Joonas Karhu: US affiliates must shoulder responsibility

US affiliates must shoulder some of the responsibility when it comes to protecting players in New Jersey and beyond. That is the view of Joonas Karhu, writing as part of an exclusive comment piece for SBC Americas.
The Chief Business Officer of online casino Bojoko, Karhu argued that “given the nascent nature of online casino affiliate marketing in New Jersey, the time is now to learn key lessons from markets such as Europe.”
“The affiliate ecosystem in the UK is coming under increasing strain as the regulator continues to put operators under more and more pressure when it comes to compliance,” he continued.
“In short, the UK Gambling Commission has said that operators are ultimately responsible for the content that their affiliate partners create and publish on their behalf. This has led some operators to close their affiliate programs entirely, while others have imposed strict guidelines to ensure they are playing by the rules.
“So how can this be done? Most affiliates write and publish guides to online casino play, but the most important message must be about responsible gambling and the tools available to them. This should include the various deposit, loss, wager and session limits that players can set as well as how to set them.
“It is also important to explain cooling off and self-exclusion and also mention the various charities and support groups that players can access if they do have a problem.
“Online casino operators do this too, but affiliates can support this with their own efforts. It goes without saying that information on responsible gambling should be easy to access, perhaps on the footer of the website so that it is present on all pages.
“Affiliates can also look to raise awareness among their readers by writing articles and interviews with responsible gambling experts and charities. Publishers have the power to engage a huge number of players and help operators deliver responsible gambling messaging to their readers. Affiliates can also take the initiative and provide their readers with additional tools that help them keep in control of their play or self-exclude if they need to.”
Read the full article here.