News
QMRA Research – Warning on potential Affiliate Ban in Finland

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.
News
MightyTips launches snappy Football Tips format for casual and pro bettors alike

MightyTips unveils a major product update — Football Tips, a dynamic new feature that delivers fast, curated football betting advice tailored for today’s users.
MightyTips is a leading platform dedicated to helping sports bettors make smarter decisions through in-depth sportsbook reviews, up-to-date bonus offers, expert betting blogs, and insightful match previews. While offering a wide range of content for bettors at all levels, the platform’s core focus has always been on delivering accurate predictions empowering users to place educated bets.
But as digital habits shift and the need for actionable insights grows, the platform is stepping into a new chapter. Football Tips are built to meet users where they are — with lighter, faster, and more personalised content that enhances the betting experience.
Ivo Osis, Product Owner at MightyTips, said: “This launch represents a major evolution in how MightyTips serves its audience. With Football Tips, we’re opening up our platform to casual and pro bettors alike, providing smarter insights in a more scalable format, driven to improve user experience and frictionless journey through the world of football betting.”
Key features of Football Tips:
- Match of the Day highlight – instantly find the most important game to bet on, hand-selected by expert analysts
- Quick match briefs – save time with short, insightful tips written by trusted football authors
- Tipsters’ stats on every tip – check each tipster’s accuracy to build transparency and trust
- My Saved Choice feature – save favourite tips and revisit them anytime
- More matches, more options – explore tips beyond just predictions and expect other sports coming soon, such as tennis and cricket
- Easy navigation by tip type – find exactly what you’re looking for, whether it’s 1X2, BTTS, or Over/Under tips, all one click away
This new format enhances usability, increases engagement, and broadens access to MightyTips’ expert content. It’s part of a wider strategy to modernise content delivery across sports and improve the overall user journey
News
Mikael Strunge is appointed as the new President and CEO of ACROUD

The board of directors of ACROUD AB has appointed Mikael Strunge as the new President and CEO of Acroud. Mikael Strunge, born in 1981, has worked within Acroud for four years in various roles in different parts of the company, most recently as COO. Mikael Strunge succeeds Robert Andersson.
“On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank Robert Andersson for his leadership and contributions over the past years. We are pleased to appoint Mikael Strunge as our new President and CEO. Mikael brings deep operational insight and a clear strategic vision, and we are confident that under his leadership, Acroud will enter its next phase of growth and innovation”, says Morten Marcussen, Chairman of Acroud.
“The last 4 years at Acroud has been a rollercoaster of emotions and results. I am proud to accept this appointment from the board and look forward to start the implementation of the company’s new strategic framework”, says Mikael Strunge, new President and CEO of Acroud.
Biography of Mikael Strunge
Mikael Strunge is 44 years old and has worked within Acroud for over four years, most recently as COO of Acroud, being responsible for the day-to-day management and operational activities of Acroud. Before that, Mikael was the CEO of PMG before PMG was acquired by Acroud.
Affiliate Announcements
ReferOn Launches Three Powerful New Features for Smarter Affiliate Management

ReferOn, the next-gen affiliate management system, has introduced three major features aimed at making affiliate operations faster, smoother and more scalable than ever.
The latest updates, including Async task tracking, affiliate-controlled postbacks and bulk payment generation, reflect ReferOn’s ongoing commitment to removing friction and empowering users with practical and efficient tools.
- Async Tasks: Say goodbye to frozen screens, slow loading and laggy sessions. The new system handles background-heavy processes such as bulk payments asynchronously (and with real-time tracking). This ensures smoother overall performance where users can monitor complex actions without overloading their session.
- Affiliate-Controlled Postbacks: Affiliates can now manage their own postback setup directly in the platform (when enabled by their manager). No more tickets, long email threads or tedious back-and-forth communication. Campaigns go live faster and everyone moves more efficiently and with less delay.
- Bulk Payment Generation: One of the more repetitive recurring workflows for users just became radically more efficient (and easy). Users can now generate payments for multiple partners in bulk with just a few clicks, freeing up time for higher-impact work.
Vladyslav Bondarenko, ReferOn’s Head of Product, commented on the new features, “At ReferOn, we design for scale, efficiency and performance. These new features are more than simple improvements, they represent the foundations of a more autonomous, convenient and resilient system. We’re about empowering both operators and affiliates, and we’ve done that by providing self-service and streamlined tools to keep control in their hands. The ReferOn team continues to deliver on our promise of user empowerment without complexity.”
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