Auction of affiliate domain names to be held at Casino Affiliate Convention

Thursday 5th April 2007

There will be an auction of affiliate domain names at the Casino Affiliate Convention, held in Amsterdam on May 3 – 5.

Following The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) in 2006, many affiliates suddenly lost their income. PartyPoker, which had an enormous affiliate scheme, pulled out of the US market with almost no warning.

Effectively, the act meant that the online poker industry lost nearly 23 million players. Those affiliates serving only PartyPoker or without international market share, went from boom to bust almost overnight.

However, despite the loss of the US market, the online poker and online casino world market is expected to reach $12 Billion next year. Domain names from the once thriving businesses in the US will go on sale at the NH Grand Krasnapolsky Hotel in Amsterdam.

The sites have some value to the international online casino market, and their overall value could increase should the UIGEA be repealed or softened.

The industry is lobbying hard for change, and their chances were recently increased when the World Trade Organization ruled in favour of Antigua & Barbuda in its dispute with the US. This ruling states that the UIGEA and other US anti-gambling laws violate the General Agreement in Trade in Services (GATS), or freedom of trade.

Source: OnlineCasinoNews