Outrageous PartyPoker behavoir with affiliate.

[Akimka]

Hello.

I was a large PartyPartners affiliate with more than 200 players with huge MGRs and very good player base. My program generated close to 150k in octomber, and I think about this number in November, but PartyPoker decided to do some very shady buisness with me.

The whole story begins when I subscribed to my program group of professional Backgammon players whom I persuaded to play on Party instead of Sportingbet because of better and softer games. That players have succesfully played about month when on 13.10.06 my PartyPartners account wat putted on hold in A VERY day of patments for Oct. Just before payments. I immedently contacted with affiliate manager and she said that account put on hold because of suspicion of fraudlent activity with backgammon site.

After that I contacted to one of players and he said that his account was frozen and his friends accounts was frozen too. After couple of days I get clarification from affiliate manager and she said that players used GnuBG that is on list of forbidded programs. I consulted with unfair_advantage.html document and GnuBG was definately in it, but I haven't seen this program in list about month ago. But that's not all. GnuBG is not a bot at all and players claimed that they haven't used GnuBG to make desicions for them, they used it to check how they played matches and to check their decisions AFTER game. Anyway Party said that they are cheaters because they play was too strong AND GnuBG was detected on their PC's. None of facts that players used this program to make desicions for them was provided to players. And to stress point - This program IS NOT designed to make automated desicions for players and play as BOT. It's like chess programs that using mainly for evaluating play and improving it BUT can be used to make desicions for player.

Players tried to contact support department but get only responces like "You had used bots so we closed your accounts and witholded all money". Party witholded more than US$10K from them but that's not an end of the story.

After that I asked affiliate manager about my case almost every day and once she said that because too many players was engaged into fraudlent activity they starting to check poker players about using bots (Is anyone see any logic sense of this?).

Some time passed (about 20 days) and they said that they closing my affiliate account and withholding all my money for Oct and Nov (about $40K + $40K). They quoted affiliate agrement part 4.5 where I haven't found anything about my case. I understand that if they think that traffic was fraud they can withold my payment for it and not pay me for backgammon players but why to take money for poker players and closing affiliate account?
Backgammon players generated about 8K in oct that is less than 5% of my players MGR for Oct!!!
Also they said that about 20 players is engaged but I have only 6-8 in my backgammon tracker! But I can't check now because my account is locked and stats is unavialable.

In a top of that how should I know that some of player have intention to use GnuBG even not to making play desicions? I don't have risk department, I don't have investigation team, I have absolute zero control over player activities and instead of support and help Party choosing to shut down my operations.

I have couple of thoughts about this - My program is very big but most of big players have been registered about half of year ago, for now I making about 5-10 registration per month and party should to pay me about $500K in year. I understand that's is a large share of money especially after splitting with US players. And they understand that I don't have any possibilities to resolve this case with anyone from Partypoker because manager haven't gived me any contacts and she said that she is a final authority and I can't complaint to anyone in PartyGaming.

I wrinting this letter with three targets:
1) To let people know that party for now is on a very unstable form. If you are growing your buisness with them they can decline to pay you and forefeit your future incomes anytime and take incomes from players to themselves and you will be unavailable to do ANYTHING with that.
2) To carry attention of PartyPoker representatives and shareholders if ther will read this and make them to check whole case and consult with investigation team and so on.
3) To ask about legal possibilities to resolve this case. Maybe some law professionals can see legal perspective in this case?

I can provide to anyone who interested with details of this case. My contact information will be provided via IM here. I am reputable poster and reputable affiliate buisnesman and I think this behavoir of PartyGaming is unacceptable at all.

[Sniper]

Signing up Backgammon players is a very risky business... ALL serious real money backgammon players are using computerized assistance!!!

Were you also offering Party Rakeback, by any chance?

[Akimka]

[ QUOTE ]
Signing up Backgammon players is a very risky business... ALL serious real money backgammon players are using computerized assistance!!!

[/ QUOTE ]

Well. There was no signs of that risk can damage my affiliate buisness with party. How should I know that I can't sign up players on a service that a party offering?

[ QUOTE ]
Were you also offering Party Rakeback, by any chance?

[/ QUOTE ]

Nope. I not offering Party rakeback. But you think that affiliate closing may be caused because of Party suspicious?

[Sniper]

Here's a copy of section 4.5 from the affiliate agreement...

[ QUOTE ]
4.5 Holdover for Fraud Traffic. In the event that, in our sole discretion, we suspect any Fraud Traffic, then we may delay payment of the Affiliate Accruals to you for up to one hundred and eighty (180) days while we investigate and verify the relevant transactions. We are not obligated to pay Affiliate Accruals in respect of Real Money Players who, in our sole discretion, are not verifiably who they claim to be or are otherwise involved with Fraud Traffic. In the event that we determine any activity to constitute Fraud Traffic, or to otherwise be in contravention of this Agreement, then in our sole discretion we may: (i) pay the Affiliate Accruals in full, (ii) recalculate them in light of such suspected Fraud Traffic and/or (iii) forfeit your future Affiliate Accruals in respect of Fraud Traffic (as appropriate).

[/ QUOTE ]

4.5iii would appear to be badly worded, but I think it means they can close your account because of fraud traffic. The agreement does say, in another section, that they can close your account at any time at their discretion too.

It seems likely that they found, in the course of their investigation, more than just a problem with the backgammon players, in order to invoke iii instead of ii.

If you post copies of the actual emails from Party, it may explain a bit more...

[The4Aces]

Party poker is the biggest group of shady [censored] there is on the internet regaruding the affiliate program.

[Instyle007]

That is extremely disturbing. If what you’re saying is true, I can’t understand why they would close your account and freeze everything instead of just the funds in question.

If I were you I would not give up. PartyPoker is regulated by a number of bodies, go to each and everyone and complain your case.

Visit these sites and complain regarding your situation:
http://www.igcouncil.org/
http://www.gamcare.org.uk/
http://www.gibraltar.gov.gi/
http://www.kahnawake.com/gamingcommission/

Good luck and keep us informed as to your progress.

[mikechops]

I'm glad they took fraudulent activity seriously. There's no reason to be running GnuBg whilst playing a game. Coupled with strong play, I'd say this is enough evidence to close an account.

If I were Party and you had been responsible for bringing me several of these players, I wouldn't continue to do business with you either.

[Akimka]

[ QUOTE ]

If I were Party and you had been responsible for bringing me several of these players, I wouldn't continue to do business with you either.

[/ QUOTE ]

May I have hear explanation why? Because players doesn't come with sign "I am using GnuBG/Winholdem/etc." on their faces. How I can be responsible for their playing?

[mikechops]

Imagine if a your friend brought several of his friends to a party at your house. His friends then stole wallets from the coats of the other guests. You don't 'know' that the first guy was involved, but you might not want to let him bring any more friends to your house.

I think if you want to repair your relationship with Party, you should adopt a more understanding tone. They are suspicious of you for a legitimate reason. Appologising for the actions of the people you signed up would be a good start.

[Komodo]

Good to hear Party is taking care of cheaters