New Affiliate Payment Scandle

4/23/10 - Judging by posts on the affiliate community website Casino Affiliate Programs and a rapidly widening selection of affiliate websites, another affiliate scandal is brewing.

This time it involves the Red Hot Revenue affiliate management program, which apparently handles the affiliate affairs of Playtech-powered online casinos like Giant Vegas, Nuts Poker, Sierra Star and Royal Dice.

With the Grand Prive issue still rankling with many affiliates, this new crisis is likely to attract plenty of attention, with some affiliates already starting blacklisting procedures.

Posts claim that Red Hot Revenue has been "stiffing" affiliates for over a year and ignores communications. One poster wrote: "The issue with the Red Hot Revenue affiliate program is well known - affiliates have not been paid for over a year, and they are impossible to contact/get replies from."

Like the Grand Prive dispute, the issues with Red Hot Revenue are spilling over onto Playtech, the software provider for the casinos concerned. The provider has so far reportedly declined to get involved in what it presumably regards as an affiliate row with an affiliate program with which it is not directly or commercially connected.

Affiliates have used the now well worn argument that if a casino allows its affiliate program to stiff affiliates, then doing the dirty on its players is a likely sequel.

Affiliates approaching Playtech in the hope of support have made little progress, it is alleged. One poster wrote: "I have been in dialogue with the complaints officer, Sarah Wray, at Playtech for approx. half a year now. She has informed me that they are in contact with their licensee, and that they were applying pressure on them.

"However, the dialogue has now shown not to be fruitful, and Playtech has informed me that they have no power over their licensee. Thus they are accepting that their licensee are continuing to operate their casinos and the affiliate program, but without the intention of paying affiliates. I think it is unacceptable that a software provider can let this happen and just say that they have no power over their licensee. The software provider is the only one who has the power to pull the plug when something like this happens."

When we went to press there had been no response to invitations extended to Red Hot Revenues to present their side of the dispute.

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