Gambling affiliation may seem like the Wild West of advertising, but those in the industry know the truth of the fast-paced, ever-changing demands of affiliate success. e.e, which Responsible Affiliates in Gambling (RAiG) say they would support in principle.
In this context and the ever-heightening regulatory environment, gambling affiliates must remain vigilant as the online gambling industry becomes more heavily regulated.
How do UK affiliates work?
There’s no licensing regime in the UK for online gambling affiliates. Instead, the Gambling Commission states that gambling sites are responsible for the behaviour of the affiliates they partner with. Hence, gambling sites are motivated to ensure the correct language, bonus terms, and so on are represented.
If affiliates do not follow the UK’s regulatory rules, they won’t be able to form affiliate partnerships. Additionally, affiliates must follow general advertising rules from the UK’s Advertising Standards Agency and responsible gambling regulations, such as using responsible language, not promising wins or misrepresenting bonuses using confusing or misleading terms.
Once an affiliate site forms a partnership with a gambling site, the affiliate then lists an exclusive sign-up link or bonus link to the gambling site; if a consumer uses the link and deposits, the affiliate gets a small percentage or an agreed fixed payout. Affiliate revenue makes it possible for these sites to function and eventually profit, but it can also encourage bad behaviour on the part of a small section of affiliates looking only to monetise the process.
What counts as bad behaviour on the part of an affiliate site? In most cases, it would be as innocent as bumping the review score of average gambling sites to get a higher click-through rate or not adhering to fact-checking processes. We’re not talking about major infringements because the self-governing system (which sees the gambling sites regulate their partners) works to keep affiliates in check.
Affiliation does not go hand in hand with complacency
Aside from the regulatory ecosystem (which ensures gambling sites only partner with responsible affiliates), to successfully beat Google’s algorithms and rank highly – which is the number 1 goal of affiliate sites, as it means earning commissions – you need to add something to the information already available on Google.
When writing reviews, affiliates have to be authoritative and knowledgeable, proving they’ve used the product, as well as keeping all the information up to date. In short, they’ve got to show they are a genuine site making legitimate recommendations based on thorough research.
In a saturated gambling market like the UK, most affiliates are genuinely working hard to stand out from the crowd and assist players in getting a better gambling experience.
Comparison sites like Best Bingo Sites are a great example. This platform makes it easy for consumers to differentiate between their options and compare bingo platforms. Best Bingo Sites will continue to grow and carve a space in the market if it continues publishing information on the latest trends, industry news, new bingo site launches and insider recommendations, and making new affiliate partnerships.
For affiliate sites to stay current, there needs to be an active team or at least a manager running the site. They need to keep on top of the latest games being developed by software providers and growing trends among bingo players. Some of the most recent examples in the bingo world include the new demographic of bingo players creating a woke version of bingo lingo that sees number 83 become “Gluten-Free” and “Two Fat Ladies, number 88” transform into “Wills and Kate”.
Other areas include new bingo styles and game themes, Slingo releases, chat games, bonus options, new slots and everything in between. Staying on top of the latest trends will guide the team in creating up-to-date content that meets user intent and naturally ranks on search engine results pages.
Goals and growth
Another way the affiliate system avoids complacency is that it’s a goal-driven industry with growth predictions to meet, a budget, and a content plan for each site. Affiliate sites set goals for the number of unique visitors to the site per day or the quantity of new content being published – everything is planned and benchmarked.
Understanding the importance of safety
The younger generation of online gamblers is more safety aware than ever before. Responsible gambling is very important to them. According to research by Lane Travellers, “77% of Gen Z are more likely to consider a casino they feel wants them to live a sustainable lifestyle.”
To appropriately target the market and make correct recommendations, affiliates need to understand the importance of safer gambling from the player’s perspective and the regulatory rules to successfully forge affiliate partnerships.
Great bingo affiliate sites include information that can help players gamble responsibly. This includes information on gambling tools and resources to learn more. It is also essential to be aware that there are ways in which safer gambling tools can fail. For example, there’s been an ongoing call for responsible gambling tools to be redesigned after research found that they may cause players to set fewer deposit limits.
Staying ahead of the competition, bridging the gap between casinos and consumers, and educating players in these areas is part of the job description for responsible affiliates.
Do affiliates need licensing?
With most affiliates doing a stand-up job, introducing a licensing regime may only mean raising the barriers to entry for new and innovative sites that are trying to break into the market. In the long run, this may also affect the overall quality of affiliate sites, as competition and innovation are stifled.
While RAiG’s official position is to “support in principle” a licensing regime, they also recognise that the voluntary monitoring in place already does the job, concluding that if a licensing regime is brought in, it “need not be expensive nor burdensome given that this approach is designed to supplement an already extensive range of regulations.”
The post Have Bingo Affiliates Become Complacent? appeared first on iGaming.org.