Using Spam to market an online casino
By random dude, Section News
Posted on Sat Oct 09, 2004 at 05:23:42 PM PST
Spam is increasingly becoming a means to market online casinos. Is it fair? Is it moral? Does it matter? How do you use spam to market a casino?
Online casinos generally make extensive use of affiliate programs. These affiliate programs encourage other webmasters to advertise their online casinos. Essentailly, random site x promotes random site y. When people go from site x to site y and buy things, site x gets a commision.
The latter scenerio is the basic way that affiliate programs work. We're now seeing the emergence of the spam affiliate model. This model works as follows. Person x spams thousands of people asking them to download casino y's casino software from their site (site x). People get really upset, and it looks bad for both the casino and the spammer. Because the spammer's identity isn't disclosed (we're assuming he's at least somewhat intelligent), the negative publicity falls back on the casino.
I've included the standard spam email used to promote casinos. There are many variants to this basic example.
X-Originating-IP: [xx.xxx.x.xx]
X-Originating-Email: [person@somewhere.net]
From: "I am cool"
To: "jedi master"
Subject: Remember, you were thinking how to safely rob the bank?
Date: Sun, 30 Mar 2003 21:12:24 -0500
X-Note: This E-mail was sent from ool-18beca02.dyn.optonline.net ([24.190.202.2]).
X-Failed-Spam-Test: NOPOSTMASTER
Hello Jedi Master,
I think that my research may be useful for you.
After two months of experiments I discovered that Net-Gaming-Casino's roulette is pretty predictable!
After three consequent Red or Black outcomes bet on the opposed color (i.e. red-red-red-black or black-black-black-red).
It works for me 9 of 10 times! Even if not then just bet 2x previous stake on the opposed color (i.e. red-red-red-red($10, lost)-black($20, won) or black-black-black-black($10, lost)-red($20, won), amounts of previus stakes do not matter).
Try it! Here is the URL: www.(deleted).com It is possible to win approximately from $100 to $500 PER HOUR using this strategy. And even more because they double your first deposit.
...end of email...
The Interactive Gaming Council has responded to the idea of using spam to drive downloads of casino software.
In an effort to reduce spam and promote reputable business practices, the Interactive Gaming Council (IGC, www.igcouncil.org) today announced an updated Advertising Code of Practice for member casino operators and software developers.
"It's a sad fact that Internet casinos and sports books are, knowingly or unknowingly, responsible for contributing to the spam problem, " said Rick Smith, executive director of the IGC. "Spam often originates from a third-party marketing company or affiliate rather than the gaming operator, but regardless of the source, spam needlessly alienates many consumers who would otherwise bear no ill will to online gaming.
According to Smith, spam from gaming sites also provides fertile ground for U.S. Senator Jon Kyl and his allies to continue their misguided attempts to prohibit online gaming.
|
|
