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N1 Partners puts Deputy Head Vlad Chernov in the spotlight in N1 Faces
Why do some teams scale and grow consistently, while others start losing money as soon as they increase volume — even when working with the same offers and traffic sources? The difference rarely comes down to tools. More often, it’s about how the system is managed: how decisions are made, how responsibility is distributed, and how the team works with partners when performance starts to decline.
In the new episode of N1 Faces, the N1 Partners team introduces Vlad Chernov, Deputy Head of Affiliates. In this interview, Vlad shares how he entered affiliate marketing, what managing a team really means in a fast-moving environment, where money is most often lost during scaling, and what principles help build teams that actually drive growth.
How did you get into affiliate marketing, and when did you realize this was the field you wanted to grow in?
I entered the industry in 2020. Before fully moving into affiliate marketing, I worked in a range of roles — from Customer Support Manager to Operations Director. That gave me a broad understanding of processes, team management, and how the business operates from the inside.
Over time, I became more interested in the affiliate side: how deals are structured, how traffic is driven to casino products, and which sources partners rely on. When the opportunity came to move into affiliate marketing, I quickly realized this was the area where I could develop my skills, work closely with partners, and directly see the impact of my decisions.
What brought you to N1 Partners, and what was the deciding factor?
When I was just starting out in affiliate marketing, I was actively studying the market and consistently following N1 Partners — their positioning, their brands, and the fact that they were always among the top performers. I also paid attention to the team and saw professionals I genuinely wanted to work with and learn from.
The key factors for me were a strong brand portfolio and the flexibility to choose my direction — both in terms of the team and traffic sources. It was also important for me to join a company that values new ideas and supports initiative. I’ve always seen that as a critical part of professional growth.
What’s more challenging in team management: scaling results or developing the team itself?
Scaling results is definitely more challenging.
We operate in a highly dynamic environment where the market changes almost daily. What works today may stop working tomorrow.
That’s why both we and our partners often find it harder to maintain and grow performance — it requires constant attention to key metrics and the ability to adapt quickly.
At the same time, team development is an ongoing process. We’re continuously looking for ways to streamline workflows, reduce manual tasks, and improve efficiency. We’re also gradually integrating AI into our internal processes to increase both speed and quality.
What qualities define a strong affiliate manager today?
First and foremost — strong communication skills. This is especially critical at the very first touchpoint with a partner. The way you communicate early on often determines whether you’ll even get a response.
Honesty and transparency are just as important. In this industry, building trust is essential because everyone is ultimately working toward shared results.
I would also highlight a deep understanding of analytics. An affiliate manager should go beyond basic metrics like average check or ROAS and understand profitability, traffic quality, and overall campaign efficiency.
And of course — multitasking. It’s unavoidable today. We work with 10+ brands, accept traffic from multiple sources, and constantly test new funnels and hypotheses together with partners.
How does team growth impact the quality of partner relationships, and what’s critical to avoid a drop in service when scaling?
Team growth and the level of expertise among managers form the foundation of everything that follows. We’re very selective in hiring and place a strong emphasis on analytics and understanding traffic sources, as this directly impacts our ability to scale.
As the team grows, processes become just as important as people. It’s essential to have a transparent system in place: clear standards, shared understanding of goals and key metrics, and consistent approaches to working with partners. This ensures stability and maintains service quality even as volumes increase.
At the same time, the level of the team remains critical. Strong specialists set the bar and shape the overall approach. That’s what allows you to scale without losing quality.
What are the most common pitfalls when working with partners, and where do teams usually lose money?
Most losses happen during scaling, when quality starts to drop as volume increases. A typical mistake is choosing the wrong scaling strategy — pushing all ad sets instead of focusing only on those that have already proven performance with strong CTR and EPC on the affiliate side, as well as solid player activity and ROI on the advertiser’s side.
Another key factor is offer selection. Chasing an offer with a 10–15% higher CPA doesn’t always make sense if the conversion rate is lower. In the long run, this directly impacts profitability.
From our side, we focus on selecting offers that perform best in real time for a specific traffic source. We can also provide actual performance proof and help partners secure the most competitive terms available on the market.
How do you build relationships with key partners so they don’t just stay, but grow with you?
I focus on a personalized approach and building trust-based relationships with a long-term perspective.
I’d rather start with a small test, scale gradually, and increase the rate later than run multiple tests and stop working together — even if early results are not ideal.
We work toward win-win conditions and continuously test new approaches and hypotheses. With the right strategy and offer selection, I’m confident that mutual growth is always achievable.
What helps you stay focused and make decisions under constant pressure?
Prioritization and structured task management are key.
It’s important to assess situations objectively, double-check information, and base decisions on data rather than emotions. Staying calm and focused allows me to work effectively under pressure, adapt quickly, and take responsibility for decisions with confidence.
If you weren’t in iGaming…
I’d likely still be in a related field. One option would be marketing in another industry, where I could apply my experience. Another would be returning to operations, focusing on building and optimizing processes in a high-risk environment.
Either way, I’d want to stay in a fast-paced, high-responsibility environment with challenging tasks — that’s what drives me.
Top-3 Blitz
What mistakes most often prevent affiliate teams from growing?
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- Choosing the wrong strategy and chasing higher payouts instead of conversion and sustainability.
Teams often choose offers based on CPA alone, ignoring conversion, even though conversion drives long-term results. - Lack of communication with the manager.
Teams sometimes stop traffic without notice and draw quick conclusions without investigating deeper. The issue might not be conversion, but something like incorrect postback setup.
- Choosing the wrong strategy and chasing higher payouts instead of conversion and sustainability.
- Mixing traffic from different sources without proper segmentation.
These flows need to be agreed upon and segmented to maintain quality and properly analyze performance.
What do you look at first when evaluating a partner?
- Audience fit and traffic quality.
The traffic must match our target audience and meet internal profitability benchmarks. - Flexibility and willingness to collaborate.
The ability to adapt quickly and find win-win solutions is key. - Previous performance.
I look at historical data, results in other campaigns, and how consistently the partner meets agreements.
What factors most influence traffic profitability today?
- Cost of acquisition and player retention.
It has become harder to both acquire and retain users. - Funnel and landing page optimization.
Even high-quality traffic can drop off if the funnel is too long or complex. - Continuous campaign optimization and bid adjustments.
Daily monitoring of metrics and fast adaptation—from both the partner and advertiser side—is critical.
Working with N1 Partners
Partners who want to discuss a launch, tailor conditions to their traffic, or test an offer can reach out to Vlad directly.
N1 Partners is a multi-brand affiliate program and direct advertiser, bringing together 14+ casino and betting brands with strong LTV and Reg2Dep rates of up to 70% across Tier-1 GEOs.
N1 Partners offers competitive terms for top partners, including CPA up to €650-700 and RevShare up to 45%, ensuring stable and scalable performance.
Trusted by 14,000+ partners, N1 Partners stands out for its transparency, flexibility, and focus on long-term partnerships, supported by a strong product portfolio and advanced retention systems.
RESPWNED and LOTUS 8 have signed a partnership to launch the GIRLGAMER Winnipeg Festival in 2026, marking the GIRLGAMER Esports Festival brand’s expansion into Canada.
RESPWNED manages the GIRLGAMER Esports Festival brand, while LOTUS 8 is a Canada-based company focused on event development and partnerships. The companies said they will jointly develop and deliver the Winnipeg event, combining global esports IP management, event production, commercial partnerships, and local execution.
“This partnership represents an exciting milestone for GIRLGAMER as we continue to expand globally and bring our platform to new audiences,” said Tiago Fernandes, Managing Partner at RESPWNED. “Canada is a dynamic and fast-growing Esports market, and we are proud to collaborate with LOTUS 8 to deliver a meaningful and impactful event experience.”
Steven Vuong, representing LOTUS 8, added: “We are thrilled to partner with RESPWNED to bring the GIRLGAMER Festival to Canada. This collaboration reflects a shared vision of building inclusive, high-quality esports experiences while creating strong commercial and community value. Together, we are laying the foundation for a standout event in 2026.”
The GIRLGAMER Winnipeg Festival is planned as a family-oriented event with business networking, brand activations, and community programming, and is expected to include international and local talent. Additional details, including dates, venue, and participating partners, will be announced in the coming months.
The post RESPWNED partners with LOTUS 8 to bring GIRLGAMER festival to Winnipeg in 2026 appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Sports marketing used to be relatively straightforward. Major sports events – from international tournaments to league finals – meant big audiences, and visibility was often enough to drive results.
By 2026, that model is no longer enough. Competition for sports traffic has intensified, acquisition costs have increased, and audiences have become more selective in how they engage. Being present around major sports events is no longer a differentiator – everyone is there.
What matters now is not just how brands capture attention, but how they choose to work with it.
This shift is especially visible in affiliate-driven environments. As brands rethink how they engage sports audiences – and face tighter regulation and greater competition – affiliate strategies have to adapt just as quickly.
Performance is measured in real time, with teams competing under the same conditions and reacting to the same events.
This is where new formats and mechanics start to matter. Earlier this year, Boomerang Partners, a sports-focused affiliate program, brought together affiliate teams as part of the TIME TO WIN affiliate tournament.
The insights in this article come from real partner activity – from day-to-day campaign work to what teams tested during the TIME TO WIN tournament.
It’s no longer campaign-driven
The way sports marketing works is no longer built around campaigns. It’s built around behavior. What used to be planned weeks in advance now shifts during the event itself. Timing changes. Messaging changes. Sometimes, even the format changes.
The shift is simple: marketing is no longer planned around events – it adapts to them continuously, with messaging, concepts, and storytelling evolving from one moment to the next. These shifts don’t just affect how brands work with players – they also reshape how affiliate partners operate. As a result, partners have to adapt their strategies, formats, and approaches to engagement.
Personalization plays a big role here. Not as a feature, but as a baseline. Generic offers don’t hold attention anymore. If it’s not relevant to what the user is watching or reacting to, it gets ignored.
This is also changing how sponsorships work. Visibility still matters, but it’s no longer enough on its own. Brands are moving into formats that go beyond the match – content, integrations, and ongoing digital touchpoints.
At the same time, the space has expanded. Sports, esports, streaming – they now compete for the same attention, alongside a much broader set of content and digital experiences.
That makes timing harder. Big tournaments still drive peaks, but the build-up and the drop-off matter just as much. Planning around these moments is becoming more data-driven. Earlier this year, Boomerang Partners introduced its Sports Marketing and Betting Calendar 2026, built to map those patterns and help affiliates align campaigns with key moments and make more informed decisions around their strategy. In practice, partners use it to plan ahead for major events, streamline research, and structure content around both high-demand and niche sports.
From watching to reacting
Audience behavior has changed faster than most strategies – and it becomes especially visible in live, competitive environments.
During the TIME TO WIN tournament, this shift was hard to miss. Affiliate teams worked with sports traffic in real time, around live events, where attention moved constantly, and decisions were made on the spot.
Watching sport is no longer passive. During major matches, users follow the game while checking odds, reacting to moments, and switching between platforms. The second screen is no longer secondary – it’s part of the experience.
In practice, this meant that teams competing in the tournament had to adapt quickly – reacting to live moments, adjusting content, and aligning campaigns with audience behavior in real time.
That changes how campaigns are built. Timing matters more. Missing the moment often means losing the user.
Content is changing as well – and fast. Short-form formats capture a growing share of attention, especially among younger audiences. The full match is no longer the only point of engagement.
Behavior is becoming more social. Communities form around events – not just around teams, but around the experience itself.
Olesea Naidion, Brand Manager at Nightrush, TIME TO WIN participant, noted:
“The biggest shift I’ve noticed is that audiences don’t just ‘watch’ sports anymore – they’re actively participating. During major matches, people react to every moment – every corner, every substitution, every momentum shift.
The second-screen behavior is fascinating. Fans have their phones out the entire time – checking odds, chatting, and reacting on social media while the match is happening.
The traditional ‘sit back and watch’ experience is no longer how a large part of the audience engages with sport.”
What actually matters now
Not all traffic is equal anymore. Volume still matters, but it no longer defines success. What matters is what happens after the click – how fast users convert, how long they stay, and whether they come back.
This shift was clearly visible during the TIME TO WIN tournament. When campaigns ran around real-time events, performance was measured differently. There was no long funnel – the decision happened immediately, or not at all.
In practice, traffic and performance closely followed the sports calendar. Early peaks aligned with major tournaments, while quieter periods – such as international breaks – led to visible slowdowns. Consistent spikes on weekends also highlighted how closely user activity tracked live-event density.
Conversion has become time-sensitive. Delays cost results.
Retention matters more now. Acquiring users is more expensive, and users have more options. If they don’t see value quickly, they move on.
As a result, performance is evaluated differently. Impressions and reach are no longer enough to justify spending. What matters is whether activity turns into deposits, bets, and repeat engagement.
Olesea Naidion, Brand Manager at Nightrush, TIME TO WIN participant, commented:
“Engagement rate, conversion velocity, and customer lifetime value have become the most critical metrics. Impressions don’t pay the bills — action does.
We need to understand if content drives real behavior in real time, especially during live events when the conversion window is minutes, not days.”
What defines success
Sustaining results has become harder. Strong performance can still happen in short bursts. But without consistency, it doesn’t hold. The gap between short-term gains and long-term growth is becoming more visible.
What separates teams now is not access to traffic or events. It’s how that traffic is handled – how quickly it converts, how long it stays, and whether it returns.
That shifts the focus from individual campaigns to the full user journey. Acquisition, conversion, and retention are no longer separate – they have to work as a single system.
This is also reflected in how partners performed in the TIME TO WIN tournament. Even beyond the initial launch phase, participation continued to build, showing that sustained performance – not just early momentum – defines success.
When that connection breaks, performance drops just as quickly as it grows.
Anete Dunina, Head of Sales at Revpanda Group, TIME TO WIN participant, noted:
“Success in sports marketing will be defined by control over the full user journey. It’s about acquiring, converting, and retaining the right users, not just traffic.
Short-term wins don’t build long-term business.”
The shift is already visible across the market. It goes beyond marketing – reflecting broader changes in how sport is consumed, how brands operate, and how affiliate ecosystems evolve. Those who can adapt to it consistently will shape what sports marketing looks like next.
About Boomerang
Boomerang Partners is a rapidly growing global marketing agency offering a wide range of services. Boomerang Partners is an Official Regional Partner of AC Milan. In 2024, it launched the inaugural Golden Boomerang Awards – a global tournament for affiliate teams. More than 400 affiliate teams participated in the second season of the tournament in 2025. Partners of the Agency launched six new products in 2024-2025, contributing to a nearly 1.5-fold increase in product users.
The Agency’s clients’ portfolio contains 10+ brands offering affiliate and entertainment services across 40+ markets in compliance with local regulations. These products provide incentive programs and 24/7 multilingual support.
The post Boomerang Partners’ case study: exploring the new rules of sports marketing appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Kaizen Gaming has won three operator awards at the SBC Awards Europe 2026, held during SBC Summit Malta on Thursday, 30 April. The company, which owns the Betano online sports betting and gaming brand, picked up “Sportsbook Operator of the Year”, “Casino Operator of the Year” and “Operator Innovation in Gaming”.
Christos Tzalavras, Kaizen Gaming’s Chief Product Officer, said: “Customer experience has been the foundation for Betano’s international success over the years. We concentrate our efforts in optimising it and bringing in new innovations that advance our capabilities, differentiate us from the competition and make the Betano experience unique for our users. These awards represent that exact philosophy. Managing to stand out among fierce competition within the European igaming landscape is a great honour. We would like to thank the awards’ judges for the recognition and our people for making it possible. We are more driven than ever, and are working to ensure that we provide a top-tier experience for everyone who entrusts us with their entertainment, across every market where we operate.”
Earlier in 2026, Kaizen Gaming announced it had acquired UK-based, AI-driven sports trading and analytics provider GameplAI. The company said it will integrate GameplAI’s features to strengthen its in-house capabilities across sports trading, player markets and performance analytics for Betano.
Kaizen Gaming also highlighted Betano’s European sponsorship portfolio, including the UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Conference League, plus club deals with FC Bayern München, Aston Villa FC, FC Porto, Sporting CP, SL Benfica, AC Sparta Praha, FCSB and Brøndby IF.
The post Kaizen Gaming wins three operator awards at SBC Awards Europe 2026 appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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