iPost Newsroom - PR & Press Releases

iPost and ZeroBounce Partner to Deliver Cleaner Data and Stronger Email Performance for Regulated Industries

Marco Marini — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 15:00:00 GMT

iPost, the leading email sending platform built to solve real challenges in highly regulated and other data and content sensitive industries, including gaming, legal services, and scholarly/STM (science, technology, medical) publishing, today announced a new strategic partnership with ZeroBounce, a leading email validation and deliverability company. The partnership brings native, real-time email list verification directly into the iPost platform, helping enterprise marketers protect sender reputation, reduce bounce rates, and maximize inbox placement.

Muckleshoot Casino Resort Partners with iPost, Inc. to Elevate Email Communications and Targeted Guest Engagement

Marco Marini — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 07:00:00 GMT

Muckleshoot Casino Resort, the Pacific Northwest’s premier gaming and hospitality destination, has chosen iPost to power its guest communication strategy, and we couldn’t be prouder. Our platform is built for exactly this: solving the complex, data-driven challenges that high-volume casino marketing demands, from advanced segmentation to personalized offers delivered at scale. This partnership is a testament to iPost’s growing role as the trusted email platform for world-class gaming properties.

Read the full announcement from the Muckleshoot team below.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Muckleshoot Casino Resort Partners with iPost, Inc. to Elevate Email Communications and Targeted Guest Engagement

Auburn, WA — March 3, 2026 — Muckleshoot Casino Resort, the award-winning Pacific Northwest’s premier gaming, entertainment, and hospitality destination, has announced a new partnership with iPost, a leading email marketing and customer engagement platform, to power and enhance the resort’s email communications.

Through this partnership, Muckleshoot Casino Resort will leverage iPost’s advanced email technology to deliver more targeted, dynamic, and engaging communications to its guests. The platform will support enhanced personalization, stronger design capabilities, and deeper performance insights—allowing the resort to better connect with guests through relevant offers, promotions, events, entertainment, dining updates, and resort experiences.

As part of this initiative, Muckleshoot Casino Resort will continue to upgrade its guest communication strategy by expanding targeted email efforts, creating more personalized offers, and introducing email-only promotions designed to reward loyalty and enhance the overall guest experience.

“As guest expectations continue to evolve, so must the way we communicate with them,” said Robert Dearstine, Chief Marketing Officer at Muckleshoot Casino Resort. “Partnering with iPost allows us to take a more targeted and strategic approach to email marketing—delivering relevant offers with variable texts and offer values, exclusive promotions, and timely messaging while maintaining the premium brand experience our guests expect from Muckleshoot Casino Resort.”

iPost is widely recognized in the gaming and hospitality industries for its reliable, scalable platform and its ability to integrate seamlessly with complex marketing ecosystems. By adopting iPost, Muckleshoot Casino Resort strengthens its commitment to innovation, data-driven marketing, and personalized guest engagement.

“We’re thrilled to partner with Muckleshoot Casino Resort as they continue to evolve their digital communication strategy,” said Cameron Kane, CEO at iPost, Inc. “Their focus on personalization and guest experience aligns perfectly with iPost’s mission to help brands create high-performing, meaningful email communications.”

This partnership marks another step forward in Muckleshoot Casino Resort’s ongoing investment in technology, marketing innovation, and enhanced guest communication.

For more information on Muckleshoot Casino Resort, visit muckleshootcasino.com or call 800.804.4944.

IGA: “We made a lot of money. That was when I saw omnichannel marketing work.” - iPost: Email & Messaging Software Platform

Marco Marini — Wed, 01 Apr 2026 07:00:00 GMT

At the Indian Gaming Tradeshow & Convention Tuesday, a panel titled “From Mailbox to Mobile: Connecting Direct Mail, App, Email, and Automation for Casino Growth” turned into a more honest conversation than most on the topic.

Everyone in the room is already using multiple channels. Direct mail is still the foundation, email is active, most operators have an app, and SMS is somewhere in the mix depending on comfort level. None of that is new. More interesting was how those channels are still being prioritized and measured.

Moderator Steve Neely asked the audience a quick series of questions.

Who has a P&L line for direct mail? Nearly every hand went up.
Who has one for gamification or their mobile app? No hands.
Email? Got a small handful.

It doesn’t represent the entire industry, but it is a pretty good snapshot of how some teams are structured. Direct mail is owned and defended. The rest are used, but not always treated as direct revenue drivers in the same way.

That becomes harder to justify when you look at performance.

Cameron Kane, CEO of iPost, brought up the stat everyone knows and very few seem to build around. “For every dollar that you spend in the email channel, you can expect, on average, $42 coming back.”

Email is one of the highest return channels available, but it’s still often treated like a support function instead of something that should be planned and optimized with the same level of focus as direct mail.

Kane made the distinction pretty clearly. “Doing email is easy. Doing it right is difficult.”

He also kept coming back to timing and relevance. “At the end of the day, it’s the right content at the right time and that’s where you see your ROI.”

Most operators are not struggling to send messages. They are struggling to send the right message when it actually matters. When that’s off, layering in more channels does not help.

“You can wear out your welcome,” Kane said. “These channels are in a coexist mode, but they can’t just coexist. They have to cooperate.”

That line ended up being one of the more useful ways to think about it. Most properties are already “omnichannel” in the sense that they are using multiple touchpoints. Fewer are actually sequencing them in a way that builds on itself.

Mike Paulus, COO of Engage Nation, kept the focus on how those interactions are structured. “So instead of saying, hey, you got 100 entries, let them spin the wheel. Then they get those 100 entries for a drawing … and drive them back to the property.

“To me, when I think of gamification … it’s the same reason that you wrap a Christmas gift. Opening it is the best part,” he said.

Steve Neely shared a story that grounded the entire conversation in something real. He described a night at a northern California property during a storm so severe he expected business to be down significantly. He was receiving hourly revenue updates and, by his own admission, checked them reluctantly, assuming the numbers would reflect what the weather looked like outside.

Instead, revenue was up.

Hour after hour, it continued to outperform expectations. Eventually, he reached out to his marketing team to figure out what was happening. The answer came back in two words: Engage Nation.

The property had recently launched a gamified experience through its app, giving players a reason to engage remotely and earn entries tied to an in-casino promotion. That experience was being supported by email and reinforced through direct mail.

“We made a lot of money,” he said. “It was the first time I really encountered what I would reference as omnichannel.”

The campaign wasn’t overly complicated. Direct mail introduced the promotion. Email reinforced it. The app created something interactive. Players engaged before they even walked in. There was no single channel to point to as the reason it worked. “It’s not always that you can point to a very specific thing and say that’s what drove the revenue,” he said.

That is part of the challenge. The lift is coming from how everything connects, not from one channel outperforming the others in isolation.

Mark Neely from TPI framed it in a way that felt more practical than theoretical. “I try to look at a campaign as not one channel specific,” he said. “You establish, you reinforce, and you expand across all your channels.”

He also pointed out something that should probably be happening more often than it is. “Simply sending an email after a direct-mail piece will increase redemptions on average by 30%.”

Another moment that stood out was how little testing is still happening. One person in the room said they actively test email. A few said they test direct mail. That was it.

Given the amount of data available across all of these channels, that is probably the most straightforward opportunity. Kane mentioned it directly. “If it’s not performing and actually bringing folks back to property, it doesn’t really make sense to send it.”

SMS and push notifications came up more in the context of timing. “Ninety-four precent of SMSs are read within the first three to five minutes of arriving on your phone,” Paulus said.

Push notifications sit somewhere in between, especially when tied to an app that players are already engaging with.

None of this requires new technology or major changes to infrastructure. It comes down to how campaigns are built and how decisions are made around timing, sequencing, and measurement.

Steve Neely closed the panel with a point that did not need much explanation. “It doesn’t matter how good your email program is, how good your direct mail program is. None of that matters if you’re not delivering on revenue.”

iPost Reports Over 50% Growth in Q3 2025

Marco Marini — Fri, 27 Feb 2026 08:00:00 GMT

iPost, the leading email sending platform built to solve real challenges in highly regulated and other data and content sensitive industries, including gaming, legal services, and scholarly/STM (science, technology, medical) publishing, today announced 20% year-over-year revenue growth for the full year 2025 compared to 2024. The company’s consistent performance throughout the year reflects sustained demand for its ability to serve highly regulated industries with unmatched compliance, customer customizations, and personalization capabilities.

iPost Reports 20% YoY Revenue Growth for 2025, Fueled by Strategic Expansion and Platform Innovation

Ending 2025 with 20% year-over-year growth is a powerful validation of our focus on the enterprise marketer’s needs.”

— Cameron Kane, CEO

SAN MATEO, Calif., Feb. 27, 2026 PRNewswire-PRWeb — iPost, the leading email sending platform built to solve real challenges in highly regulated and other data and content sensitive industries, including gaming, legal services, and scholarly/STM (science, technology, medical) publishing, today announced 20% year-over-year revenue growth for the full year 2025 compared to 2024. The company’s consistent performance throughout the year reflects sustained demand for its ability to serve highly regulated industries with unmatched compliance, customer customizations, and personalization capabilities.

The full-year results build on iPost’s record-breaking Q3 performance, which saw over 50% growth. 2025 was a milestone year for iPost. In 2025, iPost expanded its market share across all verticals, driven by strong adoption of its advanced segmentation tools, real-time personalization features, and campaign optimization capabilities.

“Ending 2025 with 20% year-over-year growth is a powerful validation of our focus on the enterprise marketer’s needs,” said Cameron Kane, CEO of iPost. “Throughout the year, we have seen that the most competitive brands in our focus industries are looking for more than just a tool; they need a partner that offers unmatched deliverability and the flexibility to integrate deeply with their existing data stacks and business processes.”

Kane continued, “Our success this year is built on the momentum we established in Q3, where we saw record-breaking adoption of our platform. Looking ahead to 2026, we are doubling down on our commitment to innovation by expanding our capabilities in AI-powered content optimization and real-time personalization to help our clients drive even more measurable business growth both in the United States and international markets”.

In addition to its financial achievements, iPost secured several high-profile clients and strategic partners in 2025, including powering the email marketing for 14 of Bally’s Corporation’s premier casino properties.

For more information about iPost and its marketing automation solutions, visit www.ipost.com.

About iPost
iPost is a leading enterprise email and marketing automation platform built for highly regulated and data-sensitive industries such as gaming, hospitality, entertainment, and financial services. With its flexible architecture, native data integrations, and unmatched customer support, iPost helps marketers create personalized, compliant, and impactful campaigns that drive measurable business growth.

iPost Reports Over 50% Growth in Q3 2025

Marco Marini — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 08:00:00 GMT

iPost, the leading email sending platform built to solve real challenges in highly regulated and other data and content sensitive industries, including gaming, legal services, and scholarly/STM (science, technology, medical) publishing, today announced 20% year-over-year revenue growth for the full year 2025 compared to 2024. The company’s consistent performance throughout the year reflects sustained demand for its ability to serve highly regulated industries with unmatched compliance, customer customizations, and personalization capabilities.

iPost announces Andrew Kordek will lead a featured session on “Kick A$$ Email Marketing” at the upcoming Casino Marketing Boot Camp in New Orleans.

Email marketing remains the most effective channel for player development, engagement, & loyalty in the casino industry. Today’s players expect personalized experiences beyond generic promotions.”

— Andrew Kordek, CMO iPost

SAN MATEO, CA, UNITED STATES, January 22, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — iPost announces that renowned email marketing expert Andrew Kordek will lead a featured session on “Kick A$$ Email Marketing” at the upcoming Casino Marketing Boot Camp, scheduled for March 16-18, 2026, at the Hyatt Centric French Quarter in New Orleans.

Kordek, CMO of iPost – the premier email marketing platform designed for the casino and gaming industry – and a highly regarded thought leader with more than 26 years of experience in email marketing, brings unparalleled expertise to the casino marketing industry. Previously recognized as one of the top five global email marketing influencers, Kordek has worked on some of the largest and most complex email programs worldwide, helping brands and properties alike maximize email ROI through data-driven strategies.

“Email marketing remains the most effective channel for player development, engagement, and loyalty in the casino industry,” said Kordek. “Today’s players expect personalized experiences that go beyond generic promotions. I’m excited to share actionable strategies that casino marketers can implement immediately to drive measurable results.”

The three-day Casino Marketing Boot Camp offers an unparalleled, single-track focus on interactive learning, specifically designed for regional casino marketers and executives looking to sharpen their skills and drive growth. The carefully curated program features industry-leading speakers, personalized sessions, and hands-on learning experiences that participants can apply directly to their marketing efforts.

Why This Boot Camp Stands Out:

● Expert-Led Sessions: Learn from industry veterans like Andrew Kordek, who bring decades of real-world experience
● Interactive Format: Small group settings enable meaningful conversations and networking opportunities
● Actionable Content: Walk away with strategies you can implement immediately
● Inspiring Location: New Orleans provides a vibrant backdrop that fuels creativity and innovation

“Casino Marketing Boot Camp isn’t just another marketing event; it’s a carefully curated experience designed to equip regional casino marketers with actionable insights and skills they can immediately use,” said Julia Carcamo, founder of Casino Marketing Boot Camp and J Carcamo Associates.

Take advantage of early bird pricing by registering before January 26th, 2026, at https://casinomarketingbootcamp.com/casino-marketing-training-in-new-orleans-2026/

For more information about iPost and its marketing automation solutions, visit www.ipost.com.

iPost Reports Over 50% Growth in Q3 2025

Marco Marini — Thu, 04 Dec 2025 08:00:00 GMT

iPost, the leading email sending platform built to solve real challenges in highly regulated and other data and content sensitive industries, including gaming, legal services, and scholarly/STM (science, technology, medical) publishing, today announced 20% year-over-year revenue growth for the full year 2025 compared to 2024. The company’s consistent performance throughout the year reflects sustained demand for its ability to serve highly regulated industries with unmatched compliance, customer customizations, and personalization capabilities.

iPost Expands Product Offering into the UK, Canada, and EU

This expansion reflects the trust our global customers place in iPost and marks the next step in our evolution. We’re delivering a powerful, flexible, compliant platform worldwide while meeting local laws.”

— Marco Marini, COO

SAN MATEO, Calif., Dec. 4, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — iPost, a leading email marketing platform built for enterprise marketers, today announced the expansion of its product offering into the United Kingdom, Canada, and the European Union, introducing local send capabilities to help customers comply with regional data and privacy laws, including GDPR and CASL.

The expansion represents a natural evolution in iPost’s continued growth, following record-breaking performance in 2025 and increasing demand from enterprise brands operating across multiple jurisdictions. By enabling regional campaign sending and data management, iPost empowers marketers to maintain compliance while delivering highly personalized and effective customer communications.

“This expansion reflects the trust our global customers have placed in iPost and represents the next logical step in our evolution as a company,” said Marco Marini, COO of iPost. “Our mission has always been to provide marketers with a powerful, flexible, and compliant platform—now we can offer that same performance on a global scale while adhering to local laws and standards.”

With new infrastructure deployed in the UK, Canada, and the EU, iPost ensures faster delivery speeds, improved data sovereignty, and seamless compliance for enterprise customers in regulated industries such as gaming, finance, healthcare, and legal.

For more information about iPost and its marketing automation solutions, visit www.ipost.com.

iPost Reports Over 50% Growth in Q3 2025

Marco Marini — Tue, 11 Nov 2025 08:00:00 GMT

iPost is a leading enterprise email and marketing automation platform built for highly regulated and data-sensitive industries such as gaming, hospitality, entertainment, and financial services.

iPost announced a 50% yr-over-yr growth in Q3 2025 compared to Q3 2024 attributed to a growing customer base, deeper platform adoption, & strategic partnerships

Our Q3 growth reflects our customers’ trust in iPost and our team’s dedication to delivering a flexible, high-performance platform for today’s enterprise marketers.”

— Cameron Kane, CEO

SAN MATEO, CA, UNITED STATES, November 10, 2025 /Source/ — iPost, the leading enterprise email and marketing automation platform built for the gaming, hospitality, publishing and entertainment industries, today announced a 50% year-over-year growth in Q3 2025 compared to the same period in 2024. The company attributes this record-breaking performance to an expanding customer base, deeper platform adoption, and strategic partnerships with major brands.

Throughout the quarter, iPost saw significant increases in new client acquisitions and platform engagement, particularly within the gaming and hospitality markets. Several enterprise customers transitioned to iPost’s flexible, API-driven infrastructure to enhance personalization, compliance, and deliverability at scale.

“This milestone reflects the trust our customers place in iPost to deliver results in some of the most competitive and regulated industries,” said Cameron Kane, CEO of iPost. “We’ve focused on building a marketing automation platform that not only meets the complex needs of enterprise marketers but also provides unmatched flexibility and performance. Our growth in Q3 is a testament to the strength of that vision and the dedication of our team.”

As iPost continues to accelerate its momentum, the company plans to further expand its capabilities in data-driven segmentation, real-time personalization, and AI-powered campaign optimization in early 2026.

For more information about iPost and its marketing automation solutions, visit www.ipost.com.

Bally’s Corporation Selects iPost to Power Email Marketing Across 14 Properties

Marco Marini — Fri, 24 Oct 2025 07:00:00 GMT

SAN MATEO, Calif., Oct. 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — iPost, the leading enterprise email marketing platform tailored for the gaming and hospitality industry, is proud to announce that Bally’s Corporation has selected iPost to power its Email Marketing strategy across 14 of its premier casino properties.

The decision follows the recent merger of Bally’s and Queens Casino brands, where Bally’s executives observed firsthand the exceptional email marketing performance achieved by Queens properties—already long-time iPost clients. Encouraged by strong results and endorsements from multiple trusted sources within the gaming industry, Bally’s turned to iPost to unify and elevate its digital marketing efforts.

“iPost has an unmatched reputation in gaming,” said Michael Donovan, Chief Marketing Officer & Senior Vice President of Gaming Operations at Bally’s Corporation. “The platform’s proven success at select properties and the opportunity to streamline operations made the decision clear. The iPost team has provided exceptional support, strategic insight, and a solution tailored to our needs.”

By bringing together 14 Bally’s properties under one marketing platform, the company benefits from economies of scale and optimal pricing—a significant factor in today’s competitive environment. In addition, iPost’s proactive account management and expert professional services stood out as key differentiators in the evaluation process.

“We’re honored to partner with such an iconic and growing name in gaming,” said Cameron Kane, CEO of iPost. “Bally’s commitment to digital excellence aligns perfectly with our mission to help casinos create highly personalized and measurable guest experiences through email. We’re thrilled to help power their continued growth.”

This partnership marks another milestone in iPost’s expansion as the go-to marketing solution for forward-thinking gaming brands, with a platform designed to handle the complexity, scale, and compliance requirements unique to the industry.

ABOUT iPost

iPost is the premier email marketing platform designed exclusively for the casino and gaming industry. The company serves leading gaming properties, including DraftKings at Casino Queens, Potawatomi, The Queen, Mohegan Sun, RedWind Casino, Bally’s and Parq Casino, delivering specialized marketing solutions that drive player engagement and maximize return on investment.

Founded to address the unique challenges facing casino marketers, iPost has established itself as the industry standard for gaming-focused email marketing technology. The platform’s proprietary approach uses Player ID as the primary identifier, solving critical operational challenges that generic email service providers cannot address for gaming operators.

Core Platform Capabilities: iPost’s comprehensive platform enables casino marketing teams to execute sophisticated campaigns through advanced segmentation based on gaming-specific metrics. The platform features intuitive drag-and-drop email builders, behavioral automation technology, enterprise-grade campaign controls, complimentary rendering previews, and detailed analytics reporting.

Industry Leadership: The company continues to innovate at the forefront of casino marketing technology, developing solutions that allow gaming operators to scale personalized communications while maintaining the high-touch experience that drives player loyalty and increases wallet share.

Company Information: For more information about iPost’s casino email marketing solutions, visit ipost.com/email-solutions/casino.

About Bally’s Corporation

Bally’s (NYSE: BALY) is a fast-growing national brand with 20 casinos internationally including 1 retail casino in Newcastle, UK, 11 states across the US, along with a golf course in New York and a horse racetrack in Colorado and holds OSB licenses in 13 jurisdictions in North America. It also owns Bally Bet, a first-in-class sports betting platform, Bally Casino, a growing iCasino platform, Bally’s Interactive International division (formerly Gamesys Group), a leading global interactive gaming operator, and a significant economic stake in Intralot S.A. (ATSE: INLOT), a global lottery management and services business. As a global, entertainment-focused, omni-channel leader in retail and online gaming, Bally’s serves over 11 million domestic and 20 million international customers through its loyalty programs.

With 11,500 employees, its casino operations include approximately 17,700 slot machines, 630 table games, and 3,950 hotel rooms. Bally’s also has rights to developable land in Las Vegas at the site of the former Tropicana Las Vegas.

Media Contact

Marco Marini, iPost, Inc, 1 6506538111, marco@ipost.com, www.ipost.com

SOURCE iPost, Inc

Mohegan Selects iPost to Power Advanced Email and SMS

Shaun Chojnacki — Fri, 25 Jul 2025 07:00:00 GMT

iPost, a leading provider of email and SMS for gaming

iPost, a leading provider of email and SMS marketing automation solutions for gaming, entertainment, and hospitality brands, today announced that Mohegan, one of the premier developers and managers of entertainment resorts in North America, has chosen iPost as its new digital messaging platform.

SAN MATEO, Calif., July 25, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — iPost, a leading provider of email and SMS marketing automation solutions for gaming, entertainment, and hospitality brands, today announced that Mohegan, one of the premier developers and managers of entertainment resorts in North America, has chosen iPost as its new digital messaging platform.

Through this new partnership, two Mohegan properties, Mohegan Sun in Connecticut, and Mohegan Pennsylvania will leverage iPost’s advanced capabilities to enhance guest engagement, optimize campaign performance, and deliver highly personalized experiences across email and SMS channels. The platform’s deep integrations with hospitality and casino systems, along with its flexible and secure infrastructure, make it ideal for the Mohegan brand’s ever-evolving marketing strategy.

“We are thrilled to welcome Mohegan to the iPost family. As a leading brand in the gaming & entertainment industry known for its world-class experiences, Mohegan represents exactly the kind of forward-thinking partner we love to support. At iPost, innovation is at the heart of everything we do, and we are excited to bring that spirit to the digital marketing initiatives for Mohegan Sun and Mohegan Pennsylvania. Together, we look forward to elevating guest engagement, driving loyalty, and helping Mohegan reach new heights in their digital communications strategy,” says Cameron Kane, CEO at iPost.

Mohegan’s marketing team will use iPost’s sophisticated segmentation, automation, and real-time analytics to better understand and serve its guests. With iPost, Mohegan aims to deliver timely, relevant communications that drive loyalty, brand affinity, and measurable business results.

“Mohegan is always seeking innovative ways to connect with our guests,” said Erica Tessier Hunt, VP of Corporate Marketing for Mohegan. “Choosing iPost was a strategic decision rooted in one of our core values of blowing away the guest. We’re thrilled about the new partnership as the iPost platform allows us to deliver a substantially more personalized, timely, and meaningful message that resonates with our audiences. ”

This partnership highlights iPost’s continued growth in the gaming and entertainment space, where the demand for secure, scalable, and intuitive marketing solutions is greater than ever.

ABOUT iPost

Company Information: For more information about iPost’s casino email marketing solutions, visit ipost.com/email-solutions/casino.

About Mohegan

Mohegan is the owner, developer, and manager of premier entertainment resorts in the United States and Canada. Mohegan’s U.S. operations include resorts in Connecticut and Pennsylvania and Canadian operations are based in Niagara Falls, Ontario. The brand’s iGaming division, Mohegan Digital, provides cutting-edge online gaming solutions to Mohegan’s loyal fan base and meets the digital needs of North American customers. Mohegan is owner and operator of Connecticut Sun, a professional basketball team in the WNBA. For more information on Mohegan and its properties, please visit mohegangaming.com.

Media Contact

Marco Marini, iPost, Inc, 1 6506538111, marco@ipost.com, www.ipost.com

SOURCE iPost, Inc

Some tech firms consider casinos despicable - iPost: Email & Messaging Software Platform

Marco Marini — Mon, 18 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT

Casino operations are in the same category as child sexual exploitation, terrorism, illegal drug dealing, cyber warfare, pyramid schemes, and violent extremism. What? Not many believe that today, but apparently, a number of sanctimonious ESP companies do.

For you non-marketers, ESP is an acronym for Email Service Provider. In plain English, ESPs assist clients (including casinos) in crafting and distributing emails, social-media content, and text messages.

Astonishingly, more than 40 ESP firms have adopted a stance against casinos by including “gambling” on a list of prohibited activities. There’s a listing of those vendors below. You might be surprised by some of the names that have lumped our industry with the worst of the worst. They include category leader Mailchimp, alongside others like Constant Contact and Twilio. Even massive corporations like Salesforce, which offer ESP services as a secondary product, impose these restrictive policies.

Many casinos use these firms on a daily basis as a key component of their marketing efforts, making this backward-facing position even worse. These providers seem to practice selective discrimination without rhyme or reason. Several smaller local, regional and tribal casinos, which have been using these services for months, have recently received abrupt notices that they’re no longer welcome. Often, the notices arrive without advance warning, leaving these businesses in the lurch.

At the same time, despite their own written policies stating that they will not work with companies that “engage in or promote gambling or run a gambling operation,” some major firms (like Salesforce) continue to do thousands of dollars of business with corporate casino giants like Caesars Entertainment.

Mailchimp confirmed their prohibition to us in an email, but numerous inquiries to Salesforce have gone unanswered. (Here’s the link to Salesforce’s policy. Note item XVI.)

This stance may have been understandable in the 1950s, when much of the world believed Nevada was entirely under Mob control. In those days, the only socially acceptable forms of gambling were at racetracks, in church bingo halls, on Wall Street, or with the guy on the corner running numbers.

Fast forward to today. According to the American Gaming Association (AGA), “nearly half of all American adults (49%) participated in some form of gambling in the past year.” A significant portion of the public visited physical casinos or placed sports bets annually. Acceptance of casino gambling has reached 9 out of 10 (88%) Americans who believe “casino gambling is acceptable for themselves or others – a level that has remained consistent for over a decade.”

The AGA also cites some significant stats: Gaming contributed $53 billion in annual tax revenues across the country and provided 1.8 million jobs overall, which generated $104 billion in income.

While dozens of ESPs have jumped on the anti-gambling bandwagon, a few like iPost maintain a casino-friendly approach. They’ve even become an associate member of the Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers (AGEM). iPost and some others have been sounding the alert about this issue.

CEO Cameron Kane says, “It’s insane. It’s absolutely insane. It makes no sense. We’ll get a call maybe once a week or every two weeks from somebody on one of these systems. They get flagged and they get a termination notice.”

He adds, “Several of these smaller casinos get just a few days to vacate and others are just shut down and told to find a new platform.”

That can leave a casino-marketing program missing in action for weeks as they look for a new solution. The team at iPost is now specializing in getting these clients back online quickly to minimize their downtime, since these termination notices are becoming more frequent and are hard to predict.

Andrew Cardno, CTO of Quick Custom Intelligence, highlighted the challenges this trend poses for analytic firms. “This was hard to believe at first, given how deeply ingrained digital-marketing platforms are in our business strategies. This change hit home when one of our clients was banned and another faced obstacles due to tribal sovereignty. These incidents aren’t isolated, but part of a worldwide trend that’s reshaping the way we operate across continents. If these cloud providers have the right to arbitrarily do this, why would we trust them with our business?”

He added, “In response to these evolving circumstances, it has become clear that our path forward lies in collaborating with reliable and trustworthy vendors.”

Julia Carcamo, of the marketing and branding firm Carcamo Associates, questioned the inclusion of gambling on the prohibited list. “I had to tell a client that the email platform he uses for his casinos is one of the platforms specifying that gambling messages aren’t allowed. While I can only guess that email service providers include gambling on their ‘forbidden industries’ lists as a holdover concern about the industry’s historical reputation, that concept is dated and invalid in 2023.” She did speculate on one possible reason. “Providers aiming to comply with international laws and regulations might choose to avoid the complexities by prohibiting gambling-related content.”

Notably, not all ESPs explicitly target “casinos” on their prohibited lists, but all refer to “gambling,” “gambling-related,” “affiliate gambling,” and/or similar words. In common usage, that certainly includes casinos. It would seem far more practical to simply ban “unlicensed gambling” if they were concerned with legal issues. But so far, that’s not the case with any of the firms listed below. And all have gambling on the same list as child porn, illegal drugs, terrorism, and the like.

For those concerned about these policies, here is a partial list of ESP firms to reach out to for clarifications on their positions: Active Campaign, Benchmark, Blueshift, Brevo, Cakemail, Campaign Monitor, Cheetah Digital, Constant Contact, CovertKit, CreateSend, Doppler, Elastic Email, Emailchef, ExpertSender, GreenArrow, HubSpot, iContact, Keap, Klaviyo, Liveclicker, Mad Mimi, Mail Blaze, Mailchimp, MailerLite, Mailmunch, MAP Digital, Marigold, Maropost, MessageGears, Moosend, MyEmma (Emma), Omnisend, Robly, Sailthru, Salesforce Marketing Cloud, Seligent, Sendlane, SendPulse, SocketLabs, and Twilio. If they’re not forthcoming, ask to see their published “prohibited list,” which is generally buried deep within their websites.

Many suggest that casino clients proactively contact their ESP vendors to determine their stance. If these vendors indeed intend to discriminate against the casino industry, it may be prudent to explore alternative providers before facing unanticipated and arbitrary bans.