If anyone is ever consider doing rakeback, I would highly recommend that you only use rakeback where it is automatically processed into the persons account at the start of each month by the poker room, with a transaction history stating this.
The reasons for this should be obvious, but:
(1) It kills any chance of a rogue affiliate, as they don’t handle the players finances at all.
(2) It is convenient for everyone.
(3) Less administrative-duties on the affiliates side.
(4) Had a family emergency? Want to go on vacation? Just tired of being an affiliate? With transactions processed via the poker room automatically, then you don’t have to worry about how to handle those rakeback transactions in your absence.
I’m still on the fence in regard to rakeback, as I can see both sides of the argument and both have very good points. However, I think if a poker room is going to allow rakeback, it is imperative that it is something that is handled by the poker room itself, or the software. If JoeBlow signs up at Absolute Poker(just an example) for rakeback, then his affiliate screws him out of $5,000 then Absolute are most probably going to lose this player, while it also brings out bad PR for Absolute.
So if there are any poker room managers out there who allow rakeback, please consider making the rakeback automated throughout the poker room, so that the affiliates, at no point have to handle the players rakeback.
There are a few who do that already, but there are many who don’t, and I think it would be a lot smarter to issue it throughout the poker room.