As an individual or a business owner, affiliate marketing is one way to make passive income. It is a partnership-based program where affiliates direct prospects to a business in exchange for a commission when the prospects make a purchase.
Affiliate marketing comes in handy in a wide range of industries, particularly the online gambling industry. As an operator or user, you can harness the potential of affiliate marketing with the right strategies. So, join us in this article as our experts reveal the best strategies you can apply to build a successful affiliate campaign.
What is affiliate marketing in iGaming?
Within the iGaming industry, affiliate marketing has become increasingly popular. As a competitive market where every iGaming operator wants to increase brand awareness, affiliate marketing is one way they go about it and increase revenue in the process. In the iGaming space, affiliate marketing is when affiliates promote an online sports or casino brand to new users and get a commission for sign-ups.
How are affiliate conversions accounted for in the iGaming niche?
In the online gaming industry, most iGaming affiliate programs adopt similar commission account practices outside the industry. In order to ensure transparency, most operators employ the service of an affiliate network or use iGaming affiliate management software tools like Affnook, Clickbank, and ShareASale to handle affiliate conversion accounting. When you join any affiliate program, the goal is to drive traffic, often through unique tracking links that you share with prospects. Some of the common ways to account for affiliate conversions include:
- Pay per click (PPC)
- Pay per impression (PPI)
- Cost per acquisition (CPA)
- Revenue share
- Tiered commission
How does affiliate marketing help iGaming companies?
Affiliate marketing can help an iGaming business reach broader audiences. A sports betting and online casino affiliate uses word-of-mouth referral to help operators generate high traffic quality. In an interview with Andy Cloyd, CEO of Superfiliate said, “With the rise of the creator economy and proliferation of short-form video, the way people discover products and shop has been transformed significantly.”
Additionally, when iGaming platforms combine alluring bonuses and massive game libraries with having an affiliate partner, their acquisition and retention of users will increase significantly, and so will their financial transactions. Generally, affiliate marketing helps iGaming companies grow their user base and increase revenue generated.
Best Partner Marketing Strategies for iGaming in 2025
In an interview with Cristy Garcia, chief marketing officer at impact.com, she said “One of the best things about affiliate marketing is that it’s performance-based, so you’re not wasting money on ads that might not work.”
In the world of iGaming affiliate marketing, if you’re not seeing positive results from your strategy, perhaps it’s time to re-strategize. Below are some of the best affiliate marketing strategies to consider using.
- Choosing The Right iGaming Affiliate Model
Affiliate models vary amongst different operators, so it’s important you review the terms and conditions of the program before joining. For example, a platform offering a revenue-share affiliate model will share a percentage of revenue generated from referred players with you. Whereas a platform offering CPA will pay marketers upfront for promotion. Platforms with the best casino recommendations often provide clear and competitive affiliate terms, making it essential to choose wisely.
- Expertise Level
Also, level of expertise is another factor many affiliate marketers don’t know can affect how much revenue they generate. If you want to be a successful affiliate, then you need to be proficient with marketing campaigns like creating content, content marketing, SEO, and email marketing. Also, tools like Google Analytics will come in handy in tracking the efficiency of your strategy to promote iGaming brands.
- Commitment
Another factor that can affect how much you make when you promote iGaming brands is your commitment. You must be willing to commit to it on the long haul because the beauty of an affiliate is that the rewards are incremental. When you share an affiliate link, it can continue to perform and earn commission over time as search engines index your content and your links are shared.
- Active Leads
Sending a referral link to a new user to join a platform isn’t all that affiliate marketing entails. It’s important to engage with your referees to remain active on the platforms. Most affiliate program rewards only reward you when your referee makes a deposit and uses the platform.
- Planning Your Affiliate Marketing Strategy In iGaming
Also, it’s crucial to plan out an effective affiliate management strategy. Preferably, draw out a blueprint of what your strategy is on paper to help you see areas you might need improvements. Affiliates with no plans as to how they will drive traffic often end up underperforming.
- Determine Your Target Market
If you want to achieve the most conversions from your affiliate marketing strategy, then you need to find the right target market for you. There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all strategy, and you cannot target everyone. Identifying who your target audience is will help you design a more compelling campaign.
- Competitors Analysis
Finally, don’t be nonchalant about what your competitors are doing in the market. Remember you are not the only affiliate benefiting from the program; as such, take time to analyze your competitors’ campaigns. Doing this will help you know areas of strength and weakness in your campaign for improvement.
The future of affiliate programs
Affiliate programs are a multi-billion dollar market, projected to reach over $12 billion by 2025. As such, the iGaming sector has been investing to take affiliate programs to the next level. Emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are already redefining this market.
Previously, affiliates needed to spend countless hours trying to understand prospects’ behavioral patterns. But with these technologies, affiliates can analyze large data in less time, making it possible to offer more personalized and effective marketing campaigns.
