Part 3: RAIG and the regulatory push and pull
Part 3:
RAIG and the regulatory push and pull
N
o one in the gambling affiliate sector
Phil Blackwell, acquisitions operations manager
needs reminding of the growing at Lindar Media, says that the £20,000 fee and
importance of regulation to the business. the loading of the board with members from the
It’s therefore no surprise that a new organisation founding partners, as well as Clive Hawkswood,
should have emerged with the express intention the ex-Remote Gambling Association (RGA) chief
of giving visibility to affiliate efforts in the arena of executive, makes it look very much like a stich-up
responsible gambling. in favour of the larger affiliates. Noting the lack
However, whether the founding companies
of activity since May, he suggests “it has all gone
behind the Responsible Affiliates in Gaming quiet”. “If nobody supports it then it will have no
(RAIG) will achieve their aim of signing up large authority and it will fall apart,” he warns.
numbers of affiliates to their initiative is at present
Certainly, Søgaard from Better Collective
said on the company’s earnings call that “more
open to question.
To recap, RAIG was formed in May by Better affiliates need to come on board”. “It’s not just
Collective, the Racing Post and Oddschecker with the smaller affiliates that can cause issues for
the express intention of helping “raise standards” the larger affiliates,” he said. “It’s any affiliate. We
in the sector and foster further initiatives in the have seen what can happen in the UK where the
area of social responsibility and to “help create a authorities thought they had to crackdown.”
safer gambling environment for consumers”.
As a condition of membership, each
Paying heed to regulation
organisation will submit itself to an audit by Sarah Ramanauskas, senior partner at Gambling
independent third party Gambling Integrity. Integrity, says that “absolutely, standards need to
Yet, while there was some fanfare in May
and widespread appreciation for the fact that
be raised for affiliates”.
“They are currently one of the weakest links in
the affiliate sector was at least coming up with the industry’s efforts to ensure compliance with
some form of response to the pressure it is the many and varied aspects of responsible and
facing, particularly in the UK, there have been safer gambling in the UK,” she adds.
murmurings of discontent from some corners of
“The industry as a whole needs to work
together more closely and this includes affiliates.
the sector.
If nobody supports [RAIG] then it will have no
authority and it will fall apart.
Phil Blackwell, Lindar Media
iGaming Business • Affiliate Monitor • October 2019
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