Complete Guide to 2023’s Best Gambling Affiliate Programs

Due to the high interest in online gambling, – it’s basically our national pastime at this point – online gambling affiliate programs provide a valuable service for those looking to get into the game. Often referred to as gambling affiliate sites, these are networks designed to offer a partnership between online betting sites and casino operators (the people/companies who own online casinos and sportsbooks). 

Through these partnerships, anyone with a sportsbook or online poker and casino site can reap huge financial benefits (we’re talking payments that translate to mega earnings over a moderate period of time) while providing a much-needed service for bettors who are looking to play their favorite games online and/or bet on sports. No matter how niche the game or how specific the sport is (People wager on darts! It’s a thing!), a proper gambling affiliate can make the difference between an online casino site being good or being great.

A gambling affiliate bridges the gap between players and online casinos. The business model behind online gambling affiliates is designed to remove some of the heavy lifting from customer retention and attract new visitors to your site. For instance, every time a player clicks a gambling affiliate link on your website, you are rewarded with an agreed-upon sum. Think of it as a commission. You’re providing a safe place for people to bet on sports, and play online poker and casino games from their own devices, and in return, you get paid. 

In each gambling-affiliated transaction, there are three parties involved:

• The customer – aka any player who finds your site. Customers can discover your site through traditional advertising, organic search, word-of-mouth, influencer marketing, etc.
• The gambling affiliate – aka your site. By creating a website that caters to bettors, you have the opportunity to reap the benefits of the commissions offered when customers click on links designed to send them to the casino website. 
• The service provider – aka the merchant. This is where gambling affiliate marketing comes into play. The goal of the service provider is to entice players to keep coming back. You won’t be involved in this aspect as your goal is to funnel customers to the merchant’s site. Once they arrive, it’s up to the merchant to keep them there. However, it’s in your best interest that the merchant retains the customer so you continue to earn revenue.

How do Online Gambling Site Affiliate Programs Work?

Because gambling affiliate networks act as intermediaries between your casino site and players, you’ll be given a link to place on your website. This link will bring players to the gambling affiliate site and off your page. Once the player signs up at the affiliate site and completes the required transaction, you are guaranteed payment.

The required transactions for most online gambling affiliates range from:

• Simply signing up for the betting site (this is one of the rarest required transactions since the goal is to encourage the player who has signed up to keep playing) 
• Registering for the site and playing a game (the player does not necessarily have to win the game depending on the agreement with the operator) 
• Depositing a certain amount in their account to play with (this amount could be anything from $50 to thousands of dollars)
• Using a certain deposit method (there are often exclusive discounts for players who choose to fund their accounts with cryptocurrency, specifically Bitcoin)
• Hitting various milestones (this can be like winning a certain amount or using a bonus within a stated timeframe) 

Since you’re not looking over a player’s shoulder when they’re visiting your site, and won’t be able to determine how long they’ve spent on the gambling operator’s site, cookies are used. Cookies are tiny pieces of text that your browser collects every time you visit a website. Unfortunately, you cannot eat these types of cookies but they do help you and the operator sites remember info about a player’s visit. Moreover, cookies track the flow of potential customers who are referred from gambling affiliate networks. Cookies do not have an unlimited lifespan and generally track anywhere from 24 hours to 60 days. The most common cookie length is 30 days. Think about it. If you had a pack of Oreos, they don’t last forever and you have to eat them within a certain period before they go stale. Nobody wants stale cookies. Gross. 

The more players are directed to an online casino by gambling affiliate programs the more you’ll earn. The earnings themselves will depend on which tier you fall into:

• Beginner – $0 to $1000/per month
• Intermediate $1000 to $10,000/per month
• Advanced – $10k to $100k/per month
• Super Affiliate – $100k+/per month

Super affiliates are the MVPs in the gambling affiliate world because they are ranking for high-volume keywords. While the majority of successful affiliate partnerships fall into the intermediate tier, with a little SEO knowledge and research on which keywords potential players are searching for, you can become a super affiliate and reap the benefits of major earnings.

When a customer enters a site by clicking on an affiliate link, each click is tracked along with all leads and/or sales that they’ve produced. By tracking links built into gambling affiliate sites, you’ll earn a commission. Keep in mind that the online casino you’re sending players to needs to also make money. With a fair commission structure, both the online casinos and the gambling affiliate sites won’t suffer losses to their bottom line. That’s what it’s all about, isn’t it? The bottom line is what makes a website fruitful. 

Speaking of fruit, or not really, there are four different models online casinos use to pay out their affiliates:

• Revenue share – This allows the affiliate to collect a previously agreed percentage of the lifetime revenue of every player the affiliate generates. Through rev share, the best gambling affiliate programs earn a constant revenue stream for as long as the player makes a profit for the online casino operator. While this model assumes that any player introduced to the casino will generate profits, this isn’t always a guarantee since some people sign up for a casino, play a few games then move on to the next operator if they’re not winning. Don’t get scared by the potential of a customer clicking on the affiliate link and then running off. The customer cycle in the online gambling space can take a few tries, which is why cookies are so important to the process. Yum yum! Wait, don’t eat those cookies. 
• Cost per acquisition – Not a chartered professional accountant, but shoutout to those folks who make tax time so much fun, CPA is an online gambling affiliate marketing metric that measures the total cost of one customer completing a specific action like making a deposit. Through the CPA model, the affiliate is provided with a fixed return. Instead of waiting for the player to generate revenue for the casino, a gambling affiliate can earn revenue instantly. However, players must make their initial deposit within a certain timeframe otherwise the commission won’t be earned. For those who don’t like to gamble – get it? – with their affiliate partnership, this could be a lucrative model since you only have to worry about the deposit being made and not how often the customer plays or bets.
• Hybrid deal – This is a combination of the aforementioned revenue share and CPA plans. The hybrid model’s components pay out a lower rate when compared to the standalone CPA or rev share stats. However, the gambling affiliate is entitled to the benefits of both plans (albeit in a reduced capacity) such as the initial deposit and the revenue generated from the player, giving a better chance of creating a continuous earnings stream. Hybrid deals are perfect for those just starting out and looking to learn more about gambling affiliates and how to create a partnership. 
• Lifetime deals – This commission format is activated the moment a customer clicks on a CTA button (call-to-action) to follow the referral link and makes a deposit. Once done, their account is synced to the affiliate. Instead of requiring the player to go through the gambling affiliate more than once, even when they go directly to the online casino, you’ll receive a payout as long as the player continues to play. Any money deposited at the online casino will net the affiliate a commission over the player’s lifetime. Their gambling lifetime, not their actual lifetime. That would be weird.

Depending on the goal of your website, you would choose a gambling site affiliate program based on how much money you would like to earn and the type of players you’re looking to attract. 

The Best Online Casino Affiliate Sites

Any casino affiliate site worth its weight in gold or more aptly, deposit funds, must provide users with more than just a place to play games. These sites need to feature gambling guides for less experienced players (how-tos, tips, rules, etc.), lucrative online casino bonuses (cash-back deals, free spins, etc.), and be a one-stop-shop for anyone looking for a place to play any online casino games (blackjack, Keno, slots, Baccarat, Pai Gow, Roulette, Bingo, etc.). 

Examples:

• Gamble Online
• Betsson Group
• Ace Revenue
• BestUsCasinos

The Best Online Poker Affiliate Sites

Online poker affiliates should follow the same model as their casino counterparts. When looking for a gambling affiliate that specializes in the poker niche, be on the hunt for one that has everything a veteran and a rookie player needs to get started. This includes a variety of poker styles and games (Texas Hold’em. Omaha, etc.), guides that explain the rules, hand values, and important poker terms, and offer incentives for folks to keep playing (bonuses, big payouts, etc.). 

Examples:

• LegalUSPokerSites
• US Poker Sites
• Bovada

The Best Online Sportsbook Affiliate Sites

Sportsbook gambling affiliate sites allow you to send users to sports betting websites where they can wager on game outcomes, parlays, and individual athlete milestones. Again, we recommend choosing a sportsbook that provides bettors with extras like guides on how to bet, a variety of sports that go beyond the traditional North American fare (all types of football/soccer, cricket, etc.), event betting (Super Bowl, awards shows, presidential elections, reality TV, etc.) and give players huge bonuses and incentives to keep wagering. Moreover, the sportsbook gambling affiliate you choose to partner with should have a section devoted to online casino games.

Examples:

• Bet365 Partners
• The Sports Geek
• OddsShark

The Best Sports Betting Affiliate Sites

A sports betting site is almost the same as a sportsbook except the focus is solely on sports. Unlike a sportsbook that offers a casino section, a traditional sports betting site will only offer betting on games, athletes, and sports-related events. Like with other gambling affiliate sites, look for guides, bonuses, and other incentives to keep players coming back for more excitement. 

Examples:

• Bodog 
• FanDuel
• Betfair

The Best iGaming Affiliate Sites

iGaming is any type of online betting where players can wager on the future outcome of a game or event (like sports betting). Under the iGaming umbrella, you’ll also find eSports, which is more than just betting on video games, it’s a movement that generates major revenue for not just the players but any gambling affiliate they partner with. As with the affiliate types above, it’s imperative that you look for gambling affiliate programs that offer guides and other impetus for users to keep wagering. 

Examples:

• Gambling Affiliation
• Twitch

The most advantageous gambling affiliate deals should benefit both your site and the operator. It should be seen as a win-win when partnering with a casino and poker site or sportsbook but make sure you do your due diligence before signing any contracts. Or, you can let us do it for you since that’s what we do best. This is why we’re called Betting Partners and not Betting Enemies.

Online Gambling Affiliate FAQ