Rightlander targets unethical messaging with affiliate social responsibility report

Affiliate compliance monitoring firm Rightlander has unveiled a new social responsibility report that identifies unethical and illegal marketing by affiliates.

Initially available for UK and Swedish-facing operators, the service searches for marketing by affiliates towards those who have previously self-excluded and those under 18.

It also searches for examples of unethical messaging by affiliates and includes PPC monitoring of Google, social media mentions and all affiliate websites.

Rightlander founder Ian Sims claimed increasing levels of social responsibility requirements being imposed by regulators, particularly on marketing messaging, made the report essential reading for affiliates and operators.

“Regulatory guidelines require companies to monitor all marketing messages that their affiliates put out and a key point of regulation is to ensure that the industry adopts a strict level of social responsibility,” Sims said.

Rightlander software is now also scanning for mentions of Covid-19 within affiliate marketing material.

It follows the Dutch Gambling Authority’s criticism of several online affiliate operators for marketing “corona-free” online gambling.

Existing operators utilising the Rightlander screening service have had their sites screened for mentions of Covid-19 and coronavirus since the beginning of March, however the service will now be included for all new operators.

Responding to the recent Covid-19 outbreak, Sims added: “We’re in now the middle of an unprecedented crisis and it’s disturbing to see some affiliates trying to take advantage by using unethical advertising techniques and targeting terms such as coronavirus and ‘casinos without Gamstop’ to try and entice players at a potentially vulnerable point in their lives.”

The Rightlander social responsibility report will be extended to multiple territories over the coming months.