After the jump, you’ll find my list of over two dozen online casinos that should be avoided for a variety of reasons.

So, as you are doing your Black Friday shopping online and in the stores, don’t throw your money away at the disreputable online gambling sites that are on The Online Casino Gambling Directory Blacklist. Instead, why not focus on the best of the best instead — the 20 or so top rated online casinos.

Here’s a sample:

  Slots of Vegas
$100 FREE + 300% bonus on initial deposits between $30 and $100!
Slots of Vegas, with over 80 online slot games, is the premier source of slot games for real or fun money. Slots of Vegas offers the loosest online slots, from the traditional three reel slots to the adventure packed five reel slots.

  Treasure Mile
100% bonus on initial deposits between $20 and $200!
Treasure Mile Casino combines the magic and glamour of a hot Las Vegas night out with all the exciting, fun, rewards and benefits expected of a truly world class online casino. Giving you the latest (and totally unique) games and exceptional odds, ph …

  Intertops RED Casino
100% bonus on initial deposits between $20 and $100!
No-download version available!
Bonus code: SIGNUP100. This RTG casino from Intertops is open to ALL US players and delivers all the fun and excitement that you would expect from an RTG casino and combines it with the trust, security, and outstanding banking that you have come to k …

  Grand Eagle
100% bonus on initial deposits between $20 and $250!
With brand new cutting edge games, massive winnings and supreme customer satisfaction, Grand Eagle Casino offers you a truly dynamic and magnificent online casino experience.

  Silver Oak Casino
100% bonus on initial deposits between $25 and $1000!
Bonus code: SILVEROAK1 through SILVEROAK10. Silver Oak Casino has the most dedicated customer service staff in the industry. Our knowledgeable and friendly representatives are available round the clock to assist you with any concerns you have.

Here’s what happened that led to the blacklisting of BetOnline.com and its affiliate program.

Last night I received a spam email from simon@betonline.com to robertmedl@theonlinecasinogamblingdirectory.com with subject “BetOnline.com and recent changes in the US market”. The reason that this is spam is because I have repeatedly asked not to be contacted by them.

From: Robert Medl <robertmedl@theonlinecasinogamblingdirectory.com>
To: Simon Eaton <simon@sportsbookventure.com>
Cc: support@betonlineaffiliates.com
Sent: Wed, September 8, 2010 3:14:01 PM
Subject: Re: $25 Free Play Promo – BetOnline Affiliates

There are plenty of other reputable Microgaming online casinos and reputable Microgaming poker rooms, including these 5-star-rated sites:

Quatro Casino
$4444 FREE + 100% bonus on initial deposits between $20 and $200!
No-download version available!
Quattro Casino has for years been synonym with virtually unlimited game choice, fantastic Welcome Bonus Offers, uncompromised safety and privacy measures and exceptional support.

Casino AUS
$1776 FREE + 100% bonus on initial deposits between $30 and $284!
No-download version available!
G’Day Mate! Welcome to Casino Aus. This Australian themed Casino is your number first stop for true gaming pleasure Down Under and is definitely the place to be for any Aussie gaming enthusiast!

River Nile
$1500 FREE + 200% bonus on initial deposits of $25!
The River Nile online casino offers an impressive 300+ casino games. From slots to blackjack to roulette, we got it all! And yes, that includes 13 progressives – there is definitely something in there that you’ll love – guaranteed!!

PokerTime
100% bonus on initial deposits between $20 and $200!
No-download version available!
If you’re a poker fan, then there’s no better place to wager your stake than at PokerTime. Whether you are a beginner or pro, you’ll thoroughly enjoy the wide selection of games that this action-packed poker room has to offer.

(Additional tags: blacklist, grand prive blacklist, blacklisted grand prive, grand blacklist.)

• I joined Rome Partners on 11 Feb 2008. There was very little activity in my account.
• On 05 Jul 2009, I received an email from Jodi N., asking me to join their program. When I replied that I was already a member of the affiliate program, and expressed my dissatisfaction that the program would send me such an email when I am already a member. It seemed spammy to me, and I responded as such.
• Jodi N’s reply to me, in my opinion, was unprofessional and she refused to accept responsibility for sending such an email. “We have a few affiliate managers here and we are all constantly looking for new affiliates to work with. If sometimes we overlap and re-email and affiliate that is already working with us we apologise but it cant always be helped. It is a pity that you would think we have some tactic here and are trying to cheat anyone, as we really are not.”
• I replied that I wished to leave the Rome Partners affiliate program, and to not be contacted again. “I’ve decided to remove your affiliate program and associated casinos from The Online Casino Gambling Directory. Please delete my account and remove my email address from all of your email lists. I do not wish to receive any emails from anyone associated with either Rome Partners or Rome Casino.”
• Gabriel E., Jodi N.’s manager, stepped in and offered an explanation as to what happened. He asked me to confirm that I still wished to leave the program: “If you are in any way interested in continuing to work with us, please let Jodi know and she will do everything she can to assist you, as she is a very capable affiliate manager. If not, I will close your account and inform all affiliate managers never to contact you again.”
• On 20 Jul 2009, I confirmed that I wished to leave the program by replying to Gabriel E., and cc:’ing Jodi N. “My decision to leave Rome Partners stands. Please close my account and inform all affiliate managers never to contact me again.”

Seems simple and clear to me, no?

• On 21 May 2010, I received another email from them; I used the unsubscribe link.
• On 21 Oct 2010, I received email from “noreply@romepartners.com” with subject “European Traffic is Now Welcome”.
• On 24 Oct 2010, I received email from “jodi@sandboxmedia.net” with subject “French and European traffic”.

Well, this is spam and it is cause for being placed on the blacklist. It has been my experience that as goes the affiliate program, so goes the sites that are promoted by them. Thus, it is my opinion that the Rome Partners sites (Rome Casino and Diceland Casino) should be avoided – unless you like spam.

Now usually, I can make one post about a particular site and feel that my readers have been sufficiently warned about that site. Well, not so with these guys. I warned my readers about a two months ago about these sites. But because they just keep on spamming, I feel the need to again post about these spammers. Just yesterday I got yet another email from them after repeatedly, and I mean repeatedly, asking to never be contacted by them again, ever, for any reason.

So players — do yourself a favor and stay away from all 888-branded Sites (888.com Casino-on-Net, 888.com Pacific Poker, 888Ladies.com, 888Sport.com), Littlewood Casino and Poker, and GameOnQuickPlay.com. And affiliates can save yourselves some headaches by avoiding Uffiliates.com.

Why blacklist these sites? All of these properties are promoted through an affiliate program called Uffiliates.com, who are IMO spammers.

• Grand Prive Affiliates contracted with affiliates to have affiliates refer customers to various Microgaming sites (Bella Vegas, Fortune Junction, Jackpot Wheel, Jupiter Club, Lake Palace, Road House Reels, Casino Grand Bay, Grand Bay Poker). In exchange for referrals, affiliates were to be paid a percentage of the lifetime revenue generated by referred players (see bottom page at the above link).
• Weeks ago, Grand Prive Affiliates went out of business, while the sites that they were associated with, and to which affiliates referred players, remain operational. However, the sites are no longer paying affiliates for revenue generated by previously-referred players. This is theft and breach of contract.
• Villa Fortuna Casino, while not an original part of the eight Grand Prive-branded group of sites, is being run by the same outfit as that which operates the eight Grand Prive sites.

The net-net of all of this is that, in my opinion, these sites are not to be trusted with your money. If they are willing to steal from and breach their contract with affiliates, there is sufficient evidence to think that they are perfectly capable of doing the same to its players.

Trust me on this one… I’ve been in this business for years. Stay away from these nine sites.

Besides, there are plenty of other top-rated, trustworthy Microgaming casinos and Microgaming poker rooms available to you.

(Please note: Microgaming casinos and Microgaming poker rooms do not accept players from the United States. Wherever you live, please check your local, state, and provincial laws before you gamble online.)

• On 29 Oct 08, I initially asked to be removed for their mailing lists.
• On 03 Nov 08, I repeated my request, outlined my domains that I wanted removed, sent that email to multiple email addresses on the noxwin.com and noxaffiliates.com domains, and gave a date of 13 Nov 08 by which I expected to be removed from their mailing lists.
• On 18 Nov 08, I again received email from the noxaffiliates.com domain (specifically, tom@…).

I can only conclude that the noxwin.com properties condone spamming, as their noxaffiliates.com affiliates clearly do. Thus, I have blacklisted both the noxwin.com and the noxaffiliates.com domains, bringing the total number of sites on the blacklist to sixteen.

So, my advice is to stay away from both Lucky Ace Casino and Lucky Ace Poker — unless you like spam, that is.

There are plenty of accredited online casinos out there, so there is no need to take the risk of being swindled by Silver Sands Casino. Look to the 5-star-rated eCOGRA casinos for the most trustworthy online casinos in the industry.