- This topic is empty.
-
Posts
-
Hi guys
Before everyone decides to simply sell their sites off at below face-value, can I put forward an option to consider. It won’t suit those looking to get out, it may suit those looking to ride out the storm or who want to retain their sites, avoid breaking the law and not sell too cheaply.
There is no rush to make a decision. Just be aware that it is an option in the pot when you need to.
Feel free to PM me or Webzcas with any questions, comments or suggestions.
Cheers
Simmo!
Casino Affiliate Maintained Parking Service
Introduction
In light of the current US legislation, it seems as though US affiliates are in a difficult position in so much as deriving income from the promotion of on-line gambling sites will shortly be seen as a Federal offence carrying a maximum 5 year jail term. It is therefore natural that US affiliates will be considering their options.
One such option is to contemplate selling their websites, however with US revenue likely to all but disappear over the coming months, the value placed on such sites where US players make up a high proportion of the income will invariably lead to offers that are seen as disappointing. The sites with a large percentage of US based revenue are likely to see dramatic falls in revenue simply because of US on-line gambling prohibition in any case.
Coupled with the fact that the legislation is likely to be challenged by the industry over the coming months and years, it remains uncertain as to whether US law will always take the approach that on-line gambling is illegal. An affiliate will no doubt be concerned that they are selling a website that one day they may be able to use again and/or which could become very lucrative.
A Solution
Dave and myself have come up with an alternative solution to selling the website which may appeal to US affiliates who do not need to sell their sites, and would prefer to keep their options open. This solution we have termed “Maintained Parking” and it offers the affiliate to retain ownership of their websites while they take a longer term decision without breaking US law and thus with little risk attached.
Clearly it does require a certain element of “trust” between US affiliate and ourselves (“the Licensee” in this scenario) in terms of the maintenance requirements, so it is important that the US affiliate feels comfortable that the people providing the service know their stuff and are trustworthy people. However because a contract would be afforded to clearly ensure that the US affiliate can reacquire their websites at any time, the domain and website itself are protected.
But the ultimate aim here is to ensure that US affiliates are able to keep their options open for the future without fully abandoning their hard work to date. The short-term benefits to myself and Dave are obvious, but hopeully this incentive means we will do our utmost to keep your sites focused on maintaining a profile and generating revenue during this period. It may even be beneficial to the site longer term as we apply our own SEO knowledge and principles.
About Us
Dave (“Webzcas”) runs “onlinecasinoreviewer.com” and “betsage.com” and is very well versed in SEO. Although currently living in Gibraltar, he is in the process of moving to the UK. Myself, (“Simmo!”) I run “oggs.com” and my strengths lie in technical website developments, database management and to a lesser extent than Dave, SEO. I am also UK based.
We feel that we are well positioned to offer this service for a number of reasons. We own a UK company, we have great knowledge of maintaining websites in the gambling sector, we have strong knowledge of SEO, our servers are based in the UK where gambling is legal (if indeed it becomes necessary to move the sites) and we like to think we are known well enough in the CAP community to be regarded as trustworthy. Additionally I have managed IT teams before and if necessary, we are readily able to recruit personnel to assist in the day to day process of maintaining these websites. Obviously a contract will obviously alleviate some of that need!
How “Maintained Parking” Would Work
The US affiliate appoints an offshore company (“the Licensee”) to take ownership of their domain name and website under licence, subject to contract. The contract allows for the provision that US law may change, effectively allowing the US affiliate to operate a gambling website legally, and in such instance the affiliate may revoke the licence and re-assume control of the domain and content (see “Contract Details” section below).
In the meantime, the Licensee has had licence to maintain the site and content with a view at attempting to glean a level of revenue in markets where on-line gambling is legal. It is of course in the best interests of the Licensee to ensure that the site derives revenue during the period of licence, which in turn means that the US affiliate may one day reacquire an active site with traffic, revenue and search engine positioning.
The key to Maintained Parking for the US affiliate is to ensure that their website(s) are in the hands of capable persons who are able to keep content fresh and have a knowledge of maintaining the site and, of course, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). Clearly, with on-line gambling illegal in the USA, this will require the Licensee to take steps to cross-promote the existing site into markets where a revenue stream can be legally derived.
Contract Details
The contract would ideally be constructed by an unbiased party and should AT MINIMUM contain provision for the following in order to be fair for both parties:
1 The transfer of the domain name will be subject to the US affiliate having a clause whereby they can request a transfer back to them at any time with 2 months notice. As the Licensee, I would request a proviso that the minimum Licence period would be 12 months so that we get a chance to benefit fro any work we take in maintaining the site, however should US law change to enable US operators to re-assume affiliate duties legally within 12 months, the affiliate may request return of the website in exchange for reimbursing any costs incurred in maintaining the site to that point. Additionally that they also agree to keep any web links that have been placed on sites by the Licensee (excluding affiliate links obviously!) with a view to assisting search rankings of other affiliates in the same situation.
2 The Licensee would clearly not be able to guarantee that the Search Engine positions originally afforded the site could be maintained as there are outside factors that can influence this, aside from which the site content and positioning may be changing to attract gamblers from other markets than was originally intended. Thus the US affiliate accepts that the Maintained Service contains no guarantees.
3 The US affiliate grants the Licensee permission to change any aspect of the website which is designed to assist or improve Search Engine positioning, keep content accurate or link to external websites and affiliate programs for the duration of the Licence.
4 The Licence should be open ended, however if the US affiliate receives an offer of purchase from the Licensee which they deem acceptable and is agreed to by both parties, then this signifies the end of the Licence agreement.
5 The US affiliate can at any time choose to end the Licence agreement subject to the contract terms. The Licensee may at any time end the Licence agreement giving the US affiliate a minimum of 3 months notice at which point all assets revert to the US affiliate or their appointed representative.
6 Neither the US affiliate or the Licensee is responsible for providing any revenue to the other party during the term of the Licence.
7 The US affiliate may choose to retain any active players at the time of granting the Licence and are responsible for ensuring this is facilitated. Similarly, the Licensee may choose to retain any active players at the end of the Licence period and are responsible for ensuring this is facilitated.One thing I’ve been asked to clarify, no the contract is not cast in stone. If affiliates have ideas, concerns or “wants”, we’re more than happy to discuss.
Cheers
Simmo!
Guys – this is a great idea. Luckily enough I’m UK based but would definietly have considered it if I was in the US. Lets face it – there is a good chance that it could all change in the next couple of years. :clapper:
I’m not one for reading legal documents , what is your cut of the profits?or will you charge flat rate?I think most USA affliates are probably looking into offshore bank accounts and shell accounts.It may be just better to move and I am sure some of the members making xx,xxx per month and still based in usa may just do that.
What they are mostly looking for would be getting links to their websites :shhh:
To me trying to take advantage of the community in such a way is a no-no :nono:
Trust me, if you are not making $100K+ a month the DOJ would not even spit on you, not to mention dealing with you legally.
Stupid wrote:What they are mostly looking for would be getting links to their websites :shhh:To me trying to take advantage of the community in such a way is a no-no :nono:
Yeah whatever. You may choose to do that but don’t tar us with the same brush please.
Buddy/CBG: We’ve put this plan on hold for the time being as we didn’t feel it was necessary. We thought if the DoJ was really that bothered they’d have taken some action on US affiliates by now
But if things get worse, it’s one to think about. Did you read your own T&C?
Additionally that they also agree to keep any web links that have been placed on sites by the Licensee (excluding affiliate links obviously!) with a view to assisting search rankings of other affiliates in the same situation.
If you get webmasters to sign-up under your progam – more power to you.
I personally would never go for such a thing and by no means do i say it is not a good idea.I am somewhat of a hands on control freak and been burned too many times I will never have another partner in anything except the two I have now. I would get myself a good lawyer to set up a company offshore and channel everything through it.I could also relocate a relative i dont like to one of these countries if i was making xxx,xxx a month from my websites ,that would be a win win situation .I am not american so dont really apply to me but who knows what the future will bring to Canada or UK the two countries I do hold citizenship.
Oh, UK will never ban online gambling – I can not imagine how much bet365 pays to have their ads running on entire stadiums. Not to mention the rest of the betting firms and casinos.
It may take a while for an american to get used to the coins though :laugh:
You know, NFL should make note of the money the team owners make from the banners around the field…
Stupid wrote:Did you read your own T&C?The idea behind that was so that we could cross-manage the sites and ensure rankings were maintained as best as we could for when/if the owner returned. As it quite clearly states in your quoted piece in fact. Plain common sense – not some underhand tactic as you seem to assume. Anyway it’s all irrelevant now as we’re not doing it
