In my previous two articles of this series we took a walk down memory lane together and reminisced on “The Good Old Days of Online Poker.” You know, the days when money seemed to grow on trees and there wasn’t a worry in the world.
Sadly, those days are long gone. Being a US poker affiliate myself for the better half of the last decade has been quite a roller coaster ride to say the least. Professional poker players often talk about swings and variance in the game. Anymore, I think the swings are just as equal for those of us simply promoting online poker.
While the UIGEA in 2006 shook the US poker affiliate industry to the core; what proceeded on April 15, 2011 nearly shut the industry down. For many US-facing affiliates, Black Friday was the equivalent of showing up to work only to find out you just lost your job. With the top four US poker sites all being seized on the same day by the US government, this was the final straw for many affiliates.
Several affiliates simply tapped out, left the industry altogether, and began pursuing new ventures in other niche’s. Others however decided to stay in the industry and explore ways outside of the US market to find success. What we learned after Black Friday is that until there is some sort of US regulation, the market will be extremely volatile and uncertain. Just because a poker site may be accepting US players today does not mean you won’t see a DOJ emblem on their site and all your money seized tomorrow.
Apparently allowing US citizens to play $5 sit-n-go’s online is a moral hazard, yet selling $30 scratch off lottery tickets from machines at every gas station, grocery, and liquor store is acceptable. We can save that rant for another article though. But I think even those not involved in our industry would agree that individuals should be able to spend their money and entertain themselves anyway they like.
The good news through all of this however is that we are entering a new era in the online poker affiliate industry. New eras in any industry mean new opportunity. It’s doubtful that the poker affiliate industry will ever be as lucrative as it once was, but there will still be plenty of ways to profit from it.
And although it is impossible to predict what the online poker market will look like a year from now; regardless of what transpires, there will always be an opportunity for poker affiliates and Internet marketers to make money promoting online poker.
Until the US market becomes more stable, the best strategy for poker affiliates is to diversify their businesses and stay informed on the daily changes taking place within the industry. Those who learn to quickly adapt to these changes will be the poker affiliates that continue seeing success for many years to come.
Hopefully everyone has enjoyed this three-week journey back to the past. Unfortunately it’s now time to travel back to the future and sharpen up your poker affiliate skills so that when the market does change, you’ll be ready!
About Jeremy Enke
Jeremy Enke is a pioneer in the poker affiliate industry and has been working with and marketing online poker since 2002. During his tenure in the poker affiliate industry, Jeremy has launched several successful poker affiliate websites and campaigns. Jeremy is also founded the first poker affiliate network at PokerAffiliateWorld.com and currently operates the poker affiliate forums at PokerAffiliateListings.com. Jeremy is a consultant in the poker affiliate industry as well as a regular speaker and writer for the industry’s largest trade shows and magazines.