You have heard the horror stories. Some supposed reputable online casino packs up shop one day, the owners never to be heard from again. They have left a mountain of unpaid debts, and the chances of you ever seeing your money, as a gamer or as an affiliate, are null and void. It's a shame, too, because if you hitch up to the right wagon, gambling affiliate programs can certainly be a lucrative way to earn substantial money online. But it's better to take one that delivers on smaller promises than one that promises the moon and never gives you a dime for your trouble.

The casino blacklist is, unfortunately, a common occurrence in the world of online gaming, but there are precautions that you can take to make sure that the gambling affiliate programs with which you do business are right for you and your bank account. Here are four tips to follow:

Check with third parties: Reputable websites that seek to bring users together and show no blatant biases toward one product or another are great sources if you are looking to verify reputation. You can even meet other users who share your interest in earning cash through gambling affiliate programs. They can steer you toward the ones that have worked for them in the past. And there is no better confidence builder than the word of someone you can trust, who has actually experienced cash in hand from their gambling affiliate programs!

Check with authorities: Every website has an origin point. Do your research and see who owns the domain name of the gambling affiliate programs you wish to try. It's always a good idea if you can narrow it down to an actual place. Where is the account registered? Have they gone through the proper channels to become an established business? It is not always easy to spot the fakes. If you are putting in time, money, and effort to promote gambling affiliate programs, it should be worth it to you to take a little bit longer and verify reputations. Not doing so can result in a lot of wasted effort - effort you could have put toward a worthwhile moneymaking opportunity.

Diversify: If something sounds too good to be true, it usually is. But by the same token, some gambling affiliate programs - reputable ones - offer more than others. What you want is reputation first, reward second. Rewards can always be fabricated. Reputation cannot. If there is a wolf in the fold, it will always show itself before you reap any of the promised rewards. By diversifying programs based on word of mouth, professional reviews, and your own gut instincts, you create a portfolio of gambling affiliate programs that differ in quality, so that if one fails, you have others working in your favor.

Everyone dreams of beating the casino blacklist at its own game, but that's easier said than done. Stick with reputations and you will find the gambling affiliate programs that work best for you. And in no time, you could be making big bucks without ever risking a dime.