Affiliate Industry

Exclusive interview with Joonas Karhu (Bojoko.us)

Published

4 years ago

June 2, 2022

Bojoko is an award-winning online casino affiliate that has dominated the UK market since its launch in 2017. But now it is making a play in the fast-growing US market via Bojoko.us. We sat down with Joonas Karhu from Bojoko to learn more about what the company has planned for the US where it has recently launched in West Virginia and Michigan, and whether the market has lived up to its potential so far.

You have been live in the US market for many months now. Has it lived up to expectations or has it proved to be more challenging than expected?

From an affiliate’s perspective, the intent that players have is quite universal and that is to find a gambling site that has a solid offering from bonuses to payment methods, is reliable and preferably is peer-reviewed. Of course, it needs to be marketed by the affiliate in a way that players want to engage with the brand and what it has to offer. This is the same in the US as it is in other regulated markets around the world.

In terms of being more or less challenging than anticipated, prior to making our entry into the US we expected the process of applying for affiliate licenses to be paperwork heavy and laborious. But we have been pleased to discover that this has not been the case with regulators in each of the markets we are currently live in – New Jersey, West Virginia and Michigan – very welcoming and committed to making the process as smooth and seamless as possible.

What have been the main challenges faced and how have you overcome them?

It is better to consider the US as 50 countries instead of one. There are tremendous differences between states in terms of legislation and compliance, as well as what each operator offers to players in terms of brands, bonuses, payment options, etc. The Bojoko platform was not initially built for such a complex setup, so we have had to rethink and rebuilt the site’s infrastructure almost from scratch. This was ultimately an excellent exercise for us because we hadn’t undertaken such a thorough audit since we launched in 2017. I also believe it puts us in the driving seat to succeed in Canada which will undoubtedly take a similar province-by-province approach as the US.

You recently launched in West Virginia and Michigan – what are your plans for these states?

When we launch into any new market, we spend the first few months gathering data to better understand what the local quirks and player preferences might be in terms of what they look for in the online casino brands they want to play at. We also want to make sure that we are providing the information that players in that state/market are seeking while also allowing them to browse and choose the brands that best match their preferences. From this, we can then improve our offering in each state and this is exactly what we are now doing in West Virginia and Michigan. Ideally, we would scale Bojoko with the same technical template across the US and beyond, but we know we must be flexible and localise for each market if we are to succeed.

How do you think these states will stack up against the likes of New Jersey and Pennsylvania?

I will give you a direct answer to what is a direct question. I have no idea. It is still very early days for all US markets so we will just keep having to collect and analyse data and see how it all plays out in the long term. That being said, we believe that all regulated online casino states have tremendous potential and that is why our plan is to apply for and secure licences in each.

Are you localizing Bojoko to each state? If so, what does that entail?

I began my career working in the Finnish market, first working with the Finnish monopoly operator Veikkaus and then moving abroad and working with big international companies active in the Finnish market. One of the most important factors in the market that separated growth companies from laggards was localisation. How well a brand could localise, in as micro-level as possible, made all the difference and I think it will absolutely be the same in the US. That is why at Bojoko we will continuously analyse states on an individual basis and work tirelessly to localise to the most micro level that we can.

How are you using your experience in the UK and other markets to guide your approach in the US?

The combination of explicit and tacit knowledge that our 15-person team has learned over the years will help guide us towards success in the US. The many trends and changes the team has seen in player preferences, as well as in terms of regulation and compliance, give us the experience and understanding needed to take on the US market and come out on top. We have always believed in regulation, licensing and compliance, and know exactly how to work within the rules while still providing a valuable product and service to players. I believe this is what sets us aside from other affiliate organisations.

Do you still believe the US will be one of the largest – if not the largest – legal online gambling markets in the world?

For me, there is no doubt about it. Sports betting has been the biggest focus for companies so far in the US, but I think over the years this will shift towards casino which is historically a more stable and profitable vertical for operators. The US market is only just getting started and I for one cannot wait to see how it is going to unfold. Of course, Bojoko will play a key role in helping players find the best brands for them.

Affiliate Industry

Alberta’s Next Step into a Regulated Commercial Gambling Market: What it Means for Operators and Affiliates

Published

7 days ago

April 14, 2026

GamingAmericas.com

alberta’s-next-step-into-a-regulated-commercial-gambling-market:-what-it-means-for-operators-and-affiliates

Alberta is set to become Canada’s second commercial online gambling market, following in the footsteps of Ontario, which went live in 2022. With a summer launch expected, Alberta will soon shift from a single-operator market (PlayAlberta) to a competitive market in North America.

The change comes in the form of Bill 48, otherwise known as the iGaming Alberta Act. The measure was introduced in March 2025 to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta by Minister of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction, Dale Nally. The bill later received royal assent in May.

As seen with the emergence of new markets in the US, Alberta will be no different for operators and affiliates, offering more than just new gaming opportunities, but also the progression of a digital marketing ecosystem.

Understanding the Regulatory Shift

Alberta represents a big shift from one operator to many. With an evolving market comes more opportunities for operators, but also concerns regarding addiction and the cannibalization of retail venues.

Alberta’s new framework introduces a system that protects players, especially in the offshore gambling market, and also outlines ways in which iCasinos and land-based casinos can operate in relative harmony.

Looking more closely at Bill 48, it’s clear that the measure takes on similarities to Ontario’s established market but tweaks and expands on it to focus more on Alberta and how operators can thrive in the province, separate from Ontario.

To start with, the measure would create a new regulatory framework under the watchful eye of the Alberta iGaming Corporation, while the province’s current regulator, the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission (AGLC), would continue issuing licenses to prospective operators.

The Alberta Government also released its Standards & Requirements for Internet Gaming in January, an 85-page document that laid out the new regulatory framework. As part of this framework, it detailed mandatory licensing fees for operators and an 80/20 revenue split, with operators keeping 80% of the revenue they generate.

Why Alberta Matters Strategically

Alberta represents an ever-evolving and expanding iGaming-regulated market in North America. Focusing on Canada, it also provides insurance for other provinces to follow suit and expand their own markets to include commercial operators.

Alberta is home to five million residents, and according to a report from Canadian law firm BLG, it has one of the highest per-capita gambling spend in the country. While that is sure to entice operators to join the newly regulated market, reports also suggest the market is poised to generate $400 million in annual revenue.

Another reason Alberta has legalized commercial iGaming is to combat offshore operators. According to Nally, the province’s offshore market was estimated to have taken up 70% of Alberta’s online gambling market.

Another report commissioned by Ontario gambling regulator, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), revealed that prior to the province’s regulated market, the offshore market was also expected to account for 70% of all iGaming. A year after the regulation, AGCO found that 86% of respondents preferred using regulated sites.

The growth of iGaming in Ontario can serve as a model for how Alberta will progress over the coming years.

Marketing and Affiliate Opportunities

Media Troopers is set to play a crucial role in Alberta’s new regulatory framework, especially in player acquisition. With Media Troopers’ assistance, operators can trust they are in reliable hands.

As a leading digital marketing and customer acquisition group, its presence in Alberta’s market can provide operators with up-to-date tools to capture players, including localized marketing channels, access to affiliate partnerships, and acquisition strategies structured around Alberta’s regulatory environment.

Media Troopers is dedicated to providing operators with the resources to grow in new regulated markets, with affiliates positioned as the key to building brand recognition in those markets.

Alberta’s Regulatory Standards

As Alberta shifts from a closed to an open market, it brings new regulations. Operators need to adhere to the province’s licensing, auditing, and advertising standards.

The Alberta government has also reiterated its commitment to responsible gaming, introducing a range of measures to protect players.

As part of these protections, the government partnered with Responsible Gambling Canada, and, through them, operators must achieve and maintain the organization’s RG Check accreditation to ensure platforms are up to date with responsible gambling measures, including gambling help and responsible messaging, among other things.

Those operators who take the new regulations in stride are sure to have the most success in the region.

Alberta’s Position as a Catalyst for iGaming in Canada

Alberta’s transition into a regulated commercial market is sure to be the cornerstone of iGaming in Canada. Following Ontario’s lead and curating its own gaming ecosystem, only time will tell whether other provinces follow suit.

That said, securing Alberta early should be important to operators, as it is already showing signs of becoming a major market in North America.

By: Shmulik Segal Founder and CEO of Media Troopers

The post Alberta’s Next Step into a Regulated Commercial Gambling Market: What it Means for Operators and Affiliates appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.

Affiliate Industry

Catena Media Launches MRKTPLAYS+ to Expand Strategic Partnerships in North American iGaming

Published

3 months ago

January 20, 2026

GamingAmericas.com

catena-media-launches-mrktplays+-to-expand-strategic-partnerships-in-north-american-igaming

Catena Media announced a strategic evolution of its successful MRKTPLAYS subaffiliation platform, designed to meet market demand and deepen long-term partnerships across the regulated North American online casino and sports betting markets.

The launch of MRKTPLAYS+ enhances Catena Media’s existing subaffiliation model, introduced in 2025, by adding a modular partnership framework built to accelerate partner growth for publishers and adjacent digital businesses that have demonstrated product-market fit.

Alongside standard campaign access, MRKTPLAYS+ will offer tailored marketing and operational support including content and marketing advisory services, as well as working capital solutions and minority equity participation – all in accordance with partner needs and maturity.

The expanded offering will help high-potential partners scale more efficiently while strengthening long-term collaboration within Catena Media’s partnership network.

Pierre Cadena, Catena Media Chief Operating Officer, said: “MRKTPLAYS+ is a natural evolution of our subaffiliation model. It enables us to work more closely with selected partners by combining access to campaigns with operational support and, where appropriate, strategic capital. This approach is designed to support sustainable partner growth while reinforcing the quality, resilience and diversification of our revenue streams.”

The MRKTPLAYS+ launch aligns with Catena Media’s broader strategy of diversifying revenue streams, deepening strategic partnerships and building scalable platforms that support long-term value creation. The platform will be open to partners globally, with a core focus on North America.

The post Catena Media Launches MRKTPLAYS+ to Expand Strategic Partnerships in North American iGaming appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.

Affiliate Industry

Beyond Bonuses: Shaun Decesare’s Mission to Redefine Affiliate Integrity in iGaming

Published

5 months ago

November 25, 2025

George Miller

beyond-bonuses:-shaun-decesare’s-mission-to-redefine-affiliate-integrity-in-igaming

Reading Time: 5 minutes

Vision & Motivation

You mentioned this was a “pipedream 10 years in the making.” What finally gave you the push to take the leap into owning and rebuilding an affiliate site?

It was always a dream of mine to have my own business and ‘be my own boss’ so to speak. I’ve taken an interest in the iGaming sector from a very young age and I knew this was instantly a passion of mine. What gave me the impetus to take the leap was twofold. The first being that I had been delaying this for too long, I decided that this is it, I will take the leap of fate and live and die by my decisions. The Second being I wanted to get out of the monotonous 9-5 routine. Having a young family, I want to prioritise spending as much time with them as possible. Doing this has allowed me to do that.

What does success look like for you with CasinoBonus360—not just in terms of traffic or revenue, but in how the brand is perceived by users?

Taking the site back to its glory days of the late 2010s, having witnessed first hand the success of this whilst at my former role within Catena Media, I know its potential is through the roof. I want CB360 to be a trusted, well reviewed site that users can check out all brands with confidence that this is not just a money grab. The users are being put first.

Why is trust such a central pillar in your vision for the site? What do you think has eroded trust in this space, and how do you plan to rebuild it?

Trust is at an all time low in this industry, scams are everywhere you look. As a consumer, this is evident in all forms of the gambling industry. I want to right the wrongs of others and attempt to restore the faith back to what it once was. We plan to rebuild it through various means, such as delivering a top quality service to all our new and existing users. One that is meaningful and long lasting. This will triumph over any quick financial gain.

Editorial Direction & Content Strategy

You’ve emphasized tougher editorial standards and evergreen content. What does your editorial process look like now compared to the previous version of the site?

We are not comparing ourselves to anyone else because we do not know how other teams operated. The shift has to happen inside the own workflow. In the past, things were faster, more intuitive and less documented. Today the process is far more deliberate with clear research steps, structured fact checking, internal reviews, consistent criteria and a final quality pass. It is a more mature and more disciplined version of how we used to work, still personal but with higher standards and better control.

How are you ensuring your reviews and guides are genuinely useful to users rather than just SEO-driven?

We start with real user questions and not with keyword lists. Every claim needs a source or a test reference. If a keyword does not fit naturally, we leave it out. The content must read smoothly and help the reader get clarity and make a decision. Useful content performs better in the long run than keyword tactics.

Can you walk us through how your team scores or tests casinos? What makes your approach different from competitors’?

We play for real. We register, verify, deposit, withdraw and talk to support. We score what happens, not what is promised. No gut ratings and no hidden deals. Every score follows the same criteria and the same pressure test. If a casino fails on trust or transparency, it gets called out.

What are some examples of content you’ve either removed or completely rewritten during the rebuild—and why?

Anything that wasted space or repeated nonsense is gone. Old fluff bonus pages, outdated lists, weak guides and duplicated topics were cut. Only the content that delivers real answers survived. Everything else was removed because it did not deserve attention.

SEO & Technical Evolution

You’ve worked with an SEO/site manager to shift toward a more data-driven SEO approach. What’s been the biggest mindset shift in how you approach SEO now?

We stopped chasing keywords and started aiming for accuracy. SEO is now a data tool, not a shortcut. We choose topics where we can deliver real value and real testing. No more trying to win fast. The goal is long term authority, not temporary spikes.

You’ve spoken about moving away from “keyword stuffing.” How do you balance SEO goals with writing content that feels natural and user-focused?

We write like humans and fix anything that sounds robotic. SEO helps with structure, but it never dictates the voice. If the text feels fake or over optimized, it gets rewritten. Users come first. Algorithms follow later.

What are the key technical improvements you’ve made (or plan to make) to the site’s infrastructure to support long-term stability and performance?

We stripped the site down and rebuilt it in a way that does not break every time the internet sneezes. The code is cleaner, the plugins are trimmed down, caching is actually doing its job and every asset is optimized instead of thrown in raw. The structure is modular so we can grow without creating a monster we cannot maintain.

We also stopped pretending that Google is the only gatekeeper. Search is shifting toward AI driven answers, so the site needs to be fast, clear and machine readable. That means better schema, tighter linking, cleaner layouts, consistent data structures and content that is easy for AI systems to interpret. The goal is not just ranking but becoming the source that AI tools pick because the information is solid and well structured.

Industry Insights & User Perspective

With your background in the gaming industry, what are the biggest misconceptions affiliate sites have about what players want?

Number 1 is surely welcome bonuses, these are a thing of the past. The average consumer is now smart enough to know that welcome bonuses are traps. They actually have the opposite intended effect of what they were originally designed to do. In fact, we are targeting brands that have as low of a wagering requirement as possible. We do not enlist brands that have over 20x wagering requirements. This is completely unrealistic to anyone to ever obtain any chance of a withdrawal. Gambling should be fun, it should not increase the anxiety of the user.

What red flags do you think users should be aware of when reading affiliate content on other sites?

Always check out the authors on site and see if they are real people, most sites put down fake characters for one reason or another which just erodes the authenticity of the brand. This is by far away my number 1 red flag.

How are you collecting feedback from users, and how does that inform your content and design decisions?

We are conducting surveys with our users on a monthly basis and asking for what they like and what they don’t like. This will allow us to adjust our articles and content accordingly. We firmly believe in consumer first at CB360 and this is the motto will stand by for the lifespan of our site.

Looking Forward

What challenges are you expecting in the next 6–12 months, and how are you planning to tackle them?

The number one challenge is to increase the traffic on site. Whilst we have overhauled all the outdated content with brand new, relevant, beautiful pieces of work, we are still struggling to see a big increase in traffic. This may be due to google updates that have hampered SEO of late. We are looking at all avenues into new avenues to increase traffic.

Do you see CasinoBonus360 expanding into new verticals, formats, or markets in the future?

For now, we shall take things one step at a time, we have a 12 month plan which we are executing, and should it come to fruition, we will examine our options further down the line.

If you could give one piece of advice to someone considering launching or rebuilding an affiliate site today, what would it be?

Get ready for a lot of work, it is easier said than done, but the rewards will be worth it.

The post Beyond Bonuses: Shaun Decesare’s Mission to Redefine Affiliate Integrity in iGaming appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.