Affiliate Industry
Handling Player Disputes with Non-Licensed Operators: Online Poker Case Study
At brick and mortar casinos, poker players can get into all kinds of disputes ranging from the wrong amount of rake taken from a poker pot to someone breaking the rules at the table. The procedure for solving the dispute goes as follows: The floor is called to evaluate the situation and then a final decision.
It’s easy to notice most cases of a player breaking the rules when you have security cameras all over the place. At online poker tables, the situation is different though. You can’t see what the players are doing at their computer while playing cards. Recently, cases like using various tournament hand charts or real-time assistance software during gameplay have been discussed widely in the poker community. While it’s almost impossible to completely prevent those, handling player disputes should be relatively straightforward in case someone is found cheating. You ban the cheater and reimburse lost money to players who have played at the same tables with them.
What if you’re playing on a non-licensed poker room instead? The case gets much more complicated right away. While every operator has interest in protecting their players from cheating at the tables, having any kind of guarantee of that is nearly impossible. Worse yet, if affiliates are working with non-licensed operators as well, they might get into a tough spot if their players lose their money in against colluders or users of RTA software.
In this article, team members of Beastsofpoker.com discuss various aspects of solving player disputes as an affiliate and what kind of safety measures you should have with non-licensed poker operators. Let’s start with monitoring the games:
Monitoring the games for potential risks
The most common cases of fraudulent activity at the online poker felts are collusion and use of prohibited software. The third significant risk is the counter-party risk on unlicensed poker clubs. Depending the rules of the poker room, players might be able to use software like trackers during gameplay but any software that directly assists you in the decision-making is strictly out of question.
Collusion
Detecting collusion is much easier than detecting real-time assistance software usage, especially if the colluders do not use sophisticated strategies to hide what they’re doing. By monitoring a cash game or tournament table for 10-20 minutes, you can usually notice if something doesn’t add up with players’ actions.
Forbidden software
There’s not much you can do as an affiliate for detecting forbidden software unless you happen to play the games regularly and notice weird patterns by yourself. RTA users might try to play on licensed poker sites as well, so this risk is present no matter where you choose to play online poker. The only practical way to prevent your players from getting abused is to make sure the gambling operator has a security team to monitor the games for these cases.
Before you choose to promote a certain brand or an online poker club, it’s recommended to do a bit of research. Browsing through a few internet forums is not enough in this case. You should reach out to players and other affiliates on how it’s like to work with this brand, and if possible, meet the people behind the brand in person. Even after everything seems to click on paper, you might have to give your players a guarantee on their deposits, which can obviously be a big risk. Still, you don’t want to end up in a situation where a player has a dispute and nobody is able to reimburse them or handle the complaint properly.
Leveraging industry relationships to solve disputes
We’ve countered several cases where players have been unable to claim their winnings from a poker room. On licensed poker sites, the cases are usually about the player breaking some of the site’s T&Cs, which results in their winnings being frozen or the operator being shut down due to running out of cash.
While there’s counter-party risk in every business, with non-licensed operators the players will have a hard time to get reimbursed in case the operator runs out of money or refuses to pay a player if they conclude some T&C s have been broken, since there’s no regulatory body to handle the disputes. This leaves affiliates with just one option with player disputes: Negotiating with the operator.
From player’s point of view, having their account opened under an affiliate brings added safety. If something goes wrong with the gambling operator and the player feels like he is out of luck, the affiliate can try negotiating with the operator to get things sorted out. Again, there are no guarantees that the negotiations end up with a satisfying result for all parties involved. Yet, it’s definitely worth a try.
Final words
In general, preventive measures are easier to set in place than and preferrable to handling player disputes & trying to fix damage that has already occurred. As an affiliate, you should be prepared to help your players with any disputes, whether they were abused by other players breaking the rules or an operator confiscating their winnings. Lastly, it’s never a bad idea to keep up-to-date with the latest dispute resolutions procedures by following industry news.
Powered by WPeMatico
Affiliate Industry
ReferOn Earns Dual Nominations for Innovation and Marketing Excellence at SiGMA Euro-Med Awards 2025
The company continues its growth in 2025 with key industry recognition
ReferOn, a next-gen affiliate management platform has been shortlisted for the “Affiliate Product Innovation” and “Best Marketing Solution Provider” categories at the upcoming SiGMA Euro-Med Awards 2025.
These nominations come after an important year for the company, defined by strong market traction, continuous product development, and an increased demand from operators and affiliate managers looking to transition from outdated legacy platforms to a more agile, transparent, and scalable solution.
Since its launch, the ReferOn team has demonstrated its commitment to solving real problems for affiliate teams. At the core of its value propositions is creating a simple and accessible platform that’s built for modern needs. Core developments like full-cycle automation, customisable dashboards, instant postbacks, and real-time data visibility help to reduce chaos and boost performance. Additionally, tools like the Sub-Affiliate System, No Bundling Model, and dynamic variables assist with increased operational control.
Vlad Bondarenko, ReferOn’s Head of Product, commented on the nominations, “We didn’t build ReferOn to compete with legacy platforms — we built it to replace them. Every development, addition, and decision is guided by the goal of empowering our users to move faster, make more insightful decisions, and scale efficiently. These nominations have shown us that we’re moving in the right direction and that our incredible team is working towards something truly impactful.”
ReferOn’s roadmap remains ambitious and future-focused, with numerous investments in product developments, customer-facing services, and initiatives that help affiliate teams act faster and move smarter.
Voting for the SiGMA Euro-Med Awards 2025 is now open.
The post ReferOn Earns Dual Nominations for Innovation and Marketing Excellence at SiGMA Euro-Med Awards 2025 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Affiliate Industry
First Look Games and Evoplay Partner to Bring 250+ Award-Winning Titles to Global Affiliate Network
Empowering affiliates with instant access to certified marketing tools and demo content
First Look Games, the London-based B2B marketing platform empowering iGaming game studios, has announced a new partnership with Evoplay, the acclaimed Cyprus-based game developer known for pioneering 2D, 3D and instant casino content. The partnership takes effect immediately.
Founded in 2018, First Look Games enables game studios to distribute certified marketing assets, demo games, and game information to a network of over 1000 approved affiliated publishers who collectively reach more than 40 million players worldwide. The platform offers advanced reporting tools including Accuracy Management and Sentiment Analysis, which are set up to bring unique insights to game studios to support their growth.
Evoplay, established in 2017, has built a reputation for cutting-edge content and next-generation gameplay. Its portfolio of over 250 titles – including player favourites like the Penalty Shoot-out trilogy, The Greatest Catch Bonus Buy, Elven Princesses, and Star Guardians – has earned widespread recognition and a strong presence across regulated markets.
Through this partnership, Evoplay’s complete catalogue is now available to First Look Games’ affiliate network. Affiliates gain instant access to promotional materials, demo links, and game information to deliver accurate, engaging & compliant content. The collaboration aims to expand Evoplay’s market reach, support growth in new jurisdictions, and set higher standards for compliance and review quality.
Partnership Benefits
- Faster time to market for Evoplay releases
- Access to high-quality visuals, game sheets, and demo tools
- Enhanced compliance and Accuracy Management features
- Support for expansion into new regulated markets
The partnership meets the rising demand for streamlined content distribution. Affiliates will have instant access to accurate marketing materials and compliance documentation, enabling them to serve their audiences more effectively while maintaining regulatory standards.
Diana Larina, Head of Marketing at Evoplay, said: “We are excited to start working with First Look Games. We’re confident that their extensive publisher network will enhance the visibility of our dynamic portfolio, allowing even more players to discover and enjoy the premium entertainment Evoplay is known for.”
Tom Galanis CEO of First Look Games said: “We have watched Evoplay grow and grow its market share for some time now, so I am thrilled to welcome the team to the First Look Games platform, enabling access for publishers to their innovative game content to support that growth even further. We look forward to sharing the insights Evoplay’s presence on the platform delivers for them.”
The post First Look Games and Evoplay Partner to Bring 250+ Award-Winning Titles to Global Affiliate Network appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
SBC has announced the debut shortlist for the inaugural Affiliate Leaders Awards – a new ceremony spotlighting the companies shaping affiliate marketing’s next chapter. This time, it’s the public who holds the power, with open voting deciding which nominees will be celebrated on stage in Lisbon this September.
The ceremony will welcome 600 industry leaders to Lisbon’s MEO Arena, located just steps away from the main event venue, Feira Internacional de Lisboa, on Wednesday, 17 September. The evening will celebrate the standout companies shortlisted across 22 fiercely contested categories, and ultimately, honour the winners.
While the shortlist was selected by an independent panel of experts, the final decision lies with the public, who can now cast their vote online for the company they believe deserves the spotlight.
Speaking on the launch of the awards, Rasmus Sojmark, CEO and Founder of SBC, said: “Last year’s launch of the Affiliate Leaders Summit was a huge step forward for us, but this year we wanted to go even further and recognise the vital role that affiliates, operator programmes, and the suppliers that power them play in the industry’s growth by giving them their very own ceremony.
“By putting the final decision in the public’s hands, we’re able to honour the companies that truly resonate with the community and celebrate the ones people genuinely believe in.”
Leading the way for nominations at the Affiliate Leaders Awards are BetAffiliation and Hub Affiliations, who boast seven nominations each across both company-wide and individual categories. Boomerang Partners follow closely with six, while Game Lounge and Gentoo Media have each earned five, reflecting their strong performance and visibility across the affiliate industry.
Both BetAffiliation and Hub Affiliations will go head-to-head for Best Affiliate Network as well as Affiliate Campaign of the Year, but face stiff competition from the likes of KR3W and Gentoo Media.
Meanwhile, the hotly contested Sports Affiliate of the Year category features some of the industry’s most recognised names, including Better Collective, Catena Media, Oddschecker, and Flashscore Network.
The shortlist for Affiliate Traffic Source of the Year sees BetAffiliation pick up another nod, alongside the likes of Clever Advertising and Oddschecker.
Workplace culture takes centre stage in Affiliate Employer of the Year, with BetAffiliation, Hub Affiliations, Clever Advertising, and Game Lounge recognised for their efforts in building positive team environments.
On the casino front, Catena Media, Game Lounge Ltd, Casino Guru, and Betting Hero are all in contention for Casino Affiliate of the Year.
In the operator categories, bet365 Partners is aiming for a third consecutive win in Best Affiliate Programme (Operator), having previously claimed the title at the SBC Awards. This year, they face competition from Betsson Group Affiliates, Boomerang Partners, and Kaizen Gaming. The Affiliate Programme of the Year – Large category will also feature major operators, with 1w, BetMGM, Betsson Group Affiliates, and PIN-UP Partners all in contention for the gong.
The awards also spotlight the tech providers underpinning affiliate growth. Aff.Tech, ReferOn, and other leading platforms have secured nominations in both Affiliate Management Platform of the Year and Affiliate Technology of the Year.
Other categories on the night include Casino Title of the Year and Marketing Agency of the Year, rounding out a comprehensive celebration of affiliate marketing excellence.
Individual leadership in the industry will also be recognised, with awards for Affiliate Leader of the Year, Affiliate Content Manager of the Year, and Affiliate Account/Community Manager of the Year, underscoring the critical role individuals play in elevating brand performance.
The post Meet the First-Ever Affiliate Leaders Awards 2025 Shortlist and Cast Your Vote! appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
-
Africa5 days agoLogifuture-powered Bet9ja partners with heavyweight boxing sensation Moses Itauma
-
Balkans5 days ago
Amusnet Named Leading Software Company in Bulgaria
-
Central Europe5 days ago
Brightstar Lottery Upgrades Retail Central System for Lotto Saxony in Germany via New Seven-Year Contract
-
Australia4 days ago
Tracy Parker Joins Judging Panel for Inaugural RTG Global Awards
-
Australia4 days ago
JCM Global Celebrates 70 Years of Industry-leading Innovation at AGE
-
AU10TIX5 days agoAU10TIX Launches Free Assessment Tool and Readiness Guide to Help Organizations Navigate Child Safety Age Assurance Compliance
-
Asia4 days ago
Philippine Senate to Launch Inquiry into Online Gaming industry
-
CT Interactive5 days ago
CT Interactive Announces Strategic Partnership with Ondiss
