It is par for the course for iGaming operators to have an affiliate program, considering this channel is a powerhouse for user acquisition. However, noticeably far fewer have an affiliate marketing strategy in place to give effect to this program, improve its outcomes or refine its inner workings.
There is a meaningful difference, you see.
An affiliate program is a list of partners and a commission structure — nothing more. A strategy, on the other hand, is knowing how these variables can help the business succeed:
- which partners actually drive revenue,
- how much each one costs relative to what they produce and where to direct time, and,
- budget to grow profitably.
Without that clarity, operators and brands will be limited to managing by assumption, not by data. Making assumptions when it comes to spending money on promotions is a recipe for disaster.
This whitepaper helps brands and operations in the business with the data.
What Affiliate Performance Data Actually Shows
Affnook analysed real affiliate performance across multiple live operator programs to understand what a results-driven affiliate marketing strategy should be built around. To provide a clearer picture, we narrowed down the study to a single operator, where the starkest contrast was evident.
Here are some truths exposed by this intensive analysis:
- The top 20% of affiliates generated 90% of total net gaming revenue, which can be a real shocker to programs treating all publishers as a single entity.
- In the program we isolated, one affiliate alone accounted for nearly 25% of all program NGR. So, within the broader 20% of top performing affiliates, there was a singular high performer, driving incredible contributions.
- 7 affiliates were paid more than they generated — a collective overpayment of $6,394. Various factors set up this situation, which remained undiagnosed within this operation for an entire year.
- The mid-tier section of affiliates, which tends to be the most overlooked segment in most programs, returned a 4.6× NGR-to-payout ratio.
There are often gaps within bigger programs that need to be checked from time to time. Otherwise, this is what affiliate performance looks like when it has never been properly segmented or prioritized.
Contrary to the notion most growing affiliate setups have, affiliate marketing truly excels when iGaming marketers go beyond planning and setting up campaigns, to capture insights at the structural level.
| Model | Participants | Contribution | Reward Model |
| Partner Marketing | Businesses, publishers, creators, agencies, customers, and consultants | Supports one or more stages of growth and the customer journey | Commission, fee, margin, shared resources, or commercial agreement |
| Affiliate Marketing | Publishers, creators, comparison sites, and media partners | Generates trackable actions | Commission per sale, lead, install, or other action |
| Influencer Marketing | Creators and industry voices | Builds attention, trust, and product interest | Fixed fee, product exchange, commission, or hybrid payment |
| Referral Marketing | Customers, employees, users, and business contacts | Makes trusted introductions | Credit, discount, cash, points, or account benefit |
| Channel Marketing | Resellers, distributors, agencies, and system integrators | Sells, delivers, implements, or supports the product | Margin, revenue share, service fee, or sales incentive |
| Co-Marketing | Complementary businesses and strategic partners | Creates and distributes shared campaigns | Shared budget, content, audience access, or resources |
What the 80/20 Affiliate Marketing Strategy Means in Practic
Based on our study, we were able to define a ‘better approach’, one that we choose to call the “80/20 Affiliate Marketing Strategy”.
This strategy comes from understanding what affiliate marketing strategy at an operator-level and brand-level means more than setting commission rates and onboarding partners.
It means building a tiered structure that rewards your top 20% differently, protects against overpayment and gives you a clear view of player lifetime value by affiliate source. It means segmenting publishers and dividing campaigns across geography, partner and tier-based on pre-determined goals.
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The whitepaper covers:
- How to identify your highest-value tier using NGR and affiliate payout efficiency data
- Why flat commission models actively work against your best-performing partners
- How fraud exposure and negative NGR quietly erode program profitability
- The tools that make a performance-based affiliate marketing strategy scalable
Download the affiliate marketing strategy PDF
Whether you are auditing an existing program, or building one with scale in mind, this report gives you a framework grounded in real operator data. Download the affiliate marketing strategy PDF below and see exactly where your program’s value is concentrated.
