GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 43 - February 2019

WALL OF SHAME make thismove. Onemember pointed out that payment processors have become billion-dollar companies, in part by competing against affil- iates, so why not software companies? If we’re being completely honest, NetEnt isn’t the first one to get greedy andmake an attempt to freeze out us affiliates, and, sorry to say, they probably won’t be the last. Back in the day, rumor had it that Microgaming ran its own portals. We know for a fact that in the past operators have developed their own affiliate sites to compete directly with their webmasters, not tomention the times they’ve sent their exit traffic fromour click-throughs to other casinos, retagged with their account information. Yep, as we said at the top, it ain’t easy being an affiliate. So, how do we respond? Well, instead of going into panic mode, or trying something silly like boycotting Net Entertainment games, here’s an idea: How about we opti- mize the heck out of our NetEnt pages and beat them on their own terms? (Alternatively, you could start your own software company and take market share away from them, but the first suggestion is probably easier.) Either way, welcome to the APCWWall of Shame, NetEnt. We hope the extra dollar signs on your bottom line were worth it! It’s bad enough that we work in an industry where trust is at a premium. It’s difficult enough that we work in an industry of ev- er-tightening regulations. Yes, making a living as a webmaster is challenging enough as it is. And now, it looks as if software de- velopers want a cut of our action. Oy vey . . . Back in September, Net Entertainment announced its tentative entrance into ca- sino affiliate marketing, enticing players on its site with free games while promoting real-money bonuses and special offers to convert those players at partner casinos. Therese Hillman, CEO of NetEnt, de- scribed the move as a “natural step,” adding that it puts the company in “an attractive part of the value chain.” “This new strategic initiative is a great way for us to strengthen our relationship with both operators and players,” she said. Our take? This could very well be a des- perate attempt to generate income for a company that’s rumored to be losing value. As you can imagine, our fellow affiliates in the GPWA Forum had their opinions about this “strategic initiative.” The overall feeling was that, while the bold decision looked a bit pathetic, NetEnt is perfectly within its rights to Net Ent Illustration by Leks052/shutterstock.com G P W A t i m e s . o r g 72