tagged to you, so there is a very good chance that as an affiliate you can gain extra players from this.

As well as this the player that gets new players to open account with us will get a bonus which means the player is kept active and keep making you the affiliate money.

The response that we have had to this so far has only been positive I am surprised that some view this a bad or negative offer.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Regards

Shaun

 

[CaseyM]

It's definitely a plus for me, it's just another form of bonus which is good news to push to players

 

[Guard Dog]

Yes, I do not see a problem with it at all. PaaskeUK - I don't see a need to delete the thread, PM me (start a conversation) and we can hash it out. It was a good thread, actually, and Shaun explained well also.

 

[AussieDave]

Yes, I do not see a problem with it at all................................It was a good thread, actually, and Shaun explained well also.

I think like everything this has a good and not so great side to it (it really centers on how the casino manages & promotes that incentive). But most casinos do it.

As an affiliate, I'd rather see players I refer, who are happy with my site(s), recommend their friends to me, than have the casinos give incentives to referred players, to send their friends to the casino. Adding, the player wouldn't be at the casino in the 1'st place, if the affiliate didn't refer them. Though maybe if affiliates added their own incentive to have site visitors refer their friend to your portal, is way to combat this.

 

[AussieDave]

It's definitely a plus for me, it's just another form of bonus which is good news to push to players

How is this a plus?

• You refer Player A to casino.
  
• Player A tells his friend.
  
• Friend joins casino.
  
• Player A gets $50, you get $0.

Casino wouldn't have Player A or friend, if, YOU didn't refer Player A, in 1'st place.

To be truly fair to the referring affiliate...

They should receive a % rev-share on the friends account. Reiterating, the casino wouldn't have Player A or his/her friend, without the affiliate referrer

 

[CaseyM]

So where would you draw the line? If the friend refers some friends and then they refer some friends who refer some friends; would you want revshare on all of those players too? I understand your point but personally I draw the line at the player and I think its fair for the revshare to stop at that point and not their friends

 

[AussieDave]

So where would you draw the line? If the friend refers some friends and then they refer some friends who refer some friends; would you want revshare on all of those players too? I understand your point but personally I draw the line at the player and I think its fair for the revshare to stop at that point and not their friends

If the affiliate didn't send the referred player to begin with, there would be NO players, additional friends et al or otherwise...

This all centers on the referred player, sending friends to signup directly to the casino. Why shouldn't the casino compensate an affiliate for this?

 

[PaaskeUK]

Hi Shaun. Thanks for explaining and taking part. I did regret the way I worded the title etc. Reason I wanted this thread deleted. I am hoping Andy could at least just remove wtf? as that was out of line and very unprofessional sorry for that. I am glad however we get this discussed through. I will come back later on with some more input and what I fell about this proper.

 

[NDG]

I don't see a problem with "refer a friend" programs at the casino level, but I
don't see the benefit of detailing the new feature to affiliates, because the affiliates
would be shooting themselves in the foot to begin promoting this new program.

 

[PaaskeUK]

Hi NDG. Yes they only sent it out to inform us not something for promotion. Which afterwards I think is great they let us know. Though myself I would rather not know about anything I could lose money or business on. My thoughts are if I had a player referred through my website with a good bonus offer . Then I would rather have this guy telling his friend go sign up at PaaskeUK's website he has a nice bonus offer for Igame Casino. Instead with this refer a friend he would just tell his friend go to iGame website and sign up using my link or and bonus code. I know this only applies if this person never clicked any links before but that would mostly be the case. So I don't see any advantage at all for the affiliate like Shaun explained.

 

[Shaun O'Neill]

Guys

Let me give you an update on this.

I find some of the comments astonishing, if you want to use some of your commission to have your own refer a friend program please feel free to do so, also the comments saying that the affiliate get nothing is crazy, so far 40% of the depositing players that have come from refer a friend have been tagged to affiliates, so if we actually look at that for second:

The player visited your site clicked your banner but did not open account so the affiliate did not convert that player, they then got a refer a friend email and that converted the player and you the affiliate get paid on that player, so now please tell me how that is wrong?

What would be ROGUE is if the the refer a friend link over rode the cookie and the affiliate gets nothing, but as we value our affiliate partners we would not do such a thing.

So to recap 40% of the players that have come via refer a friend have btags and affiliates are getting paid on players they did not convert, come on guys how can you possible say we are rouge and that we don't support affiliates.

Have a great weekend.

Shaun

 

[Vladi]

I don't think it is rogue for casinos to offer these programs but as an affiliate you would have to have rocks in your head to promote them to your visitors. I want them to refer their friends to my website, not the casino's. I agree that I would only consider highlighting this sort of thing if I earned a commission from it, perhaps even a lower level one like you get for referring other affiliates. After all what's the difference between referring an affiliate who refers other players and a player who refers other players? I don't see one.

I find the scenario suggested that a person clicked through, got tagged with an affiliate cookie, then decided not to register, only to have their friend randomly sign up at the exact same casino (of all the ones on the internet) then send them a RAF email to be highly improbable.

What is far more likely is that they clicked through and registered, then decided not to deposit, but obviously leaving the casino with their details. Then the RAF email may have been what encouraged them to deposit in the hope of getting an extra reward for them and their friends. That is great but could be accomplished many other ways.

 

[AussieDave]

The player visited your site clicked your banner but did not open account so the affiliate did not convert that player, they then got a refer a friend email and that converted the player and you the affiliate get paid on that player, so now please tell me how that is wrong?

All we've established here is, the player received a RAF email and decides to signup and and thus the player is tagged to the affiliate.

But isn't the player tagged to the affiliate anyway? Where do you get the player's email from, to send the RAF (if not without the referred player contact details?).

they then got a refer a friend email

Hypothetically, this tagged player has 5 buddies who all signup & deposit through his recommendation.

Tagged Player receives $250 (not cash but bonus) for introducing 5 depositing players.

However the affiliate, who originally brought the tagged player only receives commission, if the tagged player deposits. The affiliate gets no commission on the 5 buddies.

Reiterating, if the affiliate didn't refer the original player in the 1'st place, the casino wouldn't have the 5 extra players.

The casino after paying the tagged player a total of $250 (bonus), now has 5 depositing players (thanks to the affiliate - he/she referred the original player).

These 5 buddies are now tagged to the casino!

And please correct me if I'm wrong here, BUT the reward given to the tagged player for his 5 buddies, isn't cash but bonus money with wagering attached.

Win Win for casino, lose lose for affiliate...and by the looks of it, the tagged player too... lol

Clearly a means to use affiliate referred tagged players, to aquire further players, without paying commissions on future deposits, least of all, to the orginal referring affiliate

Please tell me how this isn't dodgy?

 

[Robin Ivarson]

Hi everyone!

I do understand some of your points, however I would like to stress that one have to take into consideration that as Shaun pointed out - 40% of the players that come in through the RAF program have actually been tagged. This obviously means that in the long run all affected affiliates will benefit from it. Another valid point that seem to have been overlooked is that our non tagged players which we have acquired through other marketing channels and direct traffic also refer friends, of which 40% will be tagged, i.e. "free" players for those affiliate affected. Those players would very likely never been activated/acquired unless it was for the RAF program.

I see the following scenarios occurring:

Scenario 1:
Player that referred a friend is tagged to Y affiliate
Referred player is tagged to X affiliate

= Affiliate X benefit from affiliate Y's player.

Scenario 2:
Player that referred a friend is tagged to X affiliate
Referred player is tagged to Y affiliate

= Affiliate Y benefit from affiliate X's player.

Scenario 3:
Player that referred a friend is tagged to X affiliate
Referred player is tagged to X affiliate

= Affiliate X benefit from his own player.

Scenario 4:
Player that referred a friend is not tagged
Referred player is tagged to Y affiliate

= Affiliate Y benefit from our non tagged player.

Scenario 5:
Player that referred a friend is not tagged
Referred player is tagged to X affiliate

= Affiliate X benefit from our non tagged player.

Scenario 6:
Player that referred a friend is not tagged
Referred player is not tagged

= We benefit from our non tagged player.

Scenario 7:
Player that referred a friend is tagged to X affiliate
Referred player is not tagged

= We benefit from affiliate X's player.

Scenario 8:
Player that referred a friend is tagged to Y affiliate
Referred player is not tagged

= We benefit from affiliate Y's player.

I think that should cover all possible scenarios, so taking above into consideration I really don't see any problem with affiliates pushing this at all, as it will essentially benefit affiliates, players and obviously us at the end of the day.

I will also say correct me if I am wrong as you can always overlook certain things, but in my opinion this is very fair towards everyone. Unfair/rogue would have been if we would over-ride the affiliate tag in all possible scenarios and have them come to us as non tagged players.

 

[AussieDave]

Unfair/rogue would have been if we would over-ride the affiliate tag in all possible scenarios and have them come to us as non tagged players.

With all due respect, I'm sure if the boot was on the other foot mate, you too would see how this is weighted unfairly toward your affiliate partners interests.

Any player tagged to an affiliate, who then goes on and refers his/her friends, will be a proxy affiliate on a CPA. Without giving due credit back to the original referring affiliate. Reiterating, the casino would not have these "players friends" or any means to gain them, if, the refering affiliate did not send you the player in 1'st place.

Spin that however you like BUT if fairness was a virtue here, you'd be giving credit back to the original referring affiliate.

Agreed your not untagging players BUT your certainly not tagging players who should be or at least giving a 2'nd, 3'rd etc etc tier commission on these "players friends"... And that's the issue!

And further more, whilst other casinos run these "refer a friend" deals, they don't go-all-out and package it into some HUGE marketing campaign, like your doing! Clearly you guys have crunched the number on this and come up trumps. Sadly though, like always, it's at your affiliate partners expense and loss