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Betting on New Customers: Are Returning Users Damaging Sportsbooks’ CAC Strategies?

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The Rise of Female Bettors: What Does This Mean for Marketing Campaigns?

 

By: Richard Metcalf

In the fast-paced, highly competitive world of sports betting, operators have to ensure they’re maximising Return-On-Investment (ROI) in their digital marketing campaigns. The challenge is to target new customers and not waste budget on returning users that they’ve already engaged.

Campaign spend within sports betting should be laser-focused on driving customer acquisition and making every click count, but with existing users inadvertently driving up Customer Acquisition Costs (CAC), this is becoming a huge challenge. Predictions from Statista suggest that the online gambling market will consist of over 233.7 million users by 2027. This makes it imperative to protect against existing customers from draining budget and free up budget for new customers

If a sportsbook doesn’t have visibility into the traffic it’s generating through its ads, it could be losing millions to users who are already engaged and using its site. Returning users need to be managed to ensure sportsbooks can make the most of their budgets and gain new converting customers.

 

Returning Users and ROI  

What percentage of your digital marketing budget is engaging returning users through your ad as an entry point? The chances are this number is very high. We recently saw a company where 97% of their spending on branded keywords was linked to clicks from existing customers which drained their budget and meant they saw close to no new conversions.

Repeat clickers and returning customers, who navigate to your site using ads, rather than organic search results, are driving up the cost of genuine new clicks from first-time depositors. Although these are enthusiastic and engaged customers, they are clicking on your ads excessively and driving up your CAC and Cost Per Acquisition (CPA). This ultimately dilutes your campaign’s effectiveness and wastes spend on engagement that will never convert.

 

The Secret to Success with Custom Validation Rules and Shadow Campaigns

To drive the performance of sports betting advertising efforts, companies can set custom validation rules that limit the number of times a user clicks on a paid ads campaign. Once that threshold of clicks is met, the users are stopped from seeing that campaign for a set period of time, helping to eliminate the high CPC rates sportsbooks experience.

This effectively means that once the threshold is reached the user is precluded from seeing ads and will only see the brand’s organic listing on the Search Engine Results Page (SERP). Alternatively, by implementing shadow campaigns, an operator can create a duplicate of the existing brand keyword campaign in Google ads just for these returning users who are precluded from the original brand keyword campaign. So, rather than being shown the organic listing these users will see a paid search ad on the SERP but at a lower cost to the advertiser.

Shadow campaigns are a powerful tool that allow advertisers to take appropriate actions to protect their brand, optimise their marketing efforts, and ensure compliance with marketing strategies. By using custom verification rules and shadow campaigns, budgets are saved for genuine users who are more likely to convert resulting in maximised ROI.

 

Transforming and Optimising Campaigns

No sportsbook wants returning users burning their marketing budgets. In a market that is growing ever more competitive, it is vital that advertising traffic is controlled for businesses to capture more ROI across campaigns. By implementing shadow campaigns, sportsbooks will uncover a new level of visibility to minimise CAC and maximise new customer engagement.

It’s time to unlock unparalleled success, optimise your PPC campaigns to their fullest potential and transform your Google Advertising strategy.

 

Richard Metcalf is the Global VP, Sports Betting & Online Gaming, at TrafficGuard, an international platform provider for detecting, mitigating and reporting on digital ad fraud. With over twenty years of experience in Sales and Business Development in the digital industry, Richard strives to achieve the highest level of results for the team. He has represented brands as their public face, managed entire sales cycle processes and delivered solutions to stakeholders to ensure business growth and develop the teams around him.

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Meet MegaList: The Rising Force in iGaming Affiliation

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There are affiliate networks, and then there’s MegaList – a performance-first, hype-last kind of operation built for casino and sportsbook brands that prefer results over buzzwords.

In an industry that sometimes feels like it’s powered by vague metrics and recycled content, MegaList steps in as the “Mega Map” – a practical, data-driven network guiding both players and operators to higher ground. Less “look at our reach,” more “here’s your conversion rate.”

So no, this isn’t just another logo-stamped brand promising traffic and delivering bounce rates. This is a carefully engineered affiliate engine built on smart SEO, qualified leads, and just enough caffeine-fueled obsession with results to make even the most skeptical operators pay attention.

The iGaming Affiliate World: Why It (Still) Matters

Let’s be honest – the affiliate space in iGaming has had its fair share of bad actors and empty promises. But when done right, affiliate marketing is still one of the most effective and efficient ways to connect licensed operators with the right players.

Players want fewer popups, more clarity. Operators want actual ROI, not vague impressions.
Enter: the data-driven affiliate network.

It’s simple:

  • Informed players make better choices.
  • Strategic affiliates deliver better traffic.
  • Everyone wins. Except, of course, the shady operators who preferred it the other way. 

Meet the MegaList Brands

These aren’t vanity microsites. Each MegaList brand has a specific mission, actual humans behind the content, and a reputation for, well… telling it like it is.

MegaCasinoList


Let’s face it – players don’t need another affiliate promising “top 10 casinos” based on whatever ad paid the most. They need honest, transparent, expert-backed reviews.

That’s where MegaCasinoList comes in – a platform that filters out the noise and delivers legit info on licensed casinos, security, fairness, and gameplay. Slots? Live dealer games? Payout speed? Yep, it’s all in there, and it’s all vetted.

They work with reliable operators only, because – and here’s a crazy idea – not every shiny site deserves your deposit.

MegaTipsList

If you like sports predictions that read like a 20-page legal document, you’re in the wrong place.

MegaTipsList is built for bettors who want real insights, fast reads, accurate tips, and actual value. It delivers predictions, sports news, and timely promotions – minus the fluff and with none of that “win guaranteed” nonsense.

Designed for bettors who like to stay informed without needing a PhD to understand the odds.

MegaBetList

For the practical bettor who just wants the facts: which sites are legit, which ones pay fast, and what to expect before placing your first wager.

MegaBetList reviews betting platforms with a clear, no-nonsense voice. It’s not trying to dazzle; it’s trying to help people bet smarter – and it’s doing a pretty solid job of it.

From licensing to promotions to usability, everything is covered – and everything is filtered through what actually matters to sports fans.

Why This All Matters (And Why It’s Working)

The iGaming world doesn’t need more noise. It needs better filters, smarter partners, and affiliates that actually care whether the traffic leads somewhere useful.

That’s where MegaList comes in – not to impress with buzzwords, but to perform, to scale, and to make sure both operators and players are on the same page for once.

And if we may drop in a little vision while we’re at it:

“At MegaList, we believe informed players and strategic operators shape a stronger, smarter iGaming industry.”

For once, a statement that isn’t just inspirational filler.

So the next time someone pitches you an affiliate network, ask one thing: “Do they have a plan, or just a landing page?”

 MegaList has both, and a track record to prove it.

Explore MegaList’s network:
🔗 MegaAffiliatesList.com

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Affiliate Success

Casino Guru brings home ‘Casino Affiliate of the Year’ accolade at SBC Awards Europe

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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.

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Affiliate Success

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

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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.

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