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Online poker: the biggest winner during the coronavirus pandemic

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The gambling industry has experienced both extremes during the coronavirus pandemic. On one side, land-based casinos and sportsbooks have been hit extremely hard.

The effects of lockdowns, quarantines, travel restrictions and social distancing measures have meant casinos have been forced to close for more than three months – and the financial consequences have been devastating. From Las Vegas to New Jersey, London to Macau – casinos all around the world are posting all-time low revenues.

Similarly, the lockdown of the vast majority of professional sport has seen sportsbooks grind to a halt, with sports betting companies in the United Kingdom and Europe experiencing slumps between 40 and 60 percent since March.

While the return of sport has helped the sector rebound to an extent, the cancellation of Euro 2020 and the Tokyo Olympics have presented other challenges as such major, international events are prime opportunities for sportsbook companies to attract new customers.

However, while land-based casinos and sportsbooks have felt the full force of the Covid-19 outbreak, other areas of the gambling world have thrived.

Online gambling in the United States, the United Kingdom, and mainland Europe has seen a record surge in the past few months as the very reasons that have damaged land-based casinos – such as lockdowns and social distancing – have directly benefited online operations.

For instance, New Jersey recorded record revenues in May for online casino betting, as companies, like BetAmerica, who offers this service profiting from the lockdown. Meanwhile The Stars Group in the UK reported a 92 percent increase in revenue the same month compared to 12 months ago.

While slots and gambling games have seen a major rise during the past few months, the big winner has been online poker.

Three of the four states in the US with legal online poker operations have reported a huge spike in revenues, while the fourth – Nevada – has not released the figures, but one can safely assume that they, too, have experienced an increase.

New Jersey saw online poker revenue jump from $1.57 million in April 2019 to $5.2m 12 months later, while Pennsylvania enjoyed 68 percent and Delaware 48 percent increases when comparing the same two months.

The trends are similar in Europe. In France, for example, online poker revenue is up 44.1 percent compared to the same month last year while UK-based gambling giant 888 has seen its share price surge.

Of all the online gambling games, poker has been uniquely placed to benefit from the current situation.

As friends and family members have been kept apart, poker has been a popular means of socializing. It explains the increased popularity of Poker Stars’ Private Home Games and the rush of competitors to launch similar services.

“It’s only natural. People are stuck at home, they’re bored and even though there are more live poker options starting right now, people are just hesitant to jump right back in because of the health risk implications,” said professional poker player Danielle Andersen.

Then there has been the move online for prestigious professional events which would otherwise have been cancelled or postponed.

It was announced in June that the World Series of Poker – which had been scheduled to take place from May 26 to July 15 at the Rio Convention Center in Las Vegas – would be held online throughout July through to the first week of September.

By taking the 2020 WSOP online, it has also increased the size of the player pool, allowing players from outside the United States to compete for WSOP bracelets.

While poker great Daniel Negreanu said the move online was a “classic case of making the best of it”, it has still allowed professional poker to continue – a luxury many other sports and competitions do not have.

Meanwhile, professional poker’s other flagship event, PokerStars Players No Limit Hold’em Championship, has been canceled.

Aware of the surge in popularity of online poker during these unprecedented times, operators have poured greater investment, marketing, and technology into their poker operations, which will only benefit the game in the long term and help attract and retain more customers.

As life gradually returns to normal, online poker will naturally see a relative decline in interest as millions of people are no longer confined to their homes and professional players are once again able to attend live events.

But what this pandemic has shown is that poker has not only been able to survive under such trying circumstances but has thrived.

Awards

OLBG recognised in iGB Affiliate Awards for Dorking sponsorship

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OLBG recognised in iGB Affiliate Awards for Dorking sponsorship

OLBG, Principal Partner of Dorking Wanderers FC since the start of the 2025/26 season, has received national recognition after their headline sponsorship campaign was shortlisted for Affiliate Campaign of the Year at the 2026 iGB Affiliate Awards.

The nomination celebrates the leading sports betting and casino community’s collaboration with the Surrey-based club. Their partnership has helped shine a wider spotlight on non-league football through fan-focused content, social engagement and community-led activations.

Alongside the Dorking Wanderers campaign nomination, OLBG has also been shortlisted for both Best Sports Betting Affiliate and Best Casino Affiliate, underlining the brand’s continued growth across the wider iGaming industry.

Since announcing the long-term partnership in 2025, OLBG and Dorking Wanderers have launched a range of initiatives designed to bring supporters closer to the club, including branded fan engagement campaigns and social activations that have generated significant traction online.

Founded in 1999, Dorking Wanderers have become one of the most recognisable names in English non-league football following their rapid rise through the pyramid under owner and manager Marc White. The club has built a substantial national following through viral social media clips and documentary-style football content.

The iGB Affiliate Awards are regarded as one of the leading award ceremonies in the global affiliate and online gambling sector, recognising standout campaigns, partnerships and businesses from across the industry.

This year’s winners will be announced at a ceremony on 2 July.

OLBG CEO Richard Moffatt said: “After winning two awards at last year’s iGB Affiliate Awards, it’s fantastic to see OLBG shortlisted again across three categories this year.

As OLBG continues to grow as a broader sports fan engagement brand, it’s been rewarding to see ideas and learnings from partnerships such as Harry Derham Racing continue to evolve across new collaborations.

It’s especially pleasing to see our work with Dorking Wanderers F.C. recognised in the Campaign of the Year category. We were honoured to win this award last year for our partnership with Harry Derham Racing and, much like that collaboration, our work with DWFC has centred around long term storytelling, helping our partners move closer to their ambitions while giving fans a deeper connection to the sport they love.

A huge thank you goes to everyone at Dorking Wanderers F.C., Bunch of Amateurs and the OLBG team whose energy, creativity and commitment have made the partnership such a success.”

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N1 Partners Shortlisted at iGB Affiliate Awards

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N1 Partners was shortlisted for the iGB Affiliate Awards in two categories: “Best Affiliate Program” and “Marketing Campaign of the Year”. 

iGB Affiliate Awards is a prestigious award in the affiliate industry, annually honouring companies and experts who develop the iGaming market, influence its future, and set industry standards. For N1 Partners, these nominations reflect the high results of the past year.

N1 Partners received nominations in two categories at once:

  • Best Affiliate Program

N1 Partners creates the best conditions for partners by providing a portfolio of 14+ betting and casino brands in 10+ Tier-1 GEOs. Moreover, in 2025, the average monthly volume of FTDs driven by partners increased by 150%. This is one of the most striking indicators of company scaling and effectiveness. N1 products are also constantly evolving and expanding, with 4 new brands added in 2025 with high conversion rates and extensive scaling capabilities.

  • Marketing Campaign of the Year

N1 Puzzle Promo has become one of the largest promos in the affiliate industry in 2025, with 350+ partners, reaching over 6 million views in 50+ media. With a prize pool of €500,000 and the main gift, Robinson R22 helicopter, the campaign brought partners from around the world together and provided an opportunity to receive solid rewards for traffic achievements.

At the same time, N1 Partners continues to create competitive mechanics for partners in 2026 — the N1 Traffic Cups tournament series continues to strengthen partner engagement and develop the affiliate community.

This year, the company also launched sports traffic on three brands — N1 Bet, RollXO, and Lucky Hunter — and released a new vertical, Prediction Markets, a betting format for real events with simple “yes/no” mechanics.

Scale your results with N1 Partners:

  • 14+ casino and betting brands with high Reg2Dep
  • 10+ Tier-1 GEOs
  • CPA up to €700 and RevShare up to 55% + NNCO for top affiliates

Be number one with N1!

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Behind the Game What Makes Products Convert

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In iGaming, registration does not bring value — the result appears only when the user makes the first deposit. Therefore, the Reg2Dep metric plays a key role: it shows how much you will earn from each attracted user.

Behind the Game is a series of expert materials where specialists from the N1 Partners affiliate program across different teams break down how strong iGaming products are built from the inside.

In this article, you’ll learn how the product affects Reg2Dep: what helps bring the player to the deposit, where the conversion is lost, and which solutions provide stable growth.

Top 3 must-have factors of a successful iGaming product: what has the strongest impact on Reg2Dep today?

Alignment between the offer and the player’s expectations (shaped by the traffic), including proper game selection in the lobby, plays a major role.

It’s also important to pay attention to bonus policy. The bonus offer must match the audience’s expectations and be easy to understand.

Speed is equally important — everything should be tested, from page loading to payment confirmation. Alignment between the offer and the player’s expectations (shaped by the traffic), including proper game selection in the lobby, also plays a major role.

Top-3 factors that stand out:

  • First, the product must provide the maximum number of local payment methods with high approval rates. 
  • Second, it needs strong retention and VIP retention — achieved through CRM, bonus mechanics, and gamification. 
  • And of course, the foundation is a stable, fast platform without technical issues.

If you want to work right away with products where this system is already well-established and generates stable profit, join N1 Partners!

What do partners need to know when choosing a product and which red flags can’t be ignored?

You should pay attention to all product weaknesses, especially:

  • Low payment approval rates.
  • Confusing or irrelevant bonus terms.
  • Slow support and weak brand reputation in the community.
  • Unstable website performance on mobile devices.

Most often, the quality of the payment infrastructure and the availability of local solutions are underestimated. 

Partners also don’t always consider retention depth and VIP segment management, as well as basic factors like page load speed and product stability.

Which onboarding elements determine whether a player makes the first deposit and where do users most often drop off? 

Players don’t like to wait — fast and simple registration is crucial (1–2 steps, no unnecessary fields). There must also be a clear and understandable welcome offer, and the path to deposit should be direct and fast, with helpful prompts. If these conditions are met, players won’t drop off at the earliest stages.

Convenience is important for players at every stage of the way to the deposit, so the main points of the user loss look like this:

  • At the payment method selection stage.
  • At the data entry stage — if the form is too long or complicated.
  • During redirection to a PSP — especially if there are payment approval issues.
  • At the stage of exploring bonuses or choosing content and games — if the terms or interface are not clear enough.

Which UX changes in N1 Partners projects have recently driven the biggest conversion growth?

The greatest impact came from three areas: increasing the number of local payment solutions, personalising offers immediately after registration based on traffic type, and updating the cashier. 

The new payment area became clearer and more stable for players, which directly improved conversion rates.

How does player behaviour differ across GEOs, and how do N1 Partners products adapt to Tier-1 GEOs?

User behaviour differs significantly depending on the GEO, from preferences in payment methods to the perception of bonuses.

In Tier-1, players are more demanding: product speed, transparent conditions, user-friendly UX, and a wide range of local payment solutions are critical for them.

In Tier-2, users are more sensitive to bonuses and retention mechanics, take longer to make a deposit decision, and react more strongly to the size and terms of the offer.

N1 Partners products adapt to these features through localisation of payment methods, UX development, and gamification.

Which product hypotheses most often drive Reg2Dep growth?

The most consistently effective hypotheses are those focused on simplifying the deposit flow and expanding the list of payment methods. Additional growth comes from personalised welcome offers tailored to the traffic source and type.

Which features of N1 Partners products help achieve high conversion?

A key role is played by strong payment expertise and extensive localisation of payment solutions. Conversion is further boosted by a fast registration form, a flexible bonus system with clear terms, and advanced gamification. All of this is continuously optimised through A/B testing at every stage of the funnel.

To sum up, a high Reg2Dep is the result of a systematically built product: strong payment infrastructure with local methods, fast and intuitive UX, and relevant bonus logic. This combination determines whether traffic turns into revenue.

If you want to drive traffic to strong products designed for players, start working with N1 Partners. The affiliate programme unites 14+ casino and sportsbook brands with high Reg2Dep, operates in 10+ Tier-1 GEOs, and offers competitive scaling conditions — payouts up to €700 CPA for top partners and RevShare up to 55% + NNCO.

Be number one with N1!

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