Affiliates and the resurgence of online bingo

Published

6 years ago

June 11, 2019

Affiliates and the resurgence of online bingo

Thomas Jones, founder of NewBingoSites.net, says millennials present a huge opportunity for affiliates but they must overhaul their propositions to engage this lucrative demographic

Online bingo is enjoying a resurgence in play among UK consumers and is proving to be particularly popular with younger players and millennials.

A recent survey by Wink Bingo found that 65% of UK bingo players are under the age of 44 with 35% of them falling between the ages of 25 and 34.

These players are drawn to the simple nature of the game, the community aspect it offers

and it being a natural fit for smartphone and tablet play.

Unlike other casino games such as blackjack and poker it requires no skill and while it is a game of chance, it is not held in the same regard as slots.

Indeed, many put bingo in the same category as lottery, which also enjoys mass market appeal.

The simple nature of the bingo – much of which is automated when played online – is combined with a sense of community and entertainment.

Most operators offer live chat and forum facilities, and the various themes and brands mark out bingo as an inclusive and fun pass time.

The opportunity presented by this resurgence in online bingo play is not going unnoticed by operators; 888 recently snapped up Costa Bingo from Jackpot Joy Group for £18million.

This perhaps unexpected trend also throws up tremendous upsides for online bingo affiliates who now have a new demographic of player to go after.

But millennials are a savvy bunch, and affiliates will need to really up their game if they are to engage them and build the trust required for them to make a buying decision.

This is going to mean taking a new approach to the design and layout of their sites, via the content they create and publish and the channels through which they communicate.

These are some of the things they must consider and deploy:

Sleek and stylish design:

Affiliates provide the information, insight and entertainment that helps players to decide where and what to play.

With this in mind, it is important to look at other affiliate publishers that have high levels of millennial engagement outside of the gambling sector to see what does and doesn’t work.

This could mean prioritising content over bingo sites listings; this has not been the case in the past but could prove key to engaging younger audiences now.

Consideration must also be given to how easy it is for users to navigate and explore the site, especially from smartphones and tablets (more on this later).

High value content:

Affiliates must also overhaul their content strategies – it is simply not good enough to publish a handful of reviews and a small library of bingo guides.

Millennials wish to be educated and entertained, so the content created and published must reflect this and include things like news, features, interviews and reports.

It is also important to take into account the type of content that is being created – this should go beyond the written word to video clips and even audio blasts and podcasts.

The content itself needs to be of the highest quality and provide significant value to the reader. If it doesn’t, affiliates will fail to build trust with younger audiences.

Ramp up activity on social media:

Affiliates spend a great deal of time, and money, on ensuring they rank highly in the SERPs and while this is still important, there are other ways of tapping into millennial audiences.

Social media is hugely important in this regard, and affiliates must have a presence on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

But they must do more than share links back to their articles and reviews.

To truly win on these channels, they should become part of conversations and have something meaningful to contribute.

In addition to this, they should also think about working with social media influencers as they provide easy access to younger audiences and have a huge impact on their decision to buy.

Mobile, mobile, mobile:

It goes without saying that all of the above must be deployed with a mobile first mentality, from design to content via being active on social media.

Millennials and younger audiences live their lives via their smartphones and tablets and products and services (such as affiliates) that don’t work on mobile will not be engaged with.

This means affiliates must think about how their sites are designed – no excessive swiping and scrolling – as well as the approach they take to content – short and snappy.

For social media, think about new ways of creating content – perhaps video reviews for Instagram stories – and ensure it still engages, educates and entertains.

Doing all of the above is no easy task, but given the increasing popularity of online bingo, particularly among millennials, the rewards for those that get it right are set to be huge.

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ReferOn Wins Prestigious “Rising Star Provider of the Year” Category at the AffPapa Awards 2025

Published

3 days ago

June 4, 2025

George Miller

ReferOn Wins Prestigious “Rising Star Provider of the Year” Category at the AffPapa Awards 2025

‍ReferOn, a state-of-the-art affiliate management system, has won the “Rising Star Provider of the Year” title at the 2025 AffPapa Awards — a milestone that recognises the platform’s bold innovation and rapid growth in the affiliate tech space.‍

This award reflects ReferOn’s ability to deliver fast, transparent and scalable affiliate solutions that answer key industry demands. The category highlights the best rising companies in the iGaming and affiliate marketing industries, celebrating innovation and problem-solving solutions.

The AffPapa Awards is an annual event that recognises greatness in iGaming. The ceremony celebrates developments and innovations among affiliates, operators and B2B providers who have raised the bar and set new standards.

‍Vladyslav Bondarenko, ReferOn’s Head of Product, commented on the achievement, “ReferOn wasn’t built to impress, it was built to solve. From day one, we challenged how affiliate platforms should work, look and feel — because the existing ones simply didn’t. More than a win, this award highlights the value of asking the right questions and building with purpose.”

2025 has been a crucial year for ReferOn, with the company receiving widespread industry recognition and implementing core product developments. Heading into Q3 and Q4, ReferOn is preparing a range of new features and enhancements focused on elevating the user experience and streamlining affiliate operations. The team will travel to iGB Live in London this July ready to share what’s next, meet with partners and discuss how ReferOn is refining affiliate management.

Affiliate Success

Casino Guru shortlisted in 2 categories for iGB Affiliate Awards 2025

Published

2 weeks ago

May 22, 2025

George Miller

Casino Guru shortlisted in 2 categories for iGB Affiliate Awards 2025

Casino Guru has been shortlisted for the iGB Affiliate Awards 2025, joining a competitive field of contestants in the “Best Casino Affiliate” category and the “Safer Gambling Initiative of the Year.”

The iGB Affiliate Awards recognize companies in the iGaming affiliate space that have demonstrated their value through a range of initiative. This is reflected by the event’s coverage of more than 20 award categories.
Casino Guru is honored to have been shortlisted in two categories for one of the most prestigious industry events that celebrates advances in the affiliate industry and iGaming sector as a whole, and particularly in two areas where Casino Guru particularly excels.

Casino Guru has developed the world’s most comprehensive and meticulously detailed database, which actively evaluates the standing of individual casinos by scrutinizing dozens of different criteria for each listing.
These criteria are dynamic, meaning that Casino Guru is constantly reviewing offers to accurately assign ratings.
The resulting assessment is based on technological, legal, and industry knowledge, helping players make informed choices about their gambling.

Daniela Sliva, Public Relations and Creative Projects Director, said: “The shortlisting reflects Casino Guru’s ongoing commitment to upholding the highest industry standards. The Safety Index and Casino Guru Complaint Resolution Center have consistently delivered real-world impact for players, enhancing transparency and responsibility across the sector by showing operators that when it comes to their offers, it’s the players who decide. At Casino Guru, we ensure that players have all the information they need to make informed decisions. Being shortlisted for the prestigious iGB Affiliate Awards confirms that we’re on the right track.”

Casino Guru is also distinguished for its ongoing commitment to the Gamtegrity platform, which reunites the company’s efforts to make gambling safer and more transparent by advancing research, education, and best practices.

The official ceremony will be held at the Troxy, East London, on July 3, 2025. The iGB Affiliate Awards will be held on the final day of the iGB Live 2025 conference.

Affiliate Success

EEGS Webinar: Affiliates Face New Demands in Balancing Compliance and Conversion

Published

3 weeks ago

May 19, 2025

George Miller

On May 13th, the Eastern European Gaming Summit (EEGS) hosted a dedicated affiliate webinar exploring one of the most pressing challenges in iGaming today: how affiliates can stay commercially effective while adopting an increasingly responsible role in player protection. The session, titled “Balancing Compliance and Conversion: The Affiliate’s Role in Responsible Gaming” featured Gjorgje Ristikj, Founder of Gamblers Connect and Co-Founder & CEO of RankRadar, as keynote speaker.

The conversation unfolded against a backdrop of intensifying regulatory oversight and market saturation, highlighting the transformation of the affiliate segment into an essential part of the iGaming ecosystem. As emphasized during the discussion, affiliates are no longer peripheral actors but full-fledged digital media businesses, operating with considerable investment in content, compliance, analytics, and brand credibility.

Ristikj pointed out that modern affiliates are increasingly absorbing roles traditionally associated with internal marketing teams, from advanced SEO operations and audience segmentation to responsible gaming communications and transparency standards. These shifts are not merely cosmetic. As the speaker noted, operators now rely on affiliates not only to acquire traffic but to reinforce brand integrity, especially in competitive or newly regulated markets.

One of the core themes discussed was the growing expectation for affiliates to support safe gaming environments, both through the content they produce and the brands they choose to promote. In a concrete example, Ristikj introduced a Responsible Gambling Scoring Index, developed by Gamblers Connect. The tool evaluates operators on the presence of key responsible gaming features and publicly displays a score to inform and empower players. This kind of initiative reflects a broader industry movement to embed responsible gaming principles at every stage of the user journey.

Another major focus was the mounting operational pressure faced by affiliates. While operators remain accustomed to revenue-share partnerships, Ristikj argued that fixed listing fees are becoming necessary to sustain professional affiliate operations. Investment in content, platform development, video production, and tracking infrastructure has significantly raised the cost of doing business, especially as privacy regulations and attribution challenges reduce the reliability of traditional performance models.

The webinar also touched on the emergence of video-driven affiliate strategies and personal branding as a differentiator in a crowded landscape. As new players, many backed by agencies or former operator teams, enter the market with aggressive strategies, trust and transparency are becoming the critical assets for sustainable success.

The session concluded with a clear message: affiliates who want to remain relevant must adapt to a new standard of accountability. That means embedding responsible gaming principles not only as a compliance checkbox but as a core part of the brand experience, something players, regulators, and operators will increasingly expect.

The EEGS Affiliate Webinar is part of a broader initiative by EEGS to provide actionable insights and elevate the strategic role of affiliates in the global iGaming industry.

For those who missed the live session, the on-demand video is now available. You can watch the full session here: https://youtu.be/MJeYZfPI6Rs?si=BVp0yA0Vcpu9FDJx