APCW Wall of Shame

The KSA is somehow surprised at the surge of players using offshore platforms, despite its recent imposition of deposit limits and online slots ban.

GambleAware is "honored" as the latest member of the APCW Wall of Shame after employing an ineffective "Take Time to Think" campaign and questionable approach to responsible gambling messaging.

Late last year, the folks at GamCare showed their ignorance when they said that the proposed U.K. affordability checks aren't strict enough.

Could operating without a license actually lead to prison time? A new bill proposal in Chile has taken things to the next level.

The U.K. Gambling White Paper was posted in April, and for some reason, there is an indication that affiliate marketing is a risk to the U.K. gambling industry.

In November, the Australian Communications and Media Authority announced that it would begin focusing on "affiliate services that promote and drive traffic to illegal online casinos."

Back in August, the Dutch Ministry of Justice and Security made the preposterous statement that gambling operators have to prove their ads can't reach people under the age of 24.

Andrew Rhodes and the U.K. Gambling Commission have a new way of calculating problem gambling, but this new process is extremely flawed.

DraftKings CEO Jason Robin caught many people off guard when he said his sportsbook is not seeking players “who are doing this for a profit.”

The Finland Minister of Interior believes it is realistic for operators to do business without the built-in advantage of house-edge.

The Chair of the U.K.'s Peers for Gambling Reform had some “interesting” takes for helping those with gambling problems.

Irish Fine Gael Senator Joe O'Reilly spearheaded the €100 bet limit for online casino players in his country with some interesting figures.

In effect, the new code released by the Industry Group for Responsible Gambling gives operators the green light to screw over their affiliates.

In May, Germany submitted the Fourth Edition of the State Treaty on Gambling to the European Commission and there was some rather alarming language.

Made up of British MPs, including Chairperson Carolyn Harris, the group concluded, among other things, that the maximum stake for online gambling bets should be reduced to £2.

The UKGC's announcement that it would be undertaking a 12-week "consultation" regarding credit cards and gambling may spell bad news for both affiliates and operators.

Back in the spring, just days before the Cheltenham Festival, it was announced that BetBright had been sold to 888 Holdings for a "meager" £15 million.

Back in September, Net Entertainment announced its tentative entrance into casino affiliate marketing, enticing players on its site with free games while promoting real-money bonuses and special offers to convert players at partner casinos.

MGM Resorts International signed a deal with Satan Inc., known to most iGaming webmasters as GVC Holdings.

The ASA in the U.K. is singled out for the lack of judgement shown back in April regarding a complaint against PokerStars.

Topic: Marketing

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. People have long been living their lives by those wise words.

Topic: U.S. Regulation

As the mythical city of Atlantis sank as a result of its hubris, so too does Australia sink to the bottom of the online gambling ocean, never to be seen again. . .

Topic: Regulation

The prospect of online poker legislation in California for 2017 is dead. Plus, some previous Wall of Shame Inductees.

Topics: Poker | U.S. Regulation

Remember when, back in the day, you lived in fear of your mother discovering your internet browsing history?

Topics: European Regulation | Regulation | Security | Technology

We've always been told that retagging players was impossible. So how did a Betsson affiliate manager do just that to the tune of €153,000?

Topic: Security

Mojo Affiliates announced it was retroactively changing the GR88 affiliate program's commission structure, paying affiliates just a 5% commission on players who generate net revenue of $0 to $500.

Topic: Marketing

PokerStars has changed its terms and conditions for affiliates, retroactively changing lifetime revenue share to a two-year sunset on revenues from players sent by affiliates.

Topics: Marketing | Poker

Mike Gatto introduced a bill that would regulate the state's online poker industry. But it was laden with terms that would effectively limit the market to a pittance of its potential.

Topics: Poker | U.S. Regulation

A biased Newsweek cover story blasting the online gambling industry is taken to task on the Wall of Shame.

Topic: U.S. Regulation

AGA members can't agree on how they feel about online gambling, so the organization as a whole has decided to remove its stance on the matter. This is not a good thing for the industry.

Topic: U.S. Regulation

Sen. Graham's proposed RAWA legislation doesn't jibe with his claims to support states' rights -- but it does make sense as part of a strategy to fend off Tea Party primary opponents and butter up Sheldon Adelson.

Topic: U.S. Regulation

Sheldon Adelson's anti-online gambling stance seems a bit hypocritical from someone who's made billions from casino gaming.

Topic: U.S. Regulation

By: J. Todd (Integrity) - Issue 25, June 2013

The PokerStars founder appears to have flouted DOJ restrictions on his managerial role when he got involved in PokerStars's attempt to buy the Atlantic Club Casino.

Topics: Poker | U.S. Regulation

By: J. Todd (Integrity) - Issue 24, April 2013

Caesars has come out swinging against PokerStars's application to buy the Atlantic Club Casino -- but also tried to sell the online poker company the Rio.

Topic: U.S. Regulation

By: J. Todd (Integrity) - Issue 23, February 2013

PokerStars may have bailed out Full Tilt's players and its own non-U.S. players, but it did so for its own reasons--and it's decided to leave Full Tilt's affiliates hanging in the process.

Topics: Finance | Poker | U.S. Regulation

By: J. Todd (Integrity) - Issue 21, May 2012

Groupe Bernard Tapie wasted a lot of people's time planning to buy Full Tilt Poker, only to back out when it realized it would, of course, have to pay Full Tilt's players the money owed them.

Topics: Poker | U.S. Regulation

By: J. Todd (Integrity) - Issue 20, March 2012

The public faces of Full Tilt Poker give a masterclass in how not to handle a PR problem... or a business.

Topics: Poker | U.S. Regulation

By: J. Todd (Integrity) - Issue 19, February 2012

"Noted curmudgeon" Sheldon Adelson refuses to come around on online gaming -- nearly the only brick-and-mortar casino exec to oppose it.

Topic: U.S. Regulation

By: J. Todd (Integrity) - Issue 18, October 2011

The WaPo's outrage over the political nature of online gambling bills sounds more like false naivete than principle.

Topic: U.S. Regulation

By: J. Todd (Integrity) - Issue 17, September 2011

Bet24 reports that its customer information was hacked... a whopping 19 months ago.

Topic: Security

By: J. Todd (Integrity) - Issue 16, May 2011

The former payment processing entrepreneur was the key informant in the DOJ's case to take down Full Tilt and PokerStars -- two companies he was in legal hot water for stealing from.

Topics: Poker | U.S. Regulation

By: J. Todd (Integrity) - Issue 15, January 2011

Margarita Prentice isn't morally opposed to online gambling, but she introduced a law to make it a felony anyway. And she was snotty about it.

Topic: U.S. Regulation

By: J. Todd (Integrity) - Issue 13, June 2010

The NFL has led the professional sports leagues' crusade against online sportsbooks, and now, it's succeeded in blocking Delaware from allowing single-game wagering on sports.

Topics: Sportsbook | U.S. Regulation

By: J. Todd (Integrity) - Issue 12, April 2010

When the Obama administration delayed the implementation of the UIGEA, the Arizona Republican decided to voice his displeasure with a political version of holding his breath and stamping his feet like a five-year-old.

Topic: U.S. Regulation

By: J. Todd (Integrity) - Issue 11, January 2010

Xenophon believes that Australian players who play at "illegal online gambling sites" should have the "right" to ask their bank to void their financial transactions.

Topic: Other

By: J. Todd (Integrity) - Issue 10, September 2009

One of the biggest thorns in the side of the online gambling industry finds its proper place on the APCW's Wall of Shame.

Topics: Payment Processing | U.S. Regulation

By: J. Todd (Integrity) - Issue 9, June 2009

Conroy is responsible for assembling a blacklist of sites to be blocked by Australian ISPs, while Kindt truly believes that gambling will destroy the world.

Topic: Other

By: J. Todd (Integrity) - Issue 8, April 2009

The Danish member of the European Parliament and the Anglican Church have both come out against online gaming for reasons that seem to have more to do with protecting their own ability to profit off the land-based kind than anything else.

Topic: European Regulation

By: J. Todd (Integrity) - Issue 7, January 2009

These four parties have recently attacked the online gambling industry from within and without.

Topic: U.S. Regulation