A step-by-step guide for iGaming sites choosing affiliate marketing: everything you need to know

The online gambling market is one of the most successful sectors. It shows annual growth and is projected to reach a revenue of $107,30 bn in 2024. 

Of course, part of its growth is a clever marketing strategy, and affiliate marketing plays a part in it. 

What are online casino affiliate programs?

A casino affiliate program is a way for online gambling and iGaming payment solutions sites to attract and retain players. By rewarding the casino affiliate for bringing in each referred customer, the casino creates a sustainable way to grow that helps others earn money through commission.

Each of the referred players who sign up is linked to the affiliate who directed them to the site using a special affiliate code. Depending on the exact terms of the program, the affiliate will receive rewards based on how much the customers they attract gamble. 

It could be a fixed cost per customer obtained or revenue share commission that continues being paid regularly, giving the affiliate a regular income stream provided that the players keep gambling casino games or using the site’s sports betting services. A payment threshold needs to be reached before money can be withdrawn from gambling affiliate programs.

Benefits of online casino affiliate programs

Online slots, sports betting, and other forms of internet gambling have grown enormously in recent years as more regions have put regulations in place to make this activity legal. This has led to rapid growth in the number of sites fighting to get a share of each market. 

Creating a marketing strategy to reach out to each market efficiently would be a mammoth task for any casino. Therefore, online casino affiliate programs provide a smart way to power this growth through the use of regional affiliates who can tap into each market.  

Increasing revenue by driving traffic

Having a great collection of casino games or lots of sporting betting odds is just the starting point for a gambling operator who wants to increase their revenue. Driving traffic to the site and encouraging new players has to be a huge part of the marketing strategy to boost revenues.

This means that promoting casino affiliate programs is a smart move. The operator can concentrate on improving their site while others do the casino affiliate marketing work. The casino typically provides marketing tools and details for affiliate marketers to use, but it’s the individual affiliates who encourage players to join and bet.

A good level of cost-effectiveness

The best casino affiliate programs generate rewards in terms of revenue share or one-off commission. It makes it a powerful tool for marketers who manage to attract players to the casino sites they promote.

However, the level of interest in gambling also means that it can be extremely cost-effective for the operator and their casino partners. This provides a way for them to grow without undertaking expensive social marketing campaigns or spending a lot to adapt to each market.

The revenue share model works very well in the gambling industry, ensuring rewards for everyone involved. The affiliate partners get a reward that ties in with their efforts and levels of success, while the casino gets a potential level of growth that would otherwise take a huge marketing effort.

To do this, you need to consider how to pay your top affiliates efficiently and support your other affiliates to keep improving. By choosing Genome, you can make sure your casino makes a name for itself among the affiliate programs available by providing fast, reliable international payments.

Why should your online casino consider affiliate programs?

The model used by casino affiliate programs can prove to be the gateway to success for businesses at different stages of the growth process, such as the following examples.

• A new online casino is looking to enter the market and make a rapid impact.
• An established gambling site may consider a casino affiliate approach to expand its reach into new markets.
• A site with high marketing costs may decide that switching to an affiliate program is the best move to increase efficiency.
• A casino that has a high player turnover might look to improve its player retention rates in this way.

There are plenty of good reasons to work with casino affiliate programs, so the next step is crucial as you decide how to create a successful strategy. 

Step 1: Formulate a robust iGaming affiliate marketing strategy

Defining the target audience is the first step you need to make when working with a casino affiliate strategy. As part of this, you’ll also want to establish objectives for your affiliate program. How do you do that?

Your niche selection is vital, as this lets you see how your casino affiliate program is going to be focused. Getting the right partnerships on board is also vital, as this is all about setting up a solid, trustworthy base from which to build.

The online casino market is heavily regulated in an increasing number of countries, so you need to take into account the legal details that everyone operating in each market has to comply with in terms of advertising and other subjects a casino affiliate will enter.

This all leads us to the point where we need to see how the casino affiliate marketing work can match your brand. You need to give the affiliate a chance to bring in new customers with appealing marketing that lets them see what they can expect from the casino.

A fair revenue set-up is the other hugely important issue. Each casino affiliate needs to have a fair chance of earning a good income. The revenue share model works well when the numbers involved work for everyone.   

Step 2: Drive engagement and visibility

The best casino affiliate programs work by driving a high level of engagement. The operator provides the members of their program with promotional materials and offers that they can use. 

However, to work effectively, the affiliate needs to market the information and gain a high level of visibility.

Search engine optimization (SEO) is one of the most effective approaches. This involves setting up a website smartly to attract organic traffic from search engines like Google and Bing. To get this right, the affiliate program member has to correctly identify relevant keywords and optimize their site for these keywords.

Social media platforms, including Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram, offer a different approach. Casino affiliates can use these sites to promote the casino and drive traffic in that way.  

Another interesting option comes from promoting the casino’s content and offers on a blog owned by the affiliate partner. Alternatively, they could team up with an influencer to launch content on that person’s site. 

Email marketing provides another way for casino affiliates to reach their target audience. This is all about building an email list to send newsletters and special offers to clients. 

The option of paid advertising can prove effective for affiliates looking to make revenue share profitable for them. Facebook Ads and Google AdWords are among the platforms where paying for ads can give access to an online community of potential players. 

Step 3: Track and analyze the performance of your casino affiliate program

How will you know if you’ve set up the right casino affiliate programs and are profiting from them? Tracking and analyzing the performance is the next step to make sure this marketing strategy works.

Setting Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) ensures that you have a laser focus on how you want this to work. It is where you decide on your targets and how to achieve them. 

You’ll also want to use analytics tools to measure performances and see who your top casino affiliates are. By getting insights from these data-based tools, you can aim for continuous improvement and help your affiliates to boost their earning potential at the same time. 

Considerations and potential challenges in casino affiliate programs

The highly competitive nature of the gambling industry means that attracting new players can be challenging. New affiliates may find it difficult to get started and generate sufficient income. 

Equally, the casino could struggle to reach its revenue targets due to factors outside its control, such as having affiliates who don’t achieve success. Gambling affiliate programs only succeed if the affiliates use the marketing tools provided to them.    

The role of a payment provider in iGaming affiliate success

This marketing strategy requires a solid payment provider to run smoothly. This is the way to provide seamless transactions and enhance the trust aspect with casino affiliates.

If you plan to use affiliates in different countries and support a variety of currencies, this might seem hugely complicated. Yet, by choosing the payment provider wisely, it becomes incredibly easy to pay affiliates quickly and securely. Holding a multi-currency business account in a platform like Genome, with international and local payment options, gives you a huge amount of freedom.

Key features of an effective payment solution for online casinos

The key features let us see the different ways you can pay casino partners in your affiliate network to reward them for the revenue generated.

Multiple payment options

Not everyone who has an affiliate account is going to want to be paid in the same way. Global affiliate networks also have the added issue that the partners might not be able to access the same casino payment methods, depending on the country where they live.

Quick and reliable payouts

The speed of payouts is one of the areas that elevate the best casino affiliate programs above others. By getting payments out quickly and accurately using Genome’s services for payouts, you increase satisfaction and loyalty in your gambling affiliate programs. 

Fraud prevention measures

Robust fraud prevention mechanisms are needed to protect the integrity of casino brands. Every affiliate marketer and player needs to know that their money is safe and protected at all times. Genome builds trust through the use of robust and transparent security measures. The security offered by Genome multi-currency accounts provides the safety needed to carry out transactions with no fear.

Implementing and integrating the payment solutions

Integrating financial solutions and services doesn’t have to be hard work. Suppose we look at the example of Genome. It starts with getting a dedicated IBAN account and accessing multi-currency accounts in EUR, USD, GBP, PLN, CHF, JPY, or CAD.

Afterward, you can start using all the services you need for the company, from international and batch payments to C2B payments, SEPA Instant Transfers, and corporate cards. Book a demo call with our experts to learn more.  

Key takeaways

This look at how to set up casino affiliate networks reveals the key strategies for getting it right. By choosing the right approach for your target market, you can provide a passive income option that stands out from the other affiliate programs available.

Whether you choose revenue share deals or pay for each customer an affiliate partnership brings you, getting the right basics in place will help you attract the right affiliates for your growth plans. The ultimate goal is to attract more referred players and get them to open accounts.

FAQs

What is an iGaming affiliate?

Casino affiliate networks pay affiliates to bring in each depositing customer who decides to sign up and gamble there. Rather than acting as a direct advertiser, the casino decides to make affiliate programs available with each new player to sign up, creating passive income for the affiliate who brought the customer to the landing page.

Why is the right payment solution crucial for casino affiliate marketing?

This type of program works by each affiliate sending new players to the landing pages of the online casinos they work with. Each new referral to a casino has a unique code that ensures that the right member of the affiliate program gets paid for it. 

How does a good payment solution impact user retention?

Each sign-up that turns into a depositing customer needs to become a loyal player to help player retention rates. By using a good payment solution, gambling affiliate programs ensure a smooth payment process that keeps the program running smoothly.