If you have run affiliate campaigns in SaaS, finance or e-commerce, you already know how to drive and track traffic. Casino uses the same skills on different mechanics: what counts as a conversion, what you are paid on, when you are paid and how closely regulators watch what you publish.
This article is for experienced affiliates crossing over. If you are starting from scratch, begin with how to become a casino affiliate.
A registration is not a conversion
In lead generation a sign-up often pays. In casino a registration earns nothing on its own: a CPA pays on the first deposit, RevShare on the revenue that follows, and either only once it has been checked.
Three things work differently:
- Tracking runs server to server. A player may click on a phone and deposit on a laptop days later, so pixels and cookies lose too much. Your click ID is passed into the casino's link, stored against the player and sent back when they deposit, usually by server-to-server postback.
- Conversions are reviewed before they pay. Casinos screen for fraud, bonus abuse and duplicate accounts, so a deposit is not commission the moment it lands. On TopStep Partners, conversions show as pending in your dashboard and are verified by hand once a month against the casino's own records.
- Attribution windows vary. Ask each programme how long a click stays attributed to you. A player who registers today and deposits months later may or may not still be yours, depending on that casino's terms.
Why the highest CPA is not always the best deal
In most verticals you push for the highest CPA you can get. In casino the flat fee is one of three options:
- CPA: a flat payment per first-depositing player.
- RevShare: a percentage of the net gaming revenue your players generate for as long as they play.
- Hybrid: a smaller CPA plus a smaller share.
Which pays better depends on how your traffic behaves. SEO and content traffic tends to bring players who stay, which favours RevShare. Paid social tends to churn faster and needs cash back quickly, which favours CPA. CPA vs RevShare works through the choice, and the comparison calculator runs it on your own numbers.
A CPA is priced on the player value the casino expects from your traffic. If that quality drops, expect the CPA to be revised.
Read two clauses before you sign
How net gaming revenue is calculated. You are paid on NGR, not on what players deposit or stake. NGR is what the casino keeps after player winnings and a list of deductions, typically bonuses and payment costs and, in some markets, gaming taxes. Ask for the list in writing. A lower percentage on a short list can pay more than a higher one on a long list.
Negative carryover. If a player wins big, the casino's revenue from your players can be negative for the month. With negative carryover, that deficit is taken from your future earnings before you are paid again. Without it, a losing month is zeroed and the next month starts clean. Ask which applies and get the answer in writing. On TopStep Partners there is no negative carryover.
Regulation is your problem too
In markets such as the UK, Ontario, Sweden and the Netherlands, regulators hold the operator responsible for what its affiliates publish, and that pressure passes straight to you. Overstating a bonus, hiding wagering requirements, leaving out age notices or skipping responsible gambling messaging can get your account closed and your commission withheld.
The practical rules:
- State offers accurately, with their terms.
- Show the age limit that applies in the market, 18+ or 21+.
- Promote a casino only in markets where it is licensed.
- Use only the traffic sources that casino accepts. Running a prohibited channel is a common way to have commission voided.
Traffic sources, the advertising guidelines and restricted territories cover the detail, and responsible gambling sets out what we expect of partners.
Your first months
On RevShare the early months look slow, because revenue grows with the number of players you have sent. Use them to learn your click-to-registration and registration-to-deposit rates, which are what you will be optimising.
Start narrow: a few casinos that suit your traffic and markets, tracking confirmed before you scale, and each casino's terms read properly. Splitting traffic across twenty casinos at once leaves too little on each to learn from.
Questions to ask before you send traffic
- Is commission paid on gross or net revenue, and what exactly is deducted?
- Does a losing month carry forward, and is that in writing?
- What triggers a CPA payment: any first deposit, or a minimum deposit or some wagering?
- How long does a click stay attributed to me?
- Which markets is this casino licensed for, and which traffic sources does it accept?
- How are conversions verified, and when is a verified balance paid? How affiliate payouts work shows what to look for.
Where to go next
If you want terms priced on your traffic rather than read from a rate card, apply for a partner account and tell your account manager what you send and where.
Gambling is for adults only and should never be presented as a way to make money. Promote responsibly.
