We caught up with Jon Salmon, Director of Compliance at Slots Temple to discuss partnership policies and Slots Temple’s new approach.
Can you provide us with an outline of your new approach to building partnerships and explain what this will mean for your company?
“As part of our new approach to selecting our partners, we are exclusively working with valid and reputable online casinos that share our values and priorities regarding responsible gambling and a more transparent industry for everyone.
“Any new partners we begin working with will need to be fully licensed in their respective jurisdictions and will have to meet our new set of standards. While this may reduce the number of potential partners available, we believe it will significantly enhance our affiliate service and will continue to set us apart as an affiliate site proud to champion responsible gambling and industry standards.”
What have been the driving factors behind this new approach?
“Several key factors have driven this decision. Firstly, the evolving regulatory landscape means that affiliates have a duty to remain responsible and maintain any new standards of customer well-being.
“Secondly, we have simply listened to our players. Customers’ demand for transparency has increased significantly, and we want to ensure we reach that demand. We have a duty to check we are working alongside the most honest operators and that our players are kept 100% safe and secure.
“Finally, promoting unlicensed operators does nothing for an affiliate site except damage its reputation. By setting high standards, we are signalling to our players that they are 100% safe in our hands.”
The new partnership stance emphasises regulatory requirements. Will any other factors, such as player protection and social responsibility, also impact your decision-making process?
“Yes. While licensing is absolutely essential, many other factors will be considered. Whenever we start speaking with a new partner, we will do some research into who owns the business and complete a quality check on the website. We want our players to have the best experience possible.
“We will also check they tick all of the right boxes in terms of a positive customer experience, ensuring they offer they offer all of the correct responsible gambling protocols and provide quality customer support.”
How will you ensure these new standards are consistently applied across all jurisdictions in a global industry with varying and ever-changing regulatory landscapes?
“The industry and regulatory landscape are constantly evolving. Ensuring consistent compliance from our partners with both regulatory standards and our partner standards will be an ongoing process.
“When we begin talking with a new partner, we will run through the risk assessment processes I have already discussed, and we will also make sure they have the required licensing to operate in the region they are in.
“This will then become an annual process, with yearly checks performed to ensure that our partners are continuing to meet our standards. Of course, if anything changes within that year or any major incidents catch our attention and suggest a partner is in breach of our agreement, then we will react accordingly.”
As a company that operates as a regulated real-money site and an affiliate website, how important is it for affiliates to act responsibly and be more selective over their partnerships?
“It’s critical. Affiliates play a crucial role in the iGaming ecosphere by directing customers to websites. A huge degree of responsibility is involved in that process, and affiliates owe it to their players to ensure they are promoting responsible gambling and recommending sites that do the same.
“Affiliates promoting unregulated or unreputable sites are just putting them at odds with regulators and the rest of the industry. In turn, this only damages the industry’s reputation as a whole.”
Do you think we are shifting towards a more ethical affiliate movement?
“Absolutely. There is growing awareness of the need for more ethical affiliate practices, which can only be seen as a positive. Increased regulatory standards and customer demand for transparency are major factors here, but affiliates are becoming increasingly aware of the risks involved with bad practices. A rising tide lifts all ships, and through our new approach to partnerships and the assessment of other affiliates’ standards, we can hopefully ride a wave of change together.”
What role do you believe affiliates should play in encouraging and enforcing higher ethical standards and responsible advertising practices across the entire iGaming landscape?
“In many ways, affiliates are gatekeepers in the industry. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of online casinos for players, and knowing which is the best for you can be challenging.
“Affiliates should actively educate players and help guide them towards the best option for them, not just the ones that make us the most profit. Affiliates can certainly do a lot more to help promote responsible gambling, and I think there is a lot of scope for increased collaboration between casinos and affiliates.”
