Affiliate Success
Income Access Releases Survey Report on State of Play in Affiliate Marketing
Results show that 86% of respondents have mobile sites with corresponding traffic on the rise
Montreal, QC. 7th March 2018 – Income Access, Paysafe’s marketing and technology services provider, has released a new survey report, entitled State of Play: iGaming’s Affiliate Marketing Industry. The report includes statistical and anecdotal insights on the current state of the affiliate marketing industry as well as expectations for 2018 and what trends will define the months ahead.
More than 20 survey questions cover a range of topics, including mobile traffic and optimisation, preferred advertising models, verticals and markets of interest, factors when considering an operator partner and more. The full report is available for download on the Income Access website.
Questions related to mobile and promotional strategies were among the most revealing. 86% of affiliates said that they currently run a mobile site and 77% selected content (i.e. online site reviews, sports news, etc.) as a key promotional strategy. For the latter point, other popular promotional strategies include banner adverts with sign-up offers (55%) and Twitter accounts with trackable links (30%).
Casino (44%), sportsbook (36%), poker (31%) and bingo (27%) were identified as the top four verticals that affiliates are considering promoting in the future. eSports (25%), lottery (21%) and social gaming (21%) also showed signs of long-term affiliate interest.
Income Access compared several results to a separate 2016 affiliate survey – also conducted by Income Access – that addressed many of the same topics and questions. This comparison showed an increase from 20% to 39% of affiliates who said that more than 50% of their traffic arrived from mobile devices. For verticals, the number of affiliates who selected bingo as a current focus rose from 17% in 2016 to 40% in 2017. Casino was the top current vertical of focus at 75%.
Several affiliates provided personal and anecdotal commentary about the current state of affiliate marketing, expectations regarding the affiliate channel’s evolution and the most important questions affiliates will ask themselves in 2018.
Through the Income Access Network, iGaming’s longest-serving independent affiliate network, Income Access is in daily contact with leading industry affiliates across an array of verticals and markets. With its suite of digital marketing services, including affiliate programme management, media buying, SEM, ASO and content marketing, Income Access has also gained in-depth knowledge of the tools and strategies leveraged by iGaming industry stakeholders.
Lorenzo Pellegrino, CEO of Income Access and Digital Wallets at Paysafe, said: “With the survey report, Income Access set out to evaluate the state of the industry through the eyes of affiliates. What we found was a mix of consistency, which can be seen in results for the leading markets and verticals, and evolution. Increased interest in bourgeoning verticals such as eSports and Lottery is a great sign for the industry. That affiliates are making a conscious effort to be strategic with their content development is similarly encouraging.”
For more information about the survey report, please contact Income Access.
About Income Access
Founded in 2002, Income Access is a technology company, affiliate network and digital marketing agency servicing the global gaming market, including regulated iGaming, social gaming, land-based casinos and online financial trading (forex, binary options). Through its award-winning marketing software and a partnership-centric approach, Income Access delivers comprehensive data and strategic insight on marketing campaigns across all digital and offline channels.
In September 2016, Income Access was acquired by Paysafe Group, the company behind the digital wallet brands NETELLER and Skrill. Income Access is partnered with over 300 gaming brands worldwide. These include: Betfred, Bet Victor, BGO Group, Caesars Interactive, Coral, Gala Interactive, IGT’s Lottomatica, Jackpotjoy, Lottoland, Pinnacle, PMU, Sportingbet, Stan James, and TwinSpires.
About Paysafe
Paysafe is a leading global provider of end-to-end payment solutions. Our core purpose is to enable businesses and consumers to connect and transact seamlessly through our industry-leading capabilities in payment processing, digital wallets and online cash solutions. Delivered through an integrated platform, our solutions are geared towards mobile-initiated transactions, real-time analytics and the convergence between bricks-and-mortar and online payments. With over 20 years of online payment experience, a combined transactional volume of US$48 billion in 2016 and over 2,600 staff located in 12 global locations, Paysafe connects businesses and consumers across 200 payment types in over 40 currencies around the world.
Affiliate Success
ReferOn Shortlisted for “European Corporate Services Supplier” Category at EGR EUROPE Awards 2026
ReferOn, the next-gen affiliate management platform, has been named on the EGR Europe Awards 2026 shortlist in the “European Corporate Services Supplier” category, recognising the platform’s solutions that help real operators with their operations and growth.
Continuing 2025’s Momentum
The nomination reflects a busy 2025 for ReferOn, one that was highlighted by significant product updates, rapid growth, and an ascent to becoming one of the most recognised affiliate management platforms in the industry.
Going into the new year, the ReferOn team has ambitious plans to accelerate this positive momentum by scaling alongside its growing partner base with advancements to its product vision around clarity, transparency, and ease of use. The EGR Europe Awards 2026 marks a pivotal start to 2026, and an award win demonstrates that the platform’s direction truly resonates with operators and affiliate managers worldwide.
Refie’s Human Impact
Refie, the platform’s human layer, transcends a mere surface-level companion. It hops around dashboards and workflows, providing relevant assistance, such as fixing reward logic, identifying anomalies, and making suggestions to the user.
In 2026, ReferOn plans to enhance Refie’s functionality with advanced platform gamification, engaging users and transforming how affiliate managers interact with their day-to-day operations. These developments will pave the way for personalised, smart intelligence on the platform and set an industry standard for affiliate tech.
Alex Bukin, General Manager, commented on the nomination and plans for 2026, “ReferOn made great strides in the past year, with major product developments, key recruitments, and a rapidly growing partner base. With this growth, our expectations have risen, and we want to establish ourselves as a platform that accelerates affiliate tech across the board. Being nominated for the ‘European Corporate Services Supplier’ category solidifies our ambition and is a meaningful start to our new year. With Refie driving more innovation, we look forward to driving our goal of transparency, clarity, and customer-facing features even further.”
Affiliate Success
ReferOn Wins Prestigious “Best Affiliate Software 2025” at SiGMA Central Europe B2B Awards
A milestone achievement as ReferOn continues to impress
ReferOn, the next-generation affiliate management platform, has taken the title of “Best Affiliate Software 2025” at the SiGMA Central Europe B2B Awards, held in Rome.
The award recognises ReferOn’s rapid growth in becoming a leader in iGaming. It distinguishes the platform for its cutting-edge architecture, exceptional product innovations, and measurable impact on affiliate operations.
Redefining Affiliate Management
In a short amount of time since its inception, ReferOn has become one of the most recognised names in affiliate technology, leading the way by creating user-centric features that help the real needs of affiliate managers.
The platform recorded rapid adoption, supporting an influx of tens of thousands of affiliates and millions of clicks while continuously evolving and growing with new features and refinements. The platform’s approach to innovation and user-facing experiences is its new living interface, Refie. Refie brings awareness and human-like interaction to the platform, helping make affiliate operations more personable and accessible.
Building Beyond the Standard
Alex Bukin, General Manager at ReferOn, commented on the win, “This award is more than recognition. It empowers and validates our team, encouraging us never to stop building. At ReferOn, we always aim to shape how affiliate marketing should work. At its core, it should be simple, transparent, and powerful. Every new integration and feature comes from a team that deeply understands the product and what real affiliate managers need. This helps us refine our platform to be the best it can be. And we’re only getting started!”
Continued Momentum
ReferOn’s win at SiGMA Central Europe marks another significant achievement. In 2025, the platform conducted multiple migrations and released groundbreaking features to transform affiliate operations. Its sights are set on 2026 — a year that will be focused on product refinements, sustainable growth through key industry partnerships, and delivering more key solutions for real affiliate managers.
Affiliate Success
Casino Guru secures SiGMA Central Europe B2C Awards’ Best Affiliate 2025 distinction
Casino Guru has won the “Best Affiliate 2025” category at the SiGMA Central Europe B2C Awards, distinguishing the company’s efforts in delivering the best online casino database and guiding players to the safest casinos of their choice.
Via Tuscolana hosted the ceremony on Tuesday, November 4, in Rome, Italy, distinguishing a number of companies, among which was Casino Guru, which secured the landmark accolade for itself.
Commenting on the win, Casino Guru’s Head of Casino Research, Matej Novota, said: “Winning the Best Affiliate 2025 award at the SiGMA Central Europe B2C Awards is a meaningful milestone for us as we approach the end of the year. At Casino Guru, we are honored to be recognized in this category. Our mission has always been to build the world’s most comprehensive online casino database and to offer impartial insights that empower players to make informed decisions. This award strengthens our resolve to continue serving as a trusted bridge between players and operators, while upholding the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and fairness in everything we do.”
Casino Guru has been awarded for its unflagging commitment to providing players with the most reliable up-to-date information about casinos and bonuses.
At its core, Casino Guru is committed to making the gambling industry safer and promoting best practices in Responsible Gaming. The company plays an active role in shaping these standards, drawing on its extensive experience, expertise, and firmly held values of fairness, integrity, and transparency.
Platforms such as the Global Self-Exclusion Initiative and Casino Guru Academy have been created to foster a better understanding of Responsible Gambling and how players and industry professionals can leverage it to their benefit.
Notably, the Casino Guru Awards have become a trend-setter in actively encouraging change on the part of industry stakeholders, and distinguishing deserving individuals and companies across numerous categories, such as Rising Star in Responsible Gambling, Most Impactful Social Responsibility Initiative, Fairest Bonus Policy, Industry Culture Shaper, and more.
Casino Guru has worked tirelessly, developing the world’s most complicated ranking system, the Safety Index, which carefully examines each casino’s offer, focusing on criteria favored by players, and issues an objective score that is also regularly updated.
Besides the Safety Index, Casino Guru has launched and maintains a world-beating independent adjudication service, the Complaint Resolution Center, which has returned more than $50m to players, including closing cases that involved more than $1m disputed by a single player.
Casino Guru is proud to receive the latest accolade from the SiGMA Central Europe B2C Awards, celebrating the company’s commitment to making gambling safer and better for everyone out there.
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