News

The Outlook for UK iGaming Affiliate Marketing in 2021

Published

3 years ago

September 3, 2020

Photo credits: shutterstock_1118068061

The iGaming industry can be quite lucrative for affiliates who know how to make the most out of available affiliate programs. UK online gambling brands from sportsbooks to casinos and everything in between rely on all types of online and offline advertising strategies to acquire and retain customers. Affiliate marketing is one such strategy that has evolved in importance over the years. This evolution is likely to continue in 2021.

Even though 2020 has been a rather rocky year due to COVID-19, iGaming affiliate marketing share in 2021 has the potential to grow with new online UK bookmakers establishing (and big-name online UK bookmakers re-establishing) a foothold in the profitable football betting market. Already, brand new bookies are starting to appear with the 2020/21 sports season set to begin. These new bookies mean the potential for more affiliate marketing opportunities because affiliate programs tend to be one of the most cost-effective methods for acquiring new customers.

Affiliate marketing spend has increased over the years

For sportsbooks and casinos, over the last decade, affiliate marketing has become an increasingly important marketing strategy for expanding their online reach to attract new punters via desktop and mobile channels.

According to a Regulus Partners report, in the past few years there has been massive growth in UK gambling online marketing spend, which increased form £376 million in 2014 to £725 million in 2017. As such, it comes as no surprise that this same report found that there was also notable growth in Affiliate marketing spend, with an increase from £274 million in 2014 to £295 million in 2017. This is quite the jump considering that affiliate marketing typically tends to be one of the least expensive forms of advertising.

It is highly probably that these figures will continue to climb higher into next year as more of Britain’s gamblers choose to bet online out of convenience, ease of mobile access and the pandemic crisis.

Current iGaming Affiliate restrictions

Presently, gambling online in the UK is at an all time high. According to the UK Gambling Commission’s gambling industry statistics covering the period between October 2018 and September 2019, gross gambling yield has grown. More specifically, some of the biggest increases have been seen in the remote (online) betting, bingo and casino markets. Focusing on betting specifically, the total gross gambling yield for remote betting during this time period was £2.1 billion, a 4.3% increase from April 2018 – May 2019.

However, while this may be good news for gambling operators and their affiliates, a growing concern about increased problem gambling and gambling addiction in the country, has lead to a call for tighter regulations to be placed on operators, specifically restrictions regarding advertising.

This isn’t the first time that restrictions have been placed on UK gambling-related advertising, including iGaming affiliate marketing. Three years ago, tighter regulations were placed on operators, making them liable for the actions of their affiliate partners to help try and curb advertising misleading information. This has resulted in betting firms being hit with fines rather than their affiliates when their affiliates advertised misleading information about the firm’s promotions.

These stricter guidelines were designed to motivate gambling operators to encourage their affiliates to stick to advertising regulations, otherwise the operator would be held responsible if the advertising was found to be in breach of Gambling Commission rules. As a direct result of these rules, some firms closed their affiliate programs altogether, including Sky Bet, who didn’t want to take a chance with untrustworthy affiliates.

What the future could hold for iGaming affiliates

However, in spite of the current affiliate marketing regulation responsibilities placed on operators, some feel that this is not enough. It is possible that, in the future, the UK government may take the next step and regulate iGaming affiliates directly. If this should occur, it could mean that affiliates would be required to register or license their operations before deals can be made to promote legal sportsbooks.

These changes could impact affiliates by introducing new:

Regulation costs – A fee may need to be paid by affiliates to be regulated.
Legal requirements – Affiliates would be required to ensure regulatory compliance, meaning that if they breach rules they would also be subject to a fine along with the operator.
Increased acquisitions – Smaller affiliates are not likely to survive with the new regulatory changes, making it easier for larger affiliates to purchase them, reducing competition.

There is no question that if the Gambling Commission chooses to crack down further on affiliate marketing, this would have an effect on iGaming affiliate market share in the future. However, as it stands now, with new online bookmakers popping up onto the scene and the new football season ready to start, the outlook seems bright for iGaming affiliates in 2021.

Related Topics:affiliate marketing iGaming industry UK online gambling brands

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Affiliate Success

Fiat & Crypto: King Billy players get the best of both worlds

Published

4 hours ago

March 20, 2023

George Miller

Fiat & Crypto: King Billy players get the best of both worlds

See how the casino players can deposit in crypto and play in fiat.

Since the dawn of e-gaming robust payment systems have been crucial for the success of any online casino, as they are a key factor in creating a positive and satisfying gaming experience. Moreover, the availability of different payment options allows players to choose the method that works best for them, whether it be classical fiat money or cryptocurrency.

But is it possible for an operator to give its players the best of both worlds, fiat and crypto at once? Yes, it is, with the King Billy feature “deposit in crypto, play in fiat”. The concept is simple. A casino player deposits in crypto (choosing among 4 cryptocurrencies King Billy supports). Then, the system automatically shows them their balance in the currency of their choice (among the 14 currencies King Billy supports, used by more than 3 billion people worldwide). When the players withdraw, their transaction takes place back in crypto.

What are the advantages of this system? Ruslan Legenzov, King Billy Casino Head of Affiliates (or “Lord of Affiliates” as the internal etiquette demands) has the answers: “Good things come in threes, and there are certainly 3 very good things about our “deposit in crypto, play in fiat” feature.

First of all, depositing in crypto means less hassle and paperwork for the player and elimination of the dreaded “transaction not coming through” issue. This has been a problem and actually a torment for many of our players in remote areas of the world. As a global casino, we are happy to act in ways that give peace of mind to our players.

Secondly, this system offers a greater player experience to the King Billy Citizens and Nobles, as they can now take advantage of our numerous promotions and offers in fiat. For example, players who deposit in crypto can now participate in our extremely popular fiat-only “Slot of the Month” offer, that’s been a staple of our casino since our launch.

Finally, with “deposit in crypto, play in fiat” our players, especially the not so cryptocurrency-savvy have a much clearer understanding of their wins or losses. I am sure that a player, let’s say from Vietnam, prefers to see, in real time, how much his slot win is worth in the Vietnamese Dong than running in parallel a crypto converter tool to do the math!”

Well said and well done your Majesty.

For those interested in the “deposit in crypto, play in fiat” feature, King Billy Casino accepts the following currencies: Euro (€), US Dollar ($), Canadian Dollar (C$), Australian Dollar (A$), New Zealand Dollar (NZ$), Norwegian Krone (kr), Indian Rupee (₹), South African Rand (R), Vietnamese dong (₫), Indonesian rupiah (Rp), Malaysian ringgit (RM), Thai baht (฿) and the Philippine peso (₱). King Billy also accepts the following cryptocurrencies: Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Litecoin (LTC) and Tether (USDT).

King Billy Casino is a new-generation online casino, launched on St. Patrick’s Day in 2017. It is available in 4 languages (English, German, French and Finnish) and it has an impressive record in awards with 25 wins, shortlists and other distinctions, and an amazing variety of features and games. King Billy has prioritized the creation of a superb user experience, focusing on the myth of King Billy and his Kingdom and treats all players with the specialness they deserve.

London Affiliate Conference

Records tumble as iGB Affiliate London grows attendance by 40% with delegates travelling from 101 nations

Published

1 week ago

March 10, 2023

George Miller

Records tumble as iGB Affiliate London grows attendance by 40% with delegates travelling from 101 nations

The 2023 edition of iGB Affiliate London has broken all records with more attendees travelling from more countries than at any time in the event’s history. The number of unique show visitors attending iGB Affiliate London ’23 totaled 5,763 a 40% uplift on the April 2022 edition (4,116) and 19% ahead of 2020 (4,844) which was the last edition of iGB Affiliate London to take place prior to Covid. The number of visitor days which measures return visits, stands at 7,176.

The brand’s impressive international credentials were once again in evidence with visitors travelling to London from 101 nations – the first time that iGB Affiliate London has broken through the symbolic ‘three figures’ for international representation.

With every show metric in positive territory Portfolio Director Naomi Barton expressed her thanks to the entire iGB Affiliate community for its support and for helping to make the 2023 edition so successful. She stated: “We’ve worked in partnership with colleagues active in the iGaming Affiliate sector to deliver an event that provides what the industry requires across all fronts.

“Our focus was to deliver on our pledge to provide delegates with access to new business strategies, new thinking, new trends, new technologies and new content, in the process keeping the iGB Affiliate London proposition fresh and compelling.”

“This edition of iGB Affiliate London was physically the largest on record and the continued demand for space from both new and existing exhibitors underlines the fact that iGB Affiliate London is regarded by our stakeholders -who are based throughout the world – as being their flagship event.”

“Significantly 24% of attendees were making their first appearance at iGB Affiliate London with 1 in 10 affiliate visitors new to gambling. The ability to bring new people into the igaming affiliate space represents an important attribute of the brand.”

Away from the exhibition show floor a total of 450 sector professionals attended the prestigious iGB Affiliate Awards which recognized the ‘best of the best’ across 19 categories. Better Collective Co-founders, Jesper Søaard (CEO) and Christian Kirk Rasmussen (COO) were awarded with the blue riband ‘Affiliate Idol – Lifetime Achievement Award’ for their successful contributions to the industry.

On receiving the Award Jesper Søgaard, Co-founder and CEO said: “I speak for Christian too, when I say that it is an incredibly humbling feeling to not only have been considered but chosen to receive the Affiliate Idol Award. Christian and I may have laid the foundation for something great but without our dedicated colleagues, Better Collective would not be where it is today. I am very honoured but also trust that with our vision to become the Leading Digital Sports Media Group, ‘the best has yet to come’.”

The Affiliate Awards sponsors comprised V.Partners (Stage Sponsor), Safe Affiliates Programs (Photobooth), YGAM (Safer Gambling) and Trueplay (NFT).

Awards

Casino Guru Awards invites you to watch the live ceremony on February 22

Published

4 weeks ago

February 20, 2023

George Miller

Casino Guru Awards invites you to watch the live ceremony on February 22

The Casino Guru Awards Ceremony is just a week away with the grand date set for Wednesday, February 22 at 13:00 CET. The event will take place online and reunite casino experts and companies, distinguishing them for their efforts and hard work in making the gambling industry a safer place for everyone.

Casino Guru Awards 2023 will reveal the names of the winners of each of the seven categories online during a YouTube live stream hosted by the team. During the event, each of the seven categories will be discussed and a winner – finally announced.

The inaugural edition of the Awards focuses on distinguishing brands across seven core categories that are considered the linchpin of safe and responsible gambling in the industry. Those categories are as follows:

The Fairest Bonus Policy
The Fairest General T&Cs
The Most Impactful Social Responsibility Initiative
The Best Implementation of RG Tools
The Most Transparent Casino
The Most Effective Handling of Complaints Voice of the People

To judge each of the categories, Casino Guru Awards turned to some of the most prominent names in the gambling industry who sat as judges across the panels and sought to distinguish the most worthwhile and deserving gambling companies. The event’s schedule is as follows:

13:00 Event Begins
13:10 Panel with industry expert judges
13:30 Winner of ‘The Most Impactful Social Responsibility Initiative’ category
announced
13:30 Winner of ‘The Best Implementation of RG Tools’ category announced
14:05 Short Break
14:10 Winner of ‘The Most Effective Handling of Complaints’ category announced
14:30 Winner of ‘The Fairest Bonus Policy’ category announced
14:50 Winner of ‘The Fairest General T&Cs’ category announced
15:10 Winner of ‘The Most Transparent Casino’ category announced
15:30 Short Break
15:35 Winner of the ‘Voice of the People’ category announced

The nominees include prominent operators, international gambling and entertainment giants, safe and responsible gambling specialists, tech and data companies, and others.

Apart from the seven core categories judged by the expert list of specialists, Casino Guru Awards 2023 features a “Voice of the People” category voting for which has been going since December 1, 2023. The category’s winner, driven solely by people’s votes, will also be revealed during the upcoming ceremony next week.

Casino Guru proudly invites you to the Casino Guru Awards 2023 ceremony, which you will be able to attend virtually. Viewers are encouraged to ask questions, and should they want to, open discussions using the Slido platform. Do not miss the biggest iGaming event next week – tune in to watch Casino Guru Awards 2023!