The evolution of big tech has shifted the way players find their iGaming platform – but the regulated market must take steps to reclaim player attention from unlicensed operators that dominate social media airwaves.
As part of the latest Gaming in Europe Webinar, panellists detailed the steps unlicensed operators have taken to gain a shortcut to player engagement.
Timothy Malmros Genach, SEO expert, warned that unlicensed operators have unearthed an accelerated approach to ensuring that they appear at the top of Google search results. They can find an old, expired domain with high authority and then ‘pump it full of bad links’.
“When it dies, eventually it all dies. You use a canonical to a fresh domain, and then Google forgets about the penalty for a week or two. And once that dies, repeat, repeat, indefinitely. This is the main method now to rank fast that I’ve seen, even stronger than parasite SEO.”
The UK market and the Dutch market have both been plagued by the immoral and aggressive usage of expired domains.
He urged Google to take action and ensure that this isn’t an accessible shortcut to player engagement for black market affiliates and operators seeking to target the most vulnerable players.
Unfortunately for authorities, according to Malmros Genach, there is no route to stopping the black market. All you can do is make it not worthwhile for black market operators and affiliates, whilst strengthening the regulated market stronger.
That being said, he warned that tighter regulations are severely hindering the ability of licensed operators to compete with the unregulated market.
Frank op de Woerd, Editor-in-Chief of CasinoNieuws, also warned that the playing field is becoming increasingly challenging for regulated affiliates as they look to compete against unregulated platforms.
“We are not competing under the same conditions; it is simply not a level playing field,” warned op de Woerd.
“In a regulated market like the Netherlands, legal affiliates like myself operate within clear boundaries. So we have restrictions imposed on us by both the regulator and the licensed operators that are our partners, and these restrictions are there for good reason. They exist to protect the consumers, reduce harm, and the market remains accountable, and I’m all for it.
“That being said, they do create an asymmetry, because these illegal operators have far fewer restrictions. They do not face the same constraints, and they are not bound by the same standards. So they do not have to worry about maintaining a KVH seal of approval or good standing with a regulator.
“In fact, it is quite the opposite, actually, they do not have to worry about their reputation, because, like Timothy said, they pop from domain to domain, and it’s a whole different game, and that already makes competing with them difficult.”
He raised concerns that the handicap is also further elevated by the fact that illegal affiliates are enabled ‘to promote what some consumers perceive as a better product.’.
He added that there’s an even darker layer beyond SEO practices, describing it as ‘hostile conduct or even harassment’, revealing that affiliates have even had to endure DDoS attacks.
Looking ahead, op de Woerd laid out five key ingredients to shift the moment back in favour of the regulated market.
Visible and attractive
The first key point is ensuring that the regulated market is visible enough and attractive enough to compete – this is especially important in markets where restrictions are tight like the Netherlands and the UK.
Whilst he acknowledged that restrictions were put into place with good intentions, the restrictions have made it hard for the regulated market to compete.
Ensuring responsible affiliates are part of the solution
There needs to be a shift in the perspective on affiliates to be viewed not just as a commercial extension for operators, but as a vital conduit for promoting responsible play. Decision makers must utilise them and their reach for education around the dangers of illegal sites.
Government and policymakers strengthening the legal ecosystem for affiliates
He also urged governments and lawmakers to go further to strengthen the ecosystem for legal affiliates.
This includes increased visibility and a boost to channelisation. Op de Woerd also backed the efforts of some operators in the Netherlands that have launched a badge to add legitimacy and ratings to their offering.
Tackling the illegal infrastructure
There’s a whole infrastructure that is utilised by illegal affiliates, from hosting domains to monetisation and traffic channels – illegal operators and affiliates rely on a whole network, and that should be targeted.
“There is a pressure point, and we must try to make their life as hard as possible,” emphasised op de Woerd.
This includes social media platforms that have enabled unlicensed affiliates to penetrate audiences through streams and content.
Going for Google
Google needs to wake up. “It is a very tricky subject, but [Google] is a flawed product that still delivers most of our traffic,” admitted op de Woerd.
“It’s a tough relationship. But for years, Google has said the right things about spam, manipulation and black hat tactics. It has published guidelines, policy, repeated warnings and whatnot. But the uncomfortable reality is that a lot of these techniques have been around for well over 15 years.”
The importance of holding Google to account is tough but also pivotal to tackling the surge of unlicensed affiliates.
