GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 22 - October 2012

T his issue of the GPWA Times Magazine – the 22nd – will be distributed beginning October 2 at the Global Gaming Expo (G2E) in Las Vegas, in Barcelona beginning October 11 at the Barcelona Affiliate Conference (BAC) & IGB España and – also in Barcelona – at the European iGaming Congress & Expo (EiG), which begins October 16. We’re attending all of these events and would love to see you at one or more of them! In our cover story, Joe Kelly and Frank Catania explain in detail why the recent ruling in a U.S. federal court declaring poker“predominately a game of skill”is one of the most significant decisions regarding poker and federal law ever rendered. Then Vin Narayanan follows up with an analysis of the U.S. Department of Justice’s PokerStars-Full Tilt Poker settlement. Also in this issue, we share some great photos from the iGaming Super Show and the Niagara Falls CBG AffiliateWeekend, Jeremy Enke discusses how affiliates should approach affiliate managers when they are looking to sweeten a deal, Mike Litson offers affiliates excellent strategies for“future proofing”their SEO and Allan Petrilli shows us how creative promotions can increase player acquisition. Our interviews with five affiliates and three affiliate managers are among the best we’ve ever published. And also not to be missed: the latest webmaster news, numbers, notable quotes, event calendar, updated sponsor list, theWall of Fame and an updated GPWA Seals list. A total of 225 new seals have been awarded since March of this year, for a current grand total of 2,539 recipient sites across 60 countries. Finally, the perennial reminder: If you’re not receiving our magazine in the mail, right now is the perfect time to remedy the situation. Visit gpwatimes.com to start your free subscription – sign-up only takes a couple minutes. Sincerely, Michael A. Corfman GPWA Executive Director LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR GPWA Executive Director: Michael Corfman ProgramManager: Steven Corfman ForumModerator: Anthony Telesca Membership Manager: Nancy Troy Marketing Director: Andrea Mullaney GPWA Times Magazine Editor-in-chief: Vin Narayanan Senior Editor: Aaron Todd Copy Chief: Bill Riley Designer: George Choi Advertising To advertise in the GPWA Times, please e-mail: sales@gpwa.org Subscriptions For a FREE subscription to the GPWA Times Magazine, visit: gpwatimes.com ISSN 1941-9872 8 Future Proofing SEO Mike Litson covers some key points that affiliates can implement to secure their sites’position in the SERPs and avoid penalties or the devaluation of their work. ALSO IN THIS ISSUE 14 The iGaming Super Show and the CBG Affiliate Weekend in pictures 26 Breaking the mold: How creative promotions can benefit affiliates, by Allan Petrilli DEPARTMENTS 4 Webmaster News 6 By the Numbers 29 Event Calendar 38 Affiliate Interview Series 58 GPWA Sponsors 62 Affiliate Manager Interviews 70 GPWA Seals 72 APCW’s Wall of Fame 30 Cover Story: Check . . . and mate? Judge rules poker a skill game – does it matter? Joe Kelly and Frank Catania explain in detail why a federal court’s dismissal of an indictment of a man who operated a Texas Hold’em poker club is one of the most significant decisions regarding poker and federal law ever rendered. 22 The art of the deal – five tips for better negotiations with your affiliate manager Jeremy Enke outlines some important dos and don’ts for affiliates to keep in mind when making deals with their affiliate managers. 34 Different strokes: Making sense of the PokerStars – Full Tilt settlement Vin Narayanan shows why the U.S. Department of Justice’s settlement agreement with PokerStars, while seemingly bizarre and even unimaginable, is in fact completely normal in the world of online poker.