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Hello all,
I’m a new webmaster in the process of building a portal.
I have been seeking advertising alternatives to affiliate programs for my site. I posted some questions about this in another webmaster forum and received a rather unwelcoming response.
I know that many webmasters like to use affiliate programs, and i’m not here to tell other webmasters otherwise.
If this sort of discussion will be received unfavourably here then could somebody please respond and let me know. I’m not going to bother asking those same type of questions again at this time because I don’t want to upset anyone or start a war.
Having said that, there is a question that I have that is unrelated to advertising.
How many online casinos are there on the web?
My understanding is that Yahoo! has the most complete directory available (currently around 2300).
However, I compiled a database of casinos a few months back by going to the Yahoo directory and visiting each and every casino site to seperate fact from fiction, so to speak. The result was that there were only about 400 real casino sites! (I’m sure there are a few more than that now).
Most of them were subversive links, like !!!!###777bestinternetonlinecasino!!!###123 with a re-direct to http://www.some-other-real-casino.com.
IMHO, this makes a directory essentially useless as a reference. My goal is to have the most complete, unbiased and spam free directory on the web. (Yes, aiming high!)
Are there any other directories that could be considered complete, or at least mostly complete?
Thanks in advance,
Wayne
Anything with 777 in the name seems to be either a shame website or a pop-up nightmare.
Your affiliate question is something I’ve started to wonder about lately, too.
What does it take to have prepaid advertisement?
I accept some prepaid ads.
Whether you can strike a good deal for this depends on your traffic. Most casinos will be open to dealing.
I see no problem in discussing any promotional methods out there.
How many online casinos are there? That is almost impossible to estimate. A whole lot more than you found, that is for sure.
I have well over 100 listed on just one of my portals and that is because there our some casinos I would not whish on anyone. As well the more you have listed the more time you will in the end re editing your list as some are just totally crap or turn to crap as time passes ….
Good luck with a huge list I found that even a 100+ is pushing luck and there are few poorly converters that I put at the bottom of my list as basic way to flip them the bird for being arse holes
The more you add to your list the bigger migraine you are gauranteed to have.
Glad to see you posting here, Wayne. The way you were treated on that other board was sickening.
Hello Wayne and welcome aboard. Fair question and I am sure you won’t get lynched for asking.
There are a number of CAP members who operate on a paid placement/fixed ad model so I will leave that answer up to them as it’s their specialty.
I will make one comment though. To be most useful and fair to your visitors I would suggest you evaluate the casinos based on reputation and performance and build your directory with that in mind.
I understand the concept of being complete and listing all without prejudice, but there are so MANY online casinos that provide extremely shoddy support or will actually rip off players you could inadvertantly be adding wood to the fires.
By listing all casinos you actually create a mine field for your visitors rather then a better service.
I won’t preach, but its something to keep in mind…
Good Luck
Oh my GAWD!!
I just read the thread at ‘that other board. The way they treated you, whoiscasino, was absolutely disgusting.
I had heard about it on the meister’s forum, but I went and read it after reading Classic’s post.
Wow!!!
Very irrational, defensive behaviour.
I do hope you will return, Wayne, we are a friendly sort here! :bigsmile:
Unfortunately I couldnt read the post at the other place as my IP was banned for posting news articles in the guest area. Freedom of the press apparantly doesn’t apply to all or at least me.
I have however been told that some very anti affiliate statements were made that could have exasperated the discussion.
I trust everyone can stay on an even keel and post in a professional manner without getting into verbal fisticuffs here. If not this thread could be a candidate for the attic.
Welcome Wayne,
Did not notice that was your first post … sorry would have welcomed you. I do not visit the other boards often because they get out of hand, sorry you had to see that. Another problem with a plain old complete list is that its hard to see which casinos are treating you right and which ones are robbing traffic. In the casino industry quality not quantity counts. Look for casinos that offer 800 live support 24/7 … Hell give them a ring and see how they treat you if you need to, if they are jack asses to you then think of how they can treat surfers. Also watch who is software makers, and what payment methods they accept. If they take neteller, prepaid atm and others that are industry standards etc …. these are all signs of legitimate casinos.
Good luck and welcome to cap boards, you will have a hard time finding a better bunch of webmasters.
This is a comprehensive directory. It misses some casinos, but lists most of the large ones.
http://www.winneronline.com/casinos/
I also agree that listing most online casinos is not a good idea. Especially considering half of them probably dont even pay players.
From a players perspective they want a portal to know which casino is worthy of thier time and money. If they wanted to find every online casino out there they could just search ‘casino’ on google.
Antoine
I, too, fell into that trap when I started. I tried to list everything that had an aff program.
There are some lousy things out there that don’t pay players and don’t pay affiliates either. I don’t think they should be given exposure at all.
There is nothing regulating this industry, the best we can do is police it ourselves.
Part of why I spend time reading many message boards is so I can keep up with which casinos are legitimate and decent.
I know the people who use my site again and again are doing it because they can trust me.
Hello all,
Thanks for the warm welcome and for not burning me at the stake!
By listing all casinos you actually create a mine field for your visitors rather then a better service
That is an excellent point. I read it yesterday and have been thinking about it ever since. I want to be fair, but I certainly don’t want my portal to be seen as a goldmine by scammers looking to steal from unsuspecting players.
Also, are there any groups that test and/or regulate casino software? I don’t think it would be too difficult for a casino to have software built for them that gives them an advantage that would be difficult for players to detect.
I know that many free play games are incredibly easy to win. I suspect that this is done intentionally to entice people to play for real money, except the game is much more challenging when wagering real money.
I have seen PWC logos on some sites, claiming to audit casinos. Is this something that could be considered a reliable indication of a fair casino?
Thanks,
Wayne
I wish it was that simple, but there is no proper regulatory body. There are various organizations focusing on various aspects, and you can find an incomplete listing of them here:
http://www.virtualgamingconference.com/organizations.html
This is a work in progress.
Thank you!
That is an easy to read page (map?) with some good links on it. I have to admit though that the GPWA link makes me wary. Perhaps CAP should be there instead…
Also, I have read a little bit at wizardofodds.com. This site appears to be a very informative and useful website. Is this the same site that was run by a fellow named Michael Shackleford a while back? I noticed too that they don’t use affiliate advertising.
Thanks, and sorry for all of the questions. My thrist for knowledge hasn’t been quenched yet.
Wayne
