News

Should affiliates be more honest when reviewing online slot games?

Published

5 years ago

November 18, 2021

Critics are paid to be impartial, they have no qualms about tearing into something they’ve been asked to review, whether that be a brand new box office release, album or video game. So why is it completely different in the world of iGaming?

There aren’t many industries out there that can match ours when it comes to the sheer amount of websites dedicated to one pastime (casinos and online slot games), for every new release there’s a minimum of ten reviews online within days of them arriving in casino lobbies.

Having spent the last year scouring the internet for slot games to critique ahead of their launch, Slot Gods, a comprehensive site dedicated to independent bias free online slot reviews have come to several solid conclusions about the somewhat dishonest business of slot write-ups.

Do some affiliates fear the truth will deny them acquisitions?

In last twelve months the expert team at Slot Gods have spent countless hours surveying the iGaming landscape with a fine-tooth comb, gauging affiliates ‘honest’ opinions on online slot games old and new, it’s certainly not everybody, but the conclusion to be drawn is that there seems to be a genuine fear about being honest when a slot game just isn’t very good.

Many of the reviews the team came across were written in a tone that suggested the game was 100% worth playing, positives were made out of negatives and despite a game’s shortcomings there’s always something that inferred to the reader that the game should definitely be played.

There’s no denying that approaching a review with a positive attitude is a good way to go, but it seems immoral to mislead a player in an industry that requires the end user to open their wallets and deposit money to play a game of chance which they might walk away from with nothing.

Obviously, players aren’t stupid and they know exactly what they’re getting into when they actively choose to gamble their money, but there’s a fine line between selling a game honestly and overselling it to the point in which the truth has been distorted to earn a sign-up.

If it were a table game such as roulette, poker or blackjack then perhaps we wouldn’t complain, because you know exactly what you’re getting with them… But with online slots there are many unique variables, and players have certain boxes a game must tick before they choose to actively play them.

To give some of these offending sites their dues, They never did shy away from giving players the raw data, they all clearly stated the RTP percentage, maximum win potential and volatility within the game specifications… It was just the written content that felt sketchy at times.

It’s understandable why an affiliate (in particular a smaller one) might want to put a little extra shine on a slot game in order to drive their visitors towards a sign-up at the associated casino. In doing so they’re likely going to leave the player with a bad taste in their mouth and a general distrust for the site that recommended it upon discovering the game isn’t exactly as described.

What can affiliates do to make their reviews more trustworthy?

If you’re planning on updating or adding slot reviews to your site then there are a number of things recommended and utilised by Slot Gods that you can do to ensure that your content comes across trustworthy and reliable, these are as follows:

Consistent structure

Make sure you have a consistent and well thought out structure to your reviews. Give players the key information in an order that makes sense to them. Don’t start your review with your personal opinion on how it plays, allow them to read all about the features, the design and other important elements before you summarise.

Most people understand how a review should look, so don’t try and reinvent the wheel and overcomplicate things… Just make sure each and every review is consistent.

Factual information

It almost sounds silly, but before you’ve even begun to write the review please make sure you play the actual game for a minimum of ten minutes, do your best to stick around until you’ve triggered a bonus feature as it makes a big difference to your overall opinion of the slot.

It’s easy to write a review based on the text provided by the developer, but trust us when we say the experience of writing a review based on your own first-hand experience is so much easier.

On that note, we highly recommend that players do not rely on other affiliates for information on a slot, it can be very tempting to check out what they’ve written and take inspiration, however, it’s worth noting that you have no idea whether what they’ve written is correct if you haven’t properly played the game yourself. It’s a risk that won’t pay off.

Demo games and original screenshots

If possible try and include a demo game within the body of your review. Admittedly it makes the entire process of compiling the review a little more complicated and time-consuming, but there’s no trust signal quite as strong as actually giving players the opportunity to play the game before or after they’ve read your review. It adds legitimacy to the page.

If you aren’t in a position to add demo games to your site then consider adding watermarked screenshots, this makes it clear to the user that you’ve taken the time to play the game yourself.

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Affiliate Success

ReferOn Wins “Best Affiliate Management Platform” at the iGB Affiliate Awards 2026

Published

12 hours ago

July 9, 2026

George Miller

ReferOn has been named the Best Affiliate Management Platform at the prestigious iGB Affiliate Awards 2026, marking another major milestone in the company’s growth. Announced live at iGB LIVE, the recognition follows a year of relentless product innovation, customer growth, and a continued focus on simplifying affiliate operations.

Turning Complexity into Clarity

Managing high-volume affiliate programs requires processing millions of data points every day. ReferOn was built to eliminate that complexity through automation, real-time insights, and streamlined workflows.

This year also marked the introduction of Refie, ReferOn’s integrated UX layer. Instead of forcing affiliate managers to navigate complex backend data, Refie turns raw operational data into clear, actionable insights. From onboarding to daily performance tracking, it helps teams spend less time on administration and more time driving strategic growth.

Alex Bukin, CEO of ReferOn, commented: “Winning the iGB Affiliate Award is a remarkable achievement for our entire team. As affiliate programs grow, so does the complexity behind them. From day one, our ambition has been to remove that complexity, so operators can focus on growth instead of operational friction. This recognition reinforces our belief that great B2B technology should be simpler, more intuitive, easier to work with, and built around the people who use it”.

Having secured major industry awards over the past 18 months, — including ‘Affiliate System of the Year’ at AffPapa and ‘Best Affiliate Software’ at SiGMA — ReferOn looks ahead with a roadmap that remains focused on making affiliate management even more intelligent, transparent, and effortless. Our upcoming developments will continue to simplify complex workflows, expand AI-powered assistance, and provide operators with even greater visibility and control over their affiliate operations.

Affiliate Success

Kongebonus becomes first Norwegian affiliate to win Best Casino Affiliate at iGB Affiliate Awards 2026

Published

1 day ago

July 8, 2026

George Miller

Kongebonus has become the first Norwegian affiliate to win Best Casino Affiliate at the iGB Affiliate Awards 2026, a landmark recognition that names the independent Norwegian guide as the world’s leading casino affiliate for 2026.

The award was presented on 2 July during iGB L!VE London, where the iGB Affiliate Awards celebrated the affiliates, programmes, networks, suppliers and individuals helping to drive the iGaming sector forward.

iGB Affiliate described first-time contestant Kongebonus as a “Norwegian local hero”, noting that the platform claimed the award in a close race and ended Gambling.com Group’s two-year reign in the highly competitive category. Independent judges praised Kongebonus’ “super smart” approach, highlighting its combination of innovation, engaged player community, and strong editorial presence across Google News and the media.

The recognition reflects Kongebonus’ focus on detailed operator testing, transparent casino reviews, community-led content and player protection. The platform tests casinos with its own money before reviewing them, publishes its full methodology and continues to invest in responsible gambling resources, including practical guidance and support signposting for players.

David Nilsen, Editor-in-Chief at Kongebonus, said: “Winning Best Casino Affiliate at the iGB Affiliate Awards is a huge moment for Kongebonus and for everyone who has helped build the platform. To be recognised in a category alongside some of the biggest and most respected names in the affiliate industry is something we are incredibly proud of.

“I’ve spent more than ten years on the inside of this industry, and I’ve seen how big the gap can be between what a casino promises and what the player is actually left with. Closing that gap is the whole reason we test the way we do.

“What this award tells us is that being the most trusted guide matters more than being the biggest one, and that’s the only thing we’ve ever set out to build.”

News

Where to Drive Tier-1 Sport Traffic in July FIFA World Cup Final & More

Published

2 days ago

July 7, 2026

Master Editor

July is one of the strongest months for sports traffic, with the FIFA World Cup knockout stage, Wimbledon finals, Formula 1, UFC, esports, cricket, and rugby driving high-value Tier-1 audiences.

Moreover, with N1 Sport Promo by N1 Partners running until July 20, affiliates still have time to increase their CPA while scaling quality sports traffic during the busiest weeks of the season.

Key sports events in July

The N1 Partners team has made a list of the biggest sporting events this month to help affiliates plan campaigns and capture high-intent traffic.

Soccer

The FIFA World Cup enters its decisive stage, with every knockout match generating significant spikes in betting activity, search demand, and social engagement.

Until 07.07 | FIFA World Cup — Round of 16
09.07–12.07 | FIFA World Cup — Quarter-finals
14.07 | FIFA World Cup — Semi-final
15.07 | FIFA World Cup — Semi-final
18.07 | FIFA World Cup — Third-place Match
19.07 | FIFA World Cup — Final

Tennis

Wimbledon concludes with the biggest matches of the season before the tour moves to North America later in the month.

Until 12.07 | Wimbledon
12.07 | Wimbledon Finals
26.07–02.08 | ATP Washington
26.07–02.08 | WTA Washington

Formula 1

Formula 1 will get high interest from sport lovers throughout July with three Grand Prix weekends.

19.07 | Belgian Grand Prix
26.07 | Hungarian Grand Prix

MMA

UFC maintains strong engagement in Tier-1 markets, especially around numbered fight nights where title implications and high-profile fighters drive consistent betting interest.

13.07 | UFC 329 McGregor vs. Holloway 2

Esports

The biggest esports competitions will go on attracting highly engaged audiences across Tier-1 markets.

06.07–18.07 | Esports World Cup 2026 (Dota 2)
21.07–02.08 | BLAST Bounty Season 2 (CS2)

Cricket

Cricket is still one of the strongest niches that generates huge traffic amonts across several Tier-1 GEOs.

07.07 | England vs India — Test Series
13.07 | England vs India — ODI
16.07 | England vs India — ODI
22.07 | Southern Brave vs Welsh Fire — The Hundred
23.07 | London Spirit vs Manchester Super Giants — The Hundred
27.07 | Southern Brave vs MI London — The Hundred

Rugby League

Rugby League continues to generate steady betting interest in key English-speaking markets.

17.07 | NZ Warriors vs Broncos
30.07 | North Queensland Cowboys vs Roosters

How to maximize results from event-driven traffic

The summer month offers affiliates working with N1 Bet, RollXO, and Lucky Hunter through N1 Partners a strong environment to attract new players, increase FTD volumes, and scale existing campaigns across Tier-1 GEOs, supported by consistently high audience demand. With N1 Sport Promo running until July 20, affiliates still have time to maximize higher CPA rates while sports engagement remains at its seasonal peak.

Top promos for N1 Partners projects in July

This July, partners can take advantage of exclusive seasonal campaigns for players across N1 Partners’ leading brands, designed to drive stronger performance and help them get more from every visitor they refer.

Road to Riches Lottery (RollXO, N1 Bet)
Period: 01.07–25.08
Prize pool: €500,000

Road to Riches is the biggest lottery campaign in the project’s history, featuring a €500,000 total prize pool, 8 weekly stages, and 700 winners. With weekly prize drops and increasing stage prize pools, the promotion is designed to boost player engagement, retention, and repeat deposits—helping affiliates maximize traffic value throughout the campaign.

Lucky Lottery (Retrobet, Spirit Casino, Jet4Bet, Slot Lounge)

Period: 22.07–27.07

Prize pool: €50,000

Lucky Loot Lottery (Slotlords, Slotsmines)
Period: 10.07–16.07
Prize pool: €10,000 (Slotlords), €7,000 (Slotsmines)

Around the World Lottery (Slot Mafia, Slot Hunter, LuckyHunter)

Period: 13.07–23.07

Prize pool: €8,000

Wanna learn more? Contact your manager right now!

Winning Tips for July Sports Traffic

Treat the World Cup as a sequence of conversion peaks rather than a single final, as each knockout round has its own performance window under the promo.
Shift budgets dynamically between sports instead of overfocusing on one event: Wimbledon, F1, UFC, and esports often perform better once football CPMs peak.
Build creatives that reflect tournament progression (for instance, “Quarter-finals pressure” and “Road to the final”), not static team messaging.
Combine Sports Betting and Prediction Markets on N1 Bet to capture different user motivations during the same event cycle.
Reallocate traffic during promo weeks, as in the N1 Sport Promo timing can impact revenue almost as much as volume.

Join N1 Partners

N1 Partners is a multi-brand affiliate program and direct advertiser, bringing together 14+ casino and betting brands with high LTV and Reg2Dep rates in Tier-1 GEOs.

N1 Partners offers competitive terms for top partners, including CPA up to €700 and RevShare up to 55%, ensuring stable and scalable performance.

Trusted by 14,000+ partners, N1 Partners stands out for its transparency, flexibility, and focus on long-term partnerships, supported by a strong product portfolio and advanced retention systems.

Haven’t joined N1 Partners yet? Contact the manager, get involved and make the most of the 2026 sports season.