Previously, casino providers developed games and handed them over to casinos. What happened next with the product — where and how the traffic was driven, what ad creatives brought in users — was outside the studios’ area of interest.
But the approach started to change. Studios like InOut Games, NGM, or BGaming began tracking where the actual revenue was coming from. It turned out that the main traffic didn’t come from classic marketing but from affiliates and webmasters. Those who launch ads on TikTok, UAC, Facebook, and other sources.
Now the casino provider is not just a developer, but a full-fledged partner. They connect to analytics, help with creatives, give early access to games, and adapt the product to real funnels. In this article, we’ll break down how providers used to work, what has changed, and how it helps affiliates.
Mike Waizman, NGM Game Head of Brand, and Adamant — author of a Telegram channel about influencer traffic — helped us prepare this material.
What It Used to Be
Until recently, casino providers and affiliates had neither intersections nor interest in each other. The provider would release a slot, integrate it with a few operators — and that’s where its role ended. The next step was the responsibility of the casino or affiliate program: they would create the offer, share it with affiliate networks (CPA networks), and affiliates would drive traffic on their own.
Affiliates had no access to product analytics, payout structures, player behavior, or mechanics details. All they knew was the payout — and, if lucky, brief comments from the affiliate manager.
It was a closed loop: the affiliate didn’t influence the product, and the product didn’t adapt to the traffic. There was no understanding of how the slots worked, what mechanics performed, where players dropped off, or what influenced conversion. This is now beginning to change.
What Changed
The turning point came when it became clear: traditional marketing in iGaming was no longer effective. Banners were on, budgets wasted, but results were mediocre. Against this backdrop, brands started paying attention to affiliates — and quickly realized affiliates were faster, more flexible, and had a better sense of what actually worked.
We were watching this with interest, and then realized — it’s time to jump in ourselves. Not across a million offers, but targeted and focused. When the balance between an affiliate and an affiliate program is performed by me and a PR esports girl, it becomes a good symbiosis.”
Another key moment was when teams started driving traffic to specific games, and providers realized they could increase turnover.
The mindset shifted: now the slots provider is interested not only in the operator (affiliate program/network), but in the person bringing in players. Studios started building communication with affiliates and media buyers, looking at the approaches they used, giving early slot access and analytics, adapting mechanics to real funnels.
Before we proceed, make sure you understand how to drive traffic to gambling offers.
Instead of the “made a game → integrated → forgot” model, targeted collaboration began. First, the provider evaluates the buyer’s approach and GEO, then suggests slots, connects analytics, helps test hypotheses. If it works, they’re added to the partner list and get more resources.
But they’ve kept their edge. It’s not agency production with ten approval steps. You can test more in one morning than a corporation does in a month. That’s the beauty of it.”
Affiliate marketing has matured, and providers have become more attentive.
What Working with Providers Gives to Affiliates
Working directly with casino providers is a performance boost. Previously, affiliates had to adapt their funnels to the offer. Now, they have the opportunity to adapt the product to the funnel.
But we already provide: demo access to slots, analytics on key mechanics, funnel feedback, and real-time support. We want affiliates to understand: they’re not just sending traffic — they’re helping us grow, and we help them in return.”
In practice, this means:
- Early releases. Direct contact gives access to games before they appear in affiliate networks. You can be the first to apply ad creative approaches before the game is saturated.
- Product analytics. Not just cut-down data from an affiliate manager, but a full funnel: deposits, retention, spins, LTV, behavior by GEO. This gives a precise understanding of why a game performs or not.
- Payout optimization. When a slots provider works directly with an affiliate, they can shift their margin so that the operator offers a higher payout. This makes the game more profitable for everyone.
- Source-specific adaptation. In some cases, providers refine mechanics or create slot versions tailored to specific traffic sources.
But the key is the scale of insight. Most teams only get info from affiliate managers. That’s limited to specific integrations — often trimmed down.
Need analytics? Here’s detailed data: Dep count, Spin count, LTV. Want early access to games? You got it. Need GEO and payout info? Just ask.
The team at BGaming regularly shares detailed stats on their slots/crash games. Most of this circulates among influencers, but if you reach out and prove your expertise, I think they’ll be quite open.”
For those who can build a relationship with providers — it’s a competitive advantage. Especially in a market where player acquisition costs are rising and standard approaches burn out in days.
This is closely connected with what triggers casino players.
What Working Affiliates Gives to Providers
Providers don’t engage with affiliates out of altruism. It’s a strategic move — and it pays off.
First — brand awareness. If a game catches on via TikTok or Facebook, people start searching, talking about it, and remembering it.
It means someone didn’t just click — they remembered. We then use that in marketing, positioning, even in naming future slots.”
Second — marketing cost reduction. Traffic from an affiliate is a ready-made test of an advertising hypothesis. No need for approvals, briefs, or creative agencies. While the in-house media buying team is building a landing page, the affiliate has already tested multiple GEOs and approaches.
Third — slot revenue growth. When traffic flows fast and in volume, the studio gains not just revenue but also valuable data. That data can be analyzed, tweaks made to the game quickly, and decisions made about which mechanics to focus on next.
Fourth — faster market entry. Affiliate marketing is a faster way to launch a game, gather feedback, test audience reactions, and roll back changes if needed. It’s cheaper and faster than going through long chains of operators and buyers.
Finally — building long-term partnerships.
If we see that a campaign was well-executed, we’ll support it, share more info, include them in early releases. Basically, we want to build a partnership where both sides win and stay in sync.”
For providers, this is a new growth channel — and they’ve started investing in it.
Conclusion
Previously, casino providers and affiliates lived on different planets. Today — they’re part of the same funnel. Casino providers now care not only about operators but also about the people who bring in players. In return, affiliates get access to analytics, slots, feedback, and support.
The traditional model of “game → casino → affiliate” is being rebuilt. Providers are no longer just software vendors — they’re active participants: tracking trends, analyzing spy tools, adapting mechanics to sources, and testing hypotheses with affiliates.
It’s important to remember: there are three sides in this process — provider, operator, and affiliate. If one drops out, there’s no synergy.”
This works because everyone benefits:
- Affiliates get insights and ROI boosts
- Casinos get faster break-even
- Providers get revenue and brand growth
This is no longer a temporary partnership — it’s a new growth point in affiliate marketing.
Dmitriy got a vast knowledge in affiliate marketing working as an affiliate for 6 years. He also worked an affiliate manager in the WebVork network.
After that, he started to write articles and guides for various affiliate marketing blogs, eventually becoming a head of several blogs: CPA Mafia, CyberAff, ProTraffic, AffTimes, CPA Monstro, and Affiliate Valley.
Now, he has his own blog CPA.LIVE and the ADDSET forum, also performing as a guest expert for other projects.
Ratmir started his copywriting career back in 2016. He is now editor-in-chief with an MA with Honors in Linguistics.
His primary expertise is in affiliate marketing, EdTech, education, IT, and sports.
Ratmir specializes in content marketing, content management, proofreading, and translation.
