What is Affiliate?
An affiliate is a website or marketer that refers players to gambling operators in return for commission, typically through revenue share, a fixed fee per depositing player, or both.
Affiliates run comparison sites, review portals, tipster channels and social media accounts. When a referred player signs up and deposits, the affiliate earns either a cost per acquisition (CPA), a one-off fee, or a percentage of the revenue the player generates over time.
Affiliates are a major acquisition channel in online gambling. Regulators hold operators responsible for their affiliates' marketing, and the UK, the Netherlands and other markets have fined operators over affiliate advertising that breached rules, for example on targeting young people.
Many affiliate businesses are publicly listed or owned by media groups. Independent news sites that do not take affiliate commission are a distinct category. Regulators also require affiliates to follow advertising standards on content, such as rules on appealing to children.
