Affiliate marketing in gambling
Affiliates are publishers and marketers that send new customers to operators in return for a commission. They range from comparison sites and news publishers to streamers and paid-media buyers, and in many markets they bring a large share of new depositors.
How affiliates are paid
- CPA: a fixed fee for each referred customer who makes a qualifying first deposit.
- Revenue share: a percentage of the net revenue the referred customers generate for as long as they play.
- Hybrid: a smaller CPA plus a smaller revenue share.
Which deal pays more depends on how much the players are worth and how long they stay. With a CPA of 200, a revenue share of 35%, net revenue of 80 per player per month and 10% of players leaving each month, the revenue share overtakes the CPA in month 12 and is worth 258 over 24 months. With faster churn the CPA wins. Try your own numbers in the CPA vs revenue share calculator.
Terms that change the maths
- Negative carryover: whether a month in which players won is carried into the next month's commission.
- Admin fees: deductions from net revenue before the share is applied.
- Qualifying conditions: minimum deposits or wagering before a CPA is paid, and the operator's right to withhold commission for fraud.
Compliance
Regulators hold operators responsible for what their affiliates publish. In practice that means affiliate content must follow the advertising rules of each market, must not reach excluded or underage people, and must only promote brands licensed where the reader is. Many operators now audit affiliate sites and cut programmes in markets where affiliates cannot guarantee this.
Related: player LTV and payback, payments and our advertising policy.
Suppliers in this field
Affiliate software and publishers
- Income Accessincomeaccess.com
Affiliate marketing software and services.
- MyAffiliatesmyaffiliates.com
Affiliate management software for gaming operators.
- NetRefernetrefer.com
Affiliate management software.
- Cellxpertcellxpert.com
Affiliate and partner management software.
- Better Collectivebettercollective.com
Sports betting media and affiliate group.
- Affilkaaffilka.com
Affiliate management software.
- Raketechraketech.com
Affiliate publisher of casino and sports betting content.
- Catena Mediacatenamedia.com
Affiliate publisher of casino and sports betting content.
- Gentoo Mediagentoomedia.com
Affiliate media and publishing for iGaming.
- XLMediaxlmedia.com
Digital publisher and affiliate.
- Acroudacroud.com
Affiliate media and software.
- Leadstar Medialeadstarmedia.com
Affiliate media publisher.
- Oddscheckeroddschecker.com
Odds comparison publisher.
- Coverscovers.com
Sports betting news and odds publisher.
- Action Networkactionnetwork.com
Sports betting media and tools.
Editorial listings, not endorsements. Full supplier directory
Latest analysis
Updated: