Can we use the Roku Integrated Billing system on a private adult channel? I can’t find anything in the developer or billing services agreement that says we can’t, but before we send a proposal to our client to build a channel for them, we want to make sure there won’t be any surprises.
Thanks!
Roku might not have a problem with it, but payments processing goes thru Paypal.
And Paypal has a strict policy for adult content. That is where you’ll run into problems…
I don’t know if Roku offer other alternatives for sending payment to channel owners.
sv
I was under the impression that you have a choice of PayPal or Credit card (or does Roku do both through PayPal?) – it’s been ages since I set up my own box, so I can’t remember.
How does it appear on your bill as a consumer? I mean, being one level removed, would PayPal even know specifically what the payment is for?
Thanks!
Need official word about this, but I’d think the biggest problem is that it’s a private channel. Roku goes out of their way to keep them at arms length.
I didn’t think the billing system was available to private channels.
Hmm. that’s interesting - we haven’t built a pay channel, so no experience with this, but I didn’t see anything in the documentation that says you can’t use Roku billing with private channels. I’d think you’d need to be able to, at least to test a channel before you made it public, no?
We won’t let you use our billing system for Adult content, you have to use your own. By Adult Content, I mean Porn.
Thanks for the definitive answer, Joel.
Joel
Does that apply to gaming / gambling sites too?
Or are they acceptable to Roku?
In most cases I don’t think we will allow gambling on our platform at all, private or public. It would be evaluated on a case by case basis, and if you have a case where you think it would not violate any of the the laws of any the 50 states then our business team might consider if they are willing to allow it.
“RokuJoel” wrote:
We won’t let you use our billing system for Adult content, you have to use your own. By Adult Content, I mean Porn.
- Joel
Just kind of a clarification while we have you… would billing services in a private channel without adult content be ‘ok’?
I just didn’t think it was possible in private channels, period.
“RokuJoel” wrote:
In most cases I don’t think we will allow gambling on our platform at all, private or public. It would be evaluated on a case by case basis, and if you have a case where you think it would not violate any of the the laws of any the 50 states then our business team might consider if they are willing to allow it.
- Joel
Just from what little I’ve ever been involved with gambling… good freakin’ luck with finding something not violating any of the laws in all 50 states with gambling and payments.
Some insane amounts of legal dollars have been thrown at this, and I don’t think anyone has found it yet. Most slot machines have ‘j-chips’ for jurisdiction chips—the laws and regulations are so different. Most credit card payment companies just don’t process payments for gambling establishments because they’re sick of the charge-backs.
Just kind of a clarification while we have you… would billing services in a private channel without adult content be ‘ok’?
Depends on the content, but yes. Private channels using billing are treated as public channels and run through the same approval process.
