Being a casino affiliate involves sending players to online casinos and earning a commission for every player that goes there (and completes a specific action). In other words, as a publisher, you get paid by casino affiliate programs to promote deals. With a good approach, this can be a very profitable vertical.
To understand how (and how much) you can earn as a casino affiliate, you should analyze the commission structure for casino affiliates. Remember that there are several commission structures out there. To get the most from your affiliate venture, choose the one that matches your specific marketing approach.
As we said before, a variety of commission structures are available to casino affiliates around the world. They include CPA, CPL, Net Revenue Share Commission, Hybrid Affiliate Deal, and Lifetime Deals.
Cost per Acquisition, or simply CPA, is a type of commission structure for casino affiliates that promises a flat fee for referring a player who will deposit funds to their casino account. So, this is a one-time deal that delivers a specific amount of money. The amount of money depends on the affiliate program, but it’s usually between $100 to $300 for every depositing player.
One of the best things about the CPA structure is that affiliates get paid upfront – you don’t have to worry about how many times the player has placed deposits or even the size of the deposit (of course, there’s a minimum deposit in every casino). Also, there’s no risk of losing money even if the affiliate program ends abruptly because you get paid instantly. This is the ideal option for those who want to get cash quickly.
The Cost per Lead or CPL commission structure for affiliates works similarly to CPA, but there’s a big difference. Namely, unlike CPA, where players must deposit money (and sometimes wager money), the CPL structure helps affiliates earn money for every registered player they send. In other words, the redirected visitors from the affiliate site don’t have to deposit money – they just have to register to the site.
In theory, you will get paid even when players choose not to deposit money. However, most affiliate programs protect themselves by requiring a certain percentage of visitors to become depositing players. For instance, you’ll get paid for every 10 registered players as an affiliate, but only if at least 2 of them have placed deposits. Obviously, it’s easier to fulfill this requirement (compared to CPA), but that’s why you get paid less. Once again, we’re talking about a predetermined flat fee. We should also note that the CPL model is not that common.
RevShare or Net Revenue Share commission is one of casino affiliates’ most popular commission structures. Whenever a player signs up at a casino with the help of your exclusive RevShare link, you will get a cut of the amount of money this player provides for the casino/casino affiliate program. The percentage is not fixed and depends on the program, but it usually starts with 15% and ends with 40%. Also, many programs promise tiered RevShare commission structures where the percentage increases as you bring more users. For instance, you get 15% for 10 registered players, but this percentage goes up to 25% for 30 or more registered players. Of course, there’s also a timeframe for these sign-ups and deposits.
The Revenue Share structure is perfect for those interested in long-term passive income. Also, it can grow exponentially because players can start placing higher deposits and/or play more frequently. One possible downside of the RevShare structure is the absence of a control mechanism. Affiliates usually don’t have access to detailed players’ activities at online casinos, so there’s room for manipulation by dishonest casino affiliate programs. Of course, by sticking to proven, well-established programs, you shouldn’t experience such problems.
When in doubt – choose hybrid! For many marketers, a hybrid affiliate deal is an ideal solution. As the name suggests, it includes elements of Revenue Share and CPA models. Every affiliate gets an opportunity to make money from referring new players and get paid for future deposits made by the same player. Of course, this one has pros and cons, like in the case of all other commission structures for affiliates. The disadvantage is that the flat fee and the percentages for revenue share are typically lower compared to the non-hybrid deals. On the other hand, by using this commission structure for affiliates in the best way, you will benefit instantly and in the long run.
The lifetime deals offered by some casino affiliate programs are actually subcategories of two types of commission structures we already mentioned above. Of course, we’re talking about the net revenue share and hybrid structures.
So, not all of these deals promise lifetime earnings for their affiliates. Some will require a minimum annual deposit from the referred player or monthly activity on the site. Others will promise payouts for up to one year or up to five years. However, there are programs promising lifetime deals without any limits and requirements. Regardless of the solution you’ve found, you shouldn’t forget that this is a long-term approach that doesn’t promise big payouts right away.
When evaluating a commission structure for affiliates, more than one thing must be considered. We have made a list of the most critical factors you must consider for this purpose.
As we said, the primary goal of every casino affiliate is to earn a commission for sending new players to casino sites. As we said before, this commission depends on the commission structure the program has. Also, programs have differences even though they use the same system.
Generally speaking, CPA can help players get from $20 to $500 for newly-depositing players. The payout usually depends on the number of new players you redirected to the site in the previous month.
As for the net revenue share structure, you can expect from 5% to 80% from the revenue generated by that player. It, too, can be progressive, and the hybrid model is even more versatile. For example, some programs offer $30 CPA and 10% RevShare for six months.
Negative carryover is a policy adopted by some affiliate programs. It means that the negative balance in your affiliate account is transferred to the next month until you reach zero. Affiliates can end the month in the negative when the casino players they brought to the casino have big wins (earn more than they lose). When there’s no negative carryover, you begin from zero each month.
The cookie lifetime begins when the player you redirected to the casino joins the site. This is a tracking code. The cookie lifespan policy depends on the affiliate program. Still, in our opinion, it’s better to stick to options that promise a longer cookie lifespan (30 days or more).
Once again, the payment structure is closely related to the casino program’s policy. When considering joining a program like this, you should look at these things. In our opinion, it’s best to get paid once a month on a specific day, especially for hybrid, lifetime, and revenue share deals. In addition, you check the available payment methods (wire transfer, crypto, checks, etc.) and the minimum commission cost.
If we discuss reliability in commission structure, we would say that CPA and CPL are probably the best options for all affiliates because you get paid for every player you bring. There’s no need to wait for them to place multiple deposits and wager money. Also, you won’t have to worry about the cookies and possible manipulations.
Many online casino affiliates (like online sports betting and online poker affiliates) have inactivity clauses. In other words, they reserve the right to terminate affiliates’ accounts or freeze the commission if you don’t bring new real money players for a certain period (3 months, 6 months, etc.). These clauses are essential when using hybrid, lifetime, and net revenue share commission structures for casino affiliates.
Now that you are familiar with the commission structure for casino affiliates, it’s time to learn how to start collecting the commissions.
To start with, you must pick a casino affiliate program. We should mention that there are literally hundreds of these programs out there. Analyzing each and every option will take time. The good news is that there are websites like ours that can help you find the best option for you in no time.
You should analyze the terms when you think you have found a good program. In other words, you should check the commission structure, read about the payments, and check the specific terms and conditions. Every reputable option has a page dedicated to the T&Cs.
Once you analyze the terms (and think they are fair), it’s time to register a casino affiliate account. This process is straightforward and usually requires sharing basic information like your name, address, country, and website. Some networks may ask you to choose a preferred payment method and share other info related to this activity.
You must create a plan to get the most from any casino affiliate program. Since this activity is already practiced by thousands of people and companies, you shouldn’t have trouble finding helpful information on the internet. Use the tips and advice shared online, or from successful affiliates you know personally to create a plan. After that, you just have to follow it.
If everything goes according to your strategy, you should start earning commissions soon. Make sure to check your earnings from time to time and withdraw them whenever you have a chance for something like that (typically you’ll receive monthly payments).
If you have unanswered questions, there’s a great chance that you will find answers here.
In most cases, the commissions are sent automatically at a specific period of the month. However, you should check the particular policy of the program you joined for further information.
We already mentioned that casino affiliate commissions are usually paid once a month. Still, every online casino affiliate program is free to set a different policy.
Assuming that you have already joined a casino affiliate program, we will recommend a few ways to start earning commission with these programs. Many experienced affiliates use PPC (pay-per-click) campaigns on search engines to attract visitors. Of course, you can also use SEO, email marketing, and social media marketing. Everything that will attract users who are genuinely interested in joining an online casino to your website is helpful.
CPA means Cost Per Action. In this commission structure for casino affiliates, you get paid only when a player joins a casino and deposits money on their account. On the other hand, CPL stands for Cost Per Lead. Thanks to CPL, you get paid simply for providing players willing to register on the website (they don’t have to deposit money).
As a result, you can expect a higher commission with CPA than with CPL.
The more options you have for withdrawing your earnings from a casino affiliate program, the better. The best options will provide several popular payment methods to meet all affiliates’ needs. Of course, we are talking about methods like PayPal, Skrill, Neteller, bank transfer, and vouchers. In addition, more and more affiliates get paid in cryptocurrencies.
When discussing the payment methods, we should also mention the processing times, which are different for each solution. Generally, you can expect the fastest payouts when using e-wallets or crypto. Don’t forget to check whether fees are involved in the process.