Many don’t use their websites because they don’t want to be caught, they send traffic directly to the casino of their choice. The exceptions to that are
just a few well known people who don’t care about the affiliate community and what people think.
My own advertising purposes – for me it has been pretty much a waste of money as far as that is concerned. A tax deduction. It is money I invested in understanding more about the industry I am working in.
Integrating the info I gather with Ben Edelman’s research gives me a nice, in depth knowledge of the matter, and a way to make projections for the future.
And thankfully, in this industry, the future of thiefware is glum.
Other forms of contextual advertising have been good to me though. Most PPCs offer a contextual solution now also, and I have found these to be better.
Also, I buy space on other gambling websites whenever I can – that too is contextual advertising and it has been good to me.
One doesn’t have to steal to take advantage of contextual advertising.