Affiliates have long been a key part of the marketing ecosystem for online casino brands, offering operators a way to acquire traffic at scale.
Casino.org is in that business, having matched players with brands and bonuses for almost 20 years. The online casino affiliate’s General Manager, Alexander Korsager, spoke to CasinoBeats and explained how the affiliate ecosystem has evolved over that time.
CasinoBeats: Firstly, are you able to tell me about how the importance of affiliate marketing has evolved within the casino sector?
Alexander Korsager: Online casino affiliates have always played an important role in the customer acquisition ecosystem, but as marketing costs have continued to rise, the value we bring has increased significantly.
Trusted online casino informational sites such as Casino.org (we have been around since 1995 and help hundreds of thousands of players find casinos and bonuses each year) can help online casinos drive quality traffic at scale, especially when entering new markets where the brand has no equity among players.
Because we are performance-based, operators only pay for the traffic they receive and this makes affiliates incredibly cost-effective, especially when compared to above-the-line marketing and even paid media. Today, affiliates play a significant role in an operator’s customer acquisition strategy.
CB: What do you believe will be the key trends when it comes to enabling affiliates to engage their audience?
AK: At Casino.org, we have seen a rise in demand for casino reviews. With so many brands available for players to choose from, it’s hard for them to know which offers a good experience, more importantly, those that are reputable, trustworthy and prioritise responsible gambling.
We have a 25-step review process for each casino listed on Casino.org and we only recommend casinos that meet the high bar we set. It’s also important for us to stay on top of the latest player trends to ensure that we are creating and publishing content that answers any questions they might have about new payment options landing in casino cashiers, innovative game formats, different bonuses, etc. By providing this insight and our reliable casino reviews, we can connect with casino players in markets around the world.
CB: When it comes to global affiliate marketing, what are some of the challenges that are involved from a compliance perspective?
AK: Some markets require affiliates to secure licences from the gaming regulator and this can bring additional costs and work to ensure compliance. That said, we believe that affiliates should always be meeting the highest possible standards when it comes to promoting responsible gambling and safe gaming – regardless of whether they are required to do so by the regulator or not.
This is why we have a dedicated responsible gambling section on the website and also ensure there is safe gaming messaging on all pages so that players are constantly reminded about the need to stay in control of their play.
CB: How crucial is it that you understand a local audience and take an approach that is impactful to a specific audience?
AK: It’s super important. For example, different markets are at different points in their maturity, so we need to ensure that the content we create and publish for that market aligns with where player understanding is at. It’s also important to understand what players are looking for in an online casino in each market and then onboard the brands that offer these experiences.
We also work with our casino partners when it comes to the welcome offers they are running as what players look for in a bonus differs from market to market. Casino.org is available in more than 100 countries across the world, so understanding and engaging local audiences is something we’ve become really good at.
CB: When it comes to new emerging markets like Brazil, what role can affiliate marketing play in terms of enabling operators to expand effectively?
AK: Affiliates are a great way for operators to quickly build momentum in a new market such as Brazil. This will be a fiercely competitive market where the power players will throw big money at marketing and branding their way to the largest share of wallet. But spending big doesn’t guarantee success – as we have seen in the US.
Spending smart means tapping into the value that affiliates offer, allowing operators to only pay for quality traffic that ultimately signs up, deposits and plays at their brands. In markets where margins are tight and the competition fierce, this can be the difference between success and failure.
CB: What do you believe can be done to strengthen the collaboration between operators and affiliates in igaming?
AK: It’s important for both parties to remember that the relationship they have is mutually beneficial and to respect the role each plays. We are now one of the largest online casino affiliate brands in the world and this allows us to have a great working relationship with our partners, but even smaller affiliates deserve to be respected and fairly rewarded for the players they send to operators.
The vast majority of casino brands do have great working relationships with their affiliates but it’s always good to remember that true collaboration is needed to get the most out of the partnership.