Affiliate Industry
Engagement and retention: Keys to affiliate marketing success in iGaming
By: Anastasiia Kapsha, Chief Marketing Officer at Alpha Affiliates
When we look back, even to just a decade ago, we can see just how far the affiliate marketing sector has come and the rapid advances as new technologies and tactics entered the sector. Affiliate marketers have witnessed first hand just how important it is to leverage these technologies and create new strategies to keep pace and engage audiences.
Today, amid the widespread interest in AI to deliver more personalised experiences, and shift to audiences seeking more captivating experiences from Augmented and Virtual Reality (AR and VR), the strategies for building and retaining engagement are changing.
To stay ahead and foster long-term engagement, affiliate marketers must familiarise themselves with the latest technologies, trends and techniques. Let’s look at the key trends ahead to driving engagement, and retention in 2024.
Leveraging AI to better understand your audience
AI has been much welcomed by marketing professionals, who are seeking more effective and efficient ways to connect with their audiences, and drive more personalised experiences. At Alpha Affiliates, we’re already seeing AI prove invaluable in areas such as banner creation, enhanced analytics and predicting user behaviour.
As well as supporting content creation, AI can amplify the effectiveness of campaigns, ensuring they resonate with the target audience. AI’s ability to analyse past patterns and behaviours, means affiliate marketers gain valuable insights which allow them to anticipate the actions a user will take, and offer more tailored content and promotions as a result.
In the iGaming sector, engagement is everything. Personalising affiliate marketing campaigns with the help of AI can be a gamechanger. Just imagine being able to predict when a user is likely to become a VIP player, and tailoring your marketing efforts accordingly. This level of personalisation not only enhances the user experience, but fosters long-term loyalty and engagement, as a result.
Embracing AI tools will be crucial in producing more effective, creative and impactful affiliate marketing campaigns in the iGaming sector.
Captivating audiences with immersive experiences
iGaming is all about excitement, interaction and engagement. We find that users want to experience more tangible, fun and immersive experiences. This is where Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) can be leveraged to create a sense of realness and blur the lines between the digital and physical world.
Although AR and VR technologies are still in developmental stages within the iGaming sector, they hold huge potential for captivating audiences and driving engagement. AR and VR can take campaigns in the iGaming world to new heights. Imagine an VR experience that transforms users to a virtual casino, surrounded with lifelike graphics and social interactions. By offering these immersive experiences, affiliate marketers can create “pinch me” moments that leave a lasting impression and foster deeper connections with their audiences.
Diversify your strategies to reach different audiences
The future is multi-channel. Diversifying content and communication channels is key to engaging different audiences across different platforms, and retaining them.
What is the most effective way to connect with your audience? How will they respond? These are a few of the key questions to ask yourself as an affiliate marketer working within the iGaming space. With these considerations, you can work out the best strategy based on your targets. It could be crafting blog posts that resonate with industry enthusiasts, or leveraging influencer marketing to tap into niche communities.
Taking a multi-channel approach that looks at diverse strategies, affiliate marketers can ensure that they can reach different audiences globally and provide value in a way that aligns with their audiences’ unique preferences, interests and tastes.
The reality is, the sector is constantly evolving. And with the introduction of new technologies and trends, affiliate marketing strategies have to evolve too. By embracing the latest technologies, diversifying communications with different audiences, and prioritising personalisation, affiliate marketers can position themselves for success in 2024 and beyond.
The post Engagement and retention: Keys to affiliate marketing success in iGaming appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Ivan Kraynov, co-founder of Boomerang Partners, is stepping away from the company to focus on new investment projects across various industries. Boomerang Partners, a dynamic global brand, will continue its growth trajectory by expanding its market share and reaching new industry heights.
Since co-founding Boomerang Partners in 2020, Ivan Kraynov has played a key role in shaping the company’s strategic direction and driving its growth.
“Looking back over the past five years, I’m truly proud of what we’ve accomplished so far — from forming a brilliant team and launching award-winning campaigns to turning Boomerang into a recognized name in the industry. I’m grateful to everyone who’s been part of this journey and am now excited to see what the future holds for my new team during our transition into different types of investment opportunities” said Kraynov about his departure. “I believe one of the most important principles in business is knowing when to shift your focus and let go — and for me, that time is now. I’m moving on to concentrate on other projects where I’m involved as a co-founder or as an investor. I am proud to be leaving Boomerang Partners in the capable hands of true industry leaders.” According to Ivan Kraynov, his upcoming ventures involve projects in IT, HoReCa, and other sectors.
Boomerang Partners is a global brand operating as an affiliate program and agency from a direct advertiser. Its growing portfolio includes more than 15 iGaming brands. The company has strengthened its market presence through notable partnerships — including with AC Milan and football star Alisha Lehmann. In 2024, Boomerang launched the first annual affiliate traffic tournament, the Golden Boomerang Awards. This year, the awards ceremony has attracted more than 400 teams worldwide, highlighting both the scale of the event and Boomerang Partners’ recognized status in the market.
The post Boomerang Partners co-founder Ivan Kraynov steps away to explore new industries appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Casino Kings, a top UK online casino and sportsbook, is proud to announce its nomination for two coveted categories at the AffPapa iGaming Awards 2025: Casino Operator of the Year and Bonus Offer of the Year. These nominations recognise Casino Kings’ ongoing excellence in delivering market-leading casino gameplay, innovative sports betting experiences, and outstanding promotional offers to its growing community of players.
AffPapa iGaming Awards – Recognising the Best in the Business
Now in its third edition, the AffPapa iGaming Awards celebrate top-tier performance across the online gambling industry, bringing together affiliates, operators, and B2B providers from around the globe. Organised by AffPapa, a leading affiliate network and iGaming directory, the awards highlight excellence in areas such as innovation, player satisfaction, partnership success, and marketing creativity.
. Winners will be officially announced at the much-anticipated awards ceremony on May 28, 2025.
Casino Kings: Where Rewards Reign Supreme
Built on a player-first philosophy, Casino Kings has quickly become a favourite among UK players. And this year’s bonus nomination came from some of its most exciting current offers:
- Bet £10, Get £35 in Free Bets – A must-try for sports fans.
- 150% Welcome Bonus up to £150 + 75 Free Spins on Big Bass Bonanza – One of the most generous welcome packages in the UK market.
- Deposit £10, Get £20 + 50 Free Spins – Perfect for new and returning players.
On top of these, players can always expect something new thanks to a steady stream of daily, weekly, and seasonal promotions. Whether it’s cashback on losses or VIP perks like exclusive bonuses and dedicated support, Casino Kings keeps loyalty at the heart of everything it does.
Committed to Excellence in Online Gaming
Fully licensed in the UK and loudly committed to responsible gambling, Casino Kings offers a secure, intuitive platform for casino and sports fans alike. With top providers like NetEnt, Pragmatic Play, and Evolution onboard, the game selection is second to none, whether you’re playing on desktop, mobile, or tablet.
“We’re incredibly honoured to be recognised by AffPapa this year,” said Daniel Shannon from Casino Kings. “These nominations are a testament to the hard work our team puts in every day to deliver an exceptional experience for our players. We’re super excited to be in the running, and grateful to our loyal community for their continued support.”
The post Casino Kings Celebrates Double Nomination at the AffPapa iGaming Awards 2025 appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
When the US Supreme Court struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA) in 2018, it opened the floodgates to sports betting in the US. From the middle of 2018 to now, states with some form of legal sports betting went from the four states ‘grandfathered’ by PASPA to 39 states and Washington, D.C. allowing betting. That’s 36 jurisdictions legalizing in eight years.
Soon after the annulment of PAAPA, market activity exploded with several states legalizing and launching every year thereafter. Each state had millions of new customers that operators wanted to reach quickly, and unique regulatory constraints around marketing and betting. That’s where affiliate marketing stepped in, providing local expertise to help these operators rapidly establish a foothold with customers.
That gold rush has now ended. While states with significant populations like Texas and California remain without legal sports betting, the majority of players in the US have access to it. Several states won’t be legalizing sports betting every year like in the past.
If operators no longer rely on affiliates to help them conquer several new markets every year, what roles do these large, third-party marketing companies have to play moving forward? As the market matures, we’re seeing that affiliate marketing has a crucial role to play in the current marketing climate.
What the Mature Market Looks Like
Aside from the lurking possibility of states with huge populations like California and Texas legalizing sports betting, the market is broadly set. Many states that haven’t introduced betting are unlikely to change that position due to the political climate, like in Utah and Alaska.
Sports betting has never been more popular, with total GGR for sports betting hitting $13.71 billion in 2024, according to the American Gaming Association. That was a 25.4% increase year-on-year. However, sports betting has also never been more competitive. Most US states have intense competition between operators competing in saturated ecosystems.
There’s evidence this is impacting affiliate companies, with Catena Media generating 35% less from US operations in 2024 compared to 2023. Another significant operator in US affiliate marketing, Better Collective, saw US revenues drop from $113 million in FY2023 to $112 million in FY2024.
However, this doesn’t spell the end of affiliate marketing. Without the potential to expand into new states, operators are looking to strengthen and grow market share in the states where sportsbooks are already operational and companies have already conducted marketing campaigns with affiliates.
Companies that have quickly grasped this new approach have shown positive signs. Gambling.com Group reported record Q4 revenues in 2024 and finished with full-year revenue of $127.1 million, a 17% rise from the year prior.
It’s made affiliates effectively take a u-turn to recover all the ground they covered so rapidly with the expansion of the market. For example, the first online sportsbooks launched in Michigan in January 2021, so there was a flurry of marketing activity in the state before that attention moved to other states that launched in the same year, like Arizona in September. Now, affiliates are returning to states like Michigan with new approaches.
Trust and Authority and Blitz Tactics
What do these new marketing approaches entail? Rather than acquiring as many users as possible in a short time, affiliates are now focused on increasing brand loyalty. Affiliates want to increase customer lifetime value (CLV), and are more aware of this metric than the base number of how many new users are added.
That’s led to more personalized advertising campaigns with features like exclusive offers, user engagement tools, and more to keep the focus on retaining players rather than adding more and more customers. Brands are looking to build authority and trust with customers.
Adding a few customers with high CLV is priceless for operators compared to hundreds of customers who will drop off quickly. Affiliate marketing supports these platforms with tailored campaigns using specific state knowledge and personalized customer retention measures.
More Sophisticated Customers
When sports betting first started spreading across the US, most people probably confused parlay bets with the French word parley used in popular movie franchises like Pirates of the Caribbean. That was the average American bettor’s education level on the topic.
So, early affiliate marketing efforts focused on introducing common sports betting terminology to customers while explaining the benefits of sports betting brands. Guides would explain how to sign up with a sportsbook and the difference between a moneyline and a point spread. That easy access to sports betting information made it more straightforward for a broader audience to get involved.
It’s a different market eight years on. Most bettors are far more educated than before and don’t need to be babyfed the basics. If an operator wants to appeal to bettors, it must do more than just offer betting.
That’s why affiliate marketing has shifted to a more detailed and data-driven approach. Rather than explaining how American odds work, affiliate marketing campaigns now compare the value of odds between operators and highlight the best value.
Unique betting features are more important to marketing campaigns as these can help attract bettors with accounts at other sportsbooks to sign up with a new platform.
This is where affiliate marketing can help operators in mature markets, as these campaigns can highlight those strengths against other brands and make each platform’s unique proposition clear to savvy bettors.
Broadening Audience Demographics
Considering odds regularly appear on major league broadcasts and are discussed by commentary staff for games, it’s clear that betting is becoming increasingly mainstream. As sportsbooks look to consolidate and compete in competitive markets, reaching new demographics is a valuable marketing tool.
While bettors in the US are more educated now, operators are looking to attract more than just players willing to learn all the jargon. New marketing strategies must make betting relatable and appealing to various ages and demographics.
The campaign to capture the attention of bettors in their 20s should look very different from one for older players, and the best affiliate marketers are helping operators tailor these campaigns to hit specific demographics.
Affiliates’ Role as Strategic Partners to Operators
The relationship between affiliates and operators has shifted as the operators need affiliate marketing companies to deliver different marketing services. Many operators see affiliates as strategic partners rather than just sources of traffic.
These new data-driven dynamics will let affiliates play a wider role in operators’ marketing schemes, providing data integration like live stats, API odds feeds, and more. Additionally, affiliates use years of knowledge and expertise to help these platforms run campaigns through different media sources, including mobile.
Affiliates also play a helpful role in compliance and responsible gambling. Each state has its own requirements, and while no new markets are opening, states that already permit betting can shift rules around what’s available. Scrutiny from regulators is also increasing. Therefore, affiliate marketing can provide operators with tailored campaigns that take a state-by-state approach.
Conclusion
Affiliate priorities have shifted, moving into 2025 and beyond. The gold rush is over, and the market is consolidating. Affiliates need to expand their services to keep up with the evolving demands of sports betting operators, focusing on longer-term customer acquisitions rather than adding masses of low-value players.
Successful affiliate sites will be the platforms that adapt to the new mature market the fastest and with the most effective strategies. Affiliates are no longer just tools that operators use to attract broad traffic. These companies must provide ongoing data and personalized marketing strategies to provide the best support to operators.
Author: Shmulik Segal, Founder and CEO of Media Troopers
The post What a Mature Market Means for US Affiliates appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
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