Affiliate
An affiliate is an independent marketer or website that sends new players to a gambling operator and gets paid a commission for the traffic it refers.
Definition
In iGaming, an affiliate is a third-party publisher — a review site, comparison portal, streamer, social account, or media network — that promotes licensed casino or sportsbook operators and is compensated for the players it delivers. Referrals are tracked through unique links or codes so the operator can attribute each registration and deposit back to the affiliate that generated it. Compensation typically follows one of three models: revenue share (a percentage of the net revenue a referred player generates), CPA (a fixed one-off fee per qualifying new depositor), or a hybrid of both. Affiliates operate at arm's length from the operator but are increasingly treated as regulated marketing partners, meaning their advertising must comply with the operator's licence conditions, advertising standards, and responsible-gambling rules in each targeted jurisdiction.
Worked example
An operator signs an affiliate on a 30% revenue-share deal. Over a month, players referred by that affiliate stake a combined 100,000 EUR on slots with a 96% RTP (a 4% house edge). Winnings paid back to those players total roughly 96,000 EUR, so the operator's Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR) from this cohort is about 4,000 EUR (stakes minus winnings). After deducting bonuses, payment fees, and gaming taxes — say 1,000 EUR — the Net Gaming Revenue (NGR) is about 3,000 EUR. The affiliate's 30% commission is therefore around 900 EUR for that month. Under a CPA model instead, the same affiliate might earn a flat 100 EUR for each of, say, 20 first-time depositors (2,000 EUR total), regardless of how those players later performed. Note that many revenue-share contracts carry over negative months, so a big player win can reduce or delay the affiliate's payout.
Why it matters
Affiliates are a primary customer-acquisition channel for online gambling, so understanding the model explains how a large share of the industry's marketing actually works and why operator margins are shared downstream. For professionals, the commission structure (revenue share vs. CPA vs. hybrid, and whether negative balances carry over) directly shapes acquisition cost and lifetime-value economics. For learners and players, it clarifies why so much "independent" gambling content — reviews, rankings, bonus guides — is commercially incentivised, and why regulators increasingly hold operators accountable for how their affiliates advertise, including responsible-gambling and fair-marketing obligations.
Related
Note: Commission percentages and CPA amounts are illustrative and vary widely by operator, market, and negotiation. The definition of NGR (which deductions apply) differs between operators and contracts, and affiliate marketing is regulated differently across jurisdictions — some require affiliates to be licensed or registered, and several markets restrict or ban CPA-style deals and certain advertising practices. Verify specific terms against the operator agreement and local regulations.