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QMRA Research – Warning on potential Affiliate Ban in Finland

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iGaming.Com joins QMRA & More News

 

Lessons from the Netherlands Show the Risks of Eliminating Regulated SEO Affiliates

Finland is planning to ban affiliate marketing in its newly regulated online gambling market. The Finnish Government proposal HE 16/2025 VP sees affiliate marketing as problematic for the following reasons: risk of misuse by presenting incorrect information, blurring legal boundaries (difficulty distinguishing licensed and unlicensed operators), a lack of consumer protection (by not being neutral) and tax avoidance (as most affiliate operators are foreign registered).

New research from Quality Mark Responsible Affiliates (QMRA) warns that such a ban could have severe unintended consequences, including a rise in illegal gambling operators dominating search engine results.

Drawing on lessons from the Dutch market, where online gambling has been regulated since 2021, the report underscores the crucial role of SEO affiliates in directing consumers to legal, licensed operators and countering the influence of unregulated platforms.

The Netherlands has witnessed firsthand the challenges of illegal gambling platforms using SEO and Google Ads to attract vulnerable players. Research by Keurmerk Verantwoorde Affiliates (KVA) found that when legal affiliates are restricted, search results are quickly overrun by unlicensed operators. These sites often target minors and self-excluded gamblers, lack responsible gambling protections, and operate with minimal oversight.

Steven Vrolijk, QMRA Director: “The Dutch market has taught us a lot about how illegal operators adapt. We’ve also seen that proactive, responsible affiliates play a crucial role in pushing back against them. SEO affiliation is a form of advertising that only appears when a consumer is actively searching for gambling options. If Finland bans legal affiliates, its search results may soon be dominated by illegal results.”

The report highlights key risks associated with an affiliate marketing ban:

  • Increased visibility of illegal gambling sites – Without regulated affiliates, players will primarily encounter unlicensed operators.
  • Lack of consumer protections – Illegal sites do not enforce responsible gambling measures or age verification.
  • Higher risk of fraud and money laundering – Many unlicensed operators accept cryptocurrency and other anonymous payment methods.
  • Targeting of vulnerable players – Minors and problem gamblers are more likely to be exposed to unregulated gambling.

Instead of a full ban, QMRA recommends Finland implement a structured affiliate marketing framework.

Download the full report

The full report provides an in-depth analysis of the risks and offers data-driven recommendations.

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N1 Partners Takes Action at Affiliate World Asia 2025 with a New Award and Key Event Collaborations

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N1 Partners wrapped up a dynamic week at Affiliate World Asia 2025 in Bangkok, strengthening relationships with industry leaders, taking part in key networking events, engaging with iGaming media, and celebrating a major milestone — winning “The Best Gambling/Betting Affiliate Program” at the Affiliate Space Awards 2025 by Conversion Club.

Across the conference, side events, and business  meetings, the team aligned strategies for 2026, discussed performance trends, explored new collaboration formats, and presented upcoming product updates. These conversations shaped a more focused partnership roadmap for the year ahead.

A defining moment of AWA week was N1 Partners’ success  at the Affiliate Space Awards 2025 by Conversion Club. N1 Parthers was named “Best Gambling/Betting Affiliate Program”. Determined by peer voting and expert evaluation, the award reflects the affiliate program’s proven results, reliability, and consistently strong performance recognized across the industry.

“We’re incredibly grateful for this recognition,” says Alexa Bond, Head of Affiliates at N1 Partners. “What truly makes this program the best is the product depth across our brands, a hands-on affiliate managers team that is always present, and partner conditions designed with care – all that meets affiliates where they are. Winning this award isn’t just about N1 Partners, but every affiliate who grows with us. This is our common win.”

The team also joined the Affiliate Drinks Meetup Bangkok 2025, where the relaxed  setting encouraged direct, meaningful discussions on performance, GEO strategies, and long-term cooperation.

Throughout the week, N1 Partners was present at Fridman Palace, a curated business space where industry leaders gathered for strategic meetings. As the sponsor of the smoking lounge, the company hosted partners in a comfortable, premium environment designed for meaningful conversations and high-level deal-making.

With the Bangkok chapter concluded, the focus now shifts to Barcelona 2026, where N1 Partners will host the grand finale of the N1 Puzzle Promo during iGB/ICE Europe week. The celebration will feature exclusive prizes, a high-energy entertainment program, and the reveal of the Robinson R22 Beta II helicopter winner — setting the stage for one of the most anticipated events of the upcoming iGaming year.

N1 Partners extends its thanks to everyone who connected with the team in Bangkok, shared insights, and contributed to the energy of this week.

Next stop: Barcelona.

Be number one with N1!

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A large-scale $1 billion online casino shady scheme involving Ukrainian fraudsters Vadim Gordievsky and Alyona Suvorova has been discovered in Kazakhstan.

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The Kazakhstan Financial Monitoring Agency has revealed a large-scale shady scheme with a whole layer of cross-border transfers. While referring to the press service of the Agency, Elordainfo.kz informs that numerous bank employees and 120 people from several countries were involved in the operation of the shady scheme.

The money was sent to various payment organizations, disguised as legal transactions, and was later withdrawn to numerous online casinos.

At the same time, local authorities managed to eliminate the call center, which employed foreigners, which provided technical support for four online casinos as well as advice on money transactions. In addition, the organizers of the call center created a gambling partnership program that was used to accept payments and withdraw them in cryptocurrencies. The overall turnover exceeded 200 million USDT.

During the implementation of all these measures, over 70 searches were conducted. As a result of these activities, local authorities managed to gather physical evidence as well as to detain nine suspects.

According to law enforcement authorities in Kazakhstan, the key organizer of the shady miscoding scheme is Ukrainian Vadim Ivanovich Gordievsky, born in 1974. He led this organized crime group and used the local Marginplus company for these purposes (marginplus.kz). In addition to companies from Kazakhstan, Gordievsky also worked with illegal Russian online casinos while helping them to facilitate payments.

Already in 2008, Vadim Gordievsky served as deputy head of the Boryspil Regional State Administration and was in charge of land issues. Under Gordievsky, various lands of Boryspil were sold while the money was stolen. In the same 2008, he was dismissed from his position with a huge scandal, but his case never resulted in criminal proceedings. A lot of money and connections in government offices helped him avoid accountability.

In 2012, when Viktor Yanukovych came to power, Vadim Gordievsky took the chair of the head of the highway service in the Odessa region, where he managed to get access to millions of dollars, which he later invested in FC Alta Capital.

After the initiation of criminal cases for financial crimes, fraud, and the announcement of his wanted list by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Vadim Gordievsky left Ukraine on forged documents.

 

According to investigators, Gordievsky’s partner, Mikhail Kovalev (Mykhaylo Kovalov), who has a number of companies in the EU, in particular, in Poland and a residence permit in Spain, was closely working with Gordievsky. By using numerous fictitious companies in Poland, in particular, STABLEX SOLUTION Sp. z o. o (solvexs.pl) he engaged in illegal payments and cash withdrawal in cryptocurrencies.

His partner, who is also his former Kyivstar employee, Alyona (Olena) Suvorova (born in 1983), who left Ukraine for Moscow after February 2022, and Ukrainian IT specialist Denis Andreevich Rykov (born in 1990), who currently lives in St. Petersburg, also participated in the shady scheme of illegal bookmakers and dubious payments.

Judging by her social media accounts, Alyona Suvorova is currently positioning herself “as an entrepreneur, investor, and crypto trader with 5+ years of experience.” According to Suvorova herself, she has been developing payment technologies in the field of FinTech for 10 years. In 2021, she opened her own business for international crypto transfers. In addition, she is the founder of the Lemoncoin Crypto Academy.

The law enforcement agencies of Kazakhstan are asking for information about the location and data of all these people. In the near future, Vadim Gordievsky, Alyona Suvorova, and other defendants will be put on the international wanted list. According to local laws, they face up to nine years in prison.

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Second Prize Drop of N1 Puzzle Promo: Top Affiliates Score Porsche, Cartier, Leica & Apple for Driving High-Quality Traffic

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N1 Partners is wrapping up the second lottery of the N1 Puzzle Promo! From September 1 to November 30, partners were actively collecting puzzle pieces for FTDs and climbing the rankings to secure their place among the winners.

A notable trend this season: the Top-5 leaders by traffic and collected puzzles differ from the main leaderboard. This means some partners slowed down, while others pushed harder — and now have every chance to boost their position in the overall standings by the end of the promo.

Five luxury prizes will be awarded to partners with consistently strong performance who entered the Top-5 by puzzle count during the second mini-lottery period.

Which prizes did the leaders receive?

1st place — MacBook Pro

C*** *****h

2nd place — Porsche eBike Sport

A***********t

3rd place — Cartier Santos Medium watch

T****** ****d

4th place — Leica Q2 camera

P******k

5th place — Apple Vision Pro

S** ****s

The promo is entering its final stretch — a crucial checkpoint for the entire N1 Puzzle Promo, where the fate of the leaderboard may be decided,” notes Alexa Bond, Head of Affiliates at N1 Partners. “With one month left until the end, even those who joined later still have a chance to make a breakthrough, while the leaders can strengthen their positions and widen the gap. N1 Puzzle Promo isn’t about luck — it’s about consistent work and mutual trust between partners and the affiliate program.”

The Grand Finale in Barcelona Is Getting Closer

The race continues: the more puzzle pieces collected throughout the promo, the higher the ranking — and the greater the chance to fly out of Barcelona in your very own helicopter!

On January 20, 2026, in Barcelona, during iGB Affiliate and ICE, N1 Partners will host the final N1 Puzzle Promo party, where winners will receive exclusive gifts — and the grand prize: a Robinson R22 Beta II helicopter.

Guests of the event can also expect:

  • Exclusive prize ceremony;
  • Live performance by top artists and the evening’s headliner (announcement coming soon)!
  • Activities and surprises from the N1 Partners team;

Still Not Too Late to Join

N1 Puzzle Promo runs until December 31, 2025, and partners still have time to collect puzzle pieces, climb the leaderboard, and compete for the grand prize and additional rewards. Traffic from Tier-1 GEOs counts toward the ranking, and only registered N1 Partners partners can participate.

All details and registration are available at: https://n1.partners/puzzle_promo

There’s still time! Collect your puzzle pieces, level up in the leaderboard — and your team might be the one taking home the Robinson R22 Beta II right off the stage in Barcelona!

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