Affiliate Success
First Georgia iGaming Affiliate Conference: What Was Discussed at the Event?

On October 18, Smile-Expo held the first Georgia iGaming Affiliate Conference in Tbilisi. The event was dedicated to the specific nature of online and offline gambling business operations, Georgian gambling market prospects, and casino promotion using affiliate marketing.
The conference brought together casino managers, affiliate network representatives, government officials, webmasters, arbitrage experts, SEO specialists, as well as gambling regulation and taxation professionals.
Speakers’ presentations
Sviatoslav Slaboshpitskiy, Head of SEO at Digital Choo (DC), spoke on the topic: The Art of War in SEO: How to Win the iGaming Niche. The speaker stressed that one should develop niche websites to achieve efficient results. At the same time, it is significant to analyze the response and to evolve resources showing the best performance. Sviatoslav also talked about the rules of SEO team building. The expert recommended entrusting the content creation to single-discipline specialists as well as developing checklists and tutorials for newcomers.
Dmitriy Makarov, CEO at Zlodei Advertising Agency, and Gleb Sanzharevsky, CMO at Zlodei, made a collaborative presentation dedicated to ad placement on YouTube and Twitch. They explained that promotion via influencers could increase conversion better than direct advertising. The experts stressed that user stories and popular memes made ads more fruitful.
Nikola Minkov, CEO at Serpact, examined the application of the so-called Featured Snippets, zero blocks in the search results. According to the speaker, Google provides users with such snippets in 40% of the queries. They allow online resources to generate organic traffic and enhance the click-through rate.
The audience was intrigued by Ketevan Bitskinashvili, Chief Financial Officer at the Ministry of Finance of Georgia. The speaker told them about the special features of the Georgian gambling market regulation. She mentioned that the cost of gambling permissions depended on a venue type, a target region, and a number of installed gambling machines. The same parameters affect tax rates.
Ms. Ketevan stated that Georgia had already issued 214 gambling licenses. 20 casinos are operating in the country now. 10 of them are located in Batumi and its suburbs, 6 in Tbilisi, and one each in Gudauri, Tskhaltubo, Kazbegi, and Sighnaghi.
Giorgi Gvenetadze from Adjarabet raised an issue of online casino customer acquisition. The speaker believes that the core feature of advertising banners used by Georgian casinos is the availability of luxury car images. Besides, promotion messages mostly appeal to senses of beauty, control, and simplicity.
Panel discussion
The conference featured a panel discussion titled ‘Offline and online casinos. Review of tools for the competition for user attention’. It involved:
Shota Amiranashvili, President of the Association of casinos in Adjara;
Levan Kavtaradze, Director of Gaming department at Pokermatch;
Giorgi Gvenetadze, Head of Product Marketing Department at Adjarabet;
Lavrentiy Gubin from Shangri La Casino, an invited guest.
Experts said that primary advantages of land-based casinos included reach experience of the gaming process, expensive surroundings, and staff attentiveness. Virtual gambling platforms are lack of these aspects. Therefore, discussion participants think that offline gambling venues will never shift to the online space.
Speaking about the most in-demand gambling entertainments, specialists highlighted simple and user-friendly games like roulettes. Moreover, they noted that poker was becoming less popular because of the high buy-in. Currently, we can see a crypto casino trend, as such platforms ensure anonymity.
Participants also focused on the state regulation of the gambling market. According to them, countries failing to regulate the gambling business lose money that could go to the government budget as taxes. One more fact specified: gambling advertising bans give an impetus to look for new audience engagement channels.
Afterparty
The conference ended with a party. Guests, speakers, exhibitors, and sponsors were able to enjoy live music, Georgian sweets, beverages, and snacks. The afterparty allowed participants to communicate in a relaxed atmosphere and establish useful business contacts.
We express our gratitude to the Afterparty Sponsor, NOFLEAD gambling resource, helping to carry out the afterparty in an extremely comfortable environment.
Sponsors, exhibitors, and participants
Companies offering various iGaming goods and services introduced their solutions and services in the exhibition area. Event sponsors were exhibitors as well.
Badge and Bag Sponsor: Digital Choo, an international marketing agency with deep expertise in gaming.
Exhibition Area Sponsor: SoftGamings, a provider of advanced В2В solutions for online casinos.
Afterparty Sponsor: NOFLEAD, an online gambling resource aimed at both beginners and experienced gamblers.
Lanyard Sponsor: ZLODEI, an advertising agency with deep expertise in native advertising.
By the way, attendees were able to examine a stand by IBCCS TAX, an international company providing a wide range of fiduciary services.
Another event participant was Partners.io, an affiliate network for cryptocurrency gambling programs.
The Smile-Expo team expresses its gratitude to sponsors, speakers, and exhibitors for participation in the conference. We look forward to seeing you at the next events dedicated to gambling and affiliate marketing.
Affiliate Success
Casino Guru brings home ‘Casino Affiliate of the Year’ accolade at SBC Awards Europe

The SBC Awards Europe have crowned winners across dozens of categories during the June 12 event at the Hilton Malta in San Ġiljan, Malta, featuring 400 guests, and some of the industry’s best and brightest.
As SBC Awards Europe sought to distinguish the best operators, affiliates, suppliers, payments and game developers across the European sports betting & gaming industry, Casino Guru is proud to announce that the company has won the ‘Casino Affiliate of the Year’ accolade, a distinction that has exemplified the hard work that the team behind the project have put into creating the world’s most complex casino gaming resource.
Casino Guru overcame a competitive field of contestants, proving once again that the company is committed to maintaining its status as a leader in helping players make informed decisions.
Besides developing a highly effective Safety Index that combines big data with human expertise, Casino Guru has also become a foremost authority on complaint resolutions within the iGaming sector, having returned more than $40,000,000 to players, and thus establishing the website as more than an affiliate.
Commenting on this distinction, Casino Guru Daniela Sliva, PR & Creative Projects Director at Casino Guru said: “Winning the SBC Awards Europe in the ‘Casino Affiliate of the Year’ category further reaffirms Casino Guru’s status as the leading authority in complaint resolution, casino evaluation, and helping players make committed decisions. Our brand holds a 360-degree view of the iGaming sector in which we operate, incorporating responsible gambling, a proactive approach, and an uncompromising commitment to stringent evaluation criteria.”
Casino Guru has consistently built an affiliate model that goes beyond simple deal-making, placing an uncompromising focus on players and helping them make informed decisions.
Furthermore, Casino Guru has repeatedly strengthened and enhanced its reviewing practices to guarantee fair general terms and conditions, as well as bonus terms and conditions that benefit the players.
Casino Guru is an outlier in the industry by proactively reaching out to casinos and encouraging them to improve their terms and conditions in order to ensure that players are playing safely and responsibly.
The latest win at the SBC Awards Europe is yet another testament to the tireless efforts dedicated to making iGaming safer for players every day.
Affiliate Success
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

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.
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