partnerships
GAMBLING AFFILIATES CREATE NEW GROUP TO PROTECT CONSUMERS: RESPONSIBLE GAMBLING AFFILIATE ASSOCIATION (“RGAA” or the “Group” or the “Association”)
The Responsible Gambling Affiliate Association (RGAA), founded by the six major US gambling affiliates, will serve as a trade association to advocate for reasonable regulation, responsible advertising, and consumer protection.
We are proud to announce the formation of the RESPONSIBLE GAMBLING AFFILIATE ASSOCIATION, a coalition of like-minded companies dedicated to nurturing an environment where gambling affiliate companies can serve the commercial needs of the regulated online gambling market.
The RGAA’s mission is to champion responsible gambling marketing and advertising practices, empower gambling affiliate companies to influence sensible regulation, and protect consumer interests, while effectively participating in the market.
Comprising six major players in the US online gambling affiliate sector, the Association includes Better Collective, Catena Media, Gambling.com Group, oddschecker Global Media, Spotlight Sports Group, and XLMedia plc. These initial members have recognized that affiliate marketing providers must participate in broader industry initiatives in the United States to advocate for sensible advertising regulation that balances consumer protection and the practicalities of digital advertising.
Although gambling affiliates are subject to significant regulation, there is potential for further improvement in elevating the standards of the affiliate marketing sector.
The new trade association is built on five strategic pillars:
- Promotion of Competitive Gambling Markets, emphasizing the importance of open and competitive online gambling markets to ensure consumers can access a diverse selection of modern online gambling services.
- Industry Education through developing an upcoming slate of initiatives to heighten visibility and generate greater recognition within the gambling sector for gambling affiliates, including inviting additional businesses to join in time.
- Consumer Protection, Empowerment, and Choice that steers consumers toward their locally licensed and regulated options, promoting greater product innovation, elevated customer service standards and maximized consumer experience.
- Advertising Codes of Conduct to ensure ethical marketing and advertising practices that play an important role in minimizing problem gambling while serving the commercial needs of the broader gambling industry.
- Responsible Business Practices based on thoughtful dedication, intelligent advocacy and a profound sense of responsibility toward both the industry and the consumers it serves.
The Association is currently in the process of hiring a permanent President to act as the figurehead of the organization and play a pivotal role in shaping the future of responsible affiliate practices, advocating the needs and interests of its members, fostering collaboration with industry stakeholders, and advocating for the highest standards of integrity. A forthcoming announcement will be made once an RGAA President has been appointed.
Mark Frank Pedersen, CEO of North America, Better Collective:
“We are committed to doing everything possible to help empower our industry to promote gambling as entertainment and enable our customers to enjoy our products and services responsibly. Having the industry come together with a unified approach to creating standards and guidelines puts the best interests of our consumers, customers, and their families at the forefront. Not only is this the right thing to do for our customers, it’s the best thing to ensure the success and longevity of the industry and our businesses.”
Michael Daly, Chief Executive Officer of Catena Media, commented:
“The US gambling market is swiftly regulating, and affiliates are vital to the overall industry. Catena Media is proud to be a founding member of the RGAA, an association committed to promoting responsible, positive wagering experiences through legal, regulated operators.”
Charles Gillespie, Chief Executive Officer of Gambling.com Group, commented:
“All stakeholders in the American online gambling market need to understand the critical role affiliate companies play in helping regulated online gambling operators achieve their growth targets. Gambling.com Group is proud to be part of the new Responsible Gambling Affiliate Association to ensure that standards remain high among our peers and that the voice and message of the affiliate marketing community is heard loud and clear.”
Stuart Simms, Chief Executive Officer of oddschecker Global Media, commented:
“Our consumers are at the heart of everything we do so we, together with our fellow founding members, wanted to lead the way in promoting social responsibility in the affiliate industry and creating a safer gambling environment for consumers in the US as that market continues to grow. Our ambition is that the RGGA will support fair play for all.”
Mark Renshaw, Chief Executive Officer of Spotlight Sports Group, commented:
“Spotlight Sports Group has always been at the forefront of the responsible gambling ecosystem, consistently looking to go above and beyond regulatory requirements. We are extremely proud to be a founding member of the Responsible Gambling Affiliate Association, which I believe will play a key role in ensuring the highest standards are set among the affiliate industry.”
David King, Chief Executive Officer of XLMedia plc, commented:
“XLMedia is very proud to be a founding member of the RGAA, an association committed to promoting responsible online gambling. As an affiliate marketing company, we play a critical role in providing consumers with choice while supporting regulated online gambling operators to reach customers and grow their business.”
Affiliate Success
TAG Media and Gamblitude Launch affie.ai
The AI-Powered Affiliate Manager Assistant Set to transform Affiliate Management in iGaming
TAG Media and Gamblitude have launched affie.ai, a guided decision-making engine built for iGaming affiliate managers. It combines TAG Media’s 150+ years of collective affiliate management experience with Gamblitude’s operator-grade data and analytics platform.
affie.ai will make its debut at SBC Summit Malta (28–30 April), where affie.ai’s Elaine Gardiner, Alana Weldon and Wojtek Sznapka will be demonstrating the platform to operators interested in becoming one of the first five launch partners.
The Problem affie.ai solves
Affiliate management sits at the centre of operator acquisition strategy. It demands financial judgement, negotiation skill, data literacy and market knowledge. Yet there is no industry-standard training, no widely accepted playbook and no safety net when a commercial decision goes wrong.
The data is there. What’s missing is consistent, effective interpretation. With time, an experienced affiliate manager may know what a declining CPA trend means in a specific market or when a revenue share deal needs renegotiating. A less experienced one may not – and that gap costs operators money, talent retention and competitive ground.
Even for experienced affiliate managers, having the requisite time and patience with convoluted systems and tools to spot gaps and opportunities, even ad hoc, is progressively rare, further limiting their ability to achieve sustainable growth within their affiliate programme.
By encoding proven affiliate management expertise directly into their daily workflow, affie.ai gives affiliate managers the ability to make decisions grounded in real programme data and industry best practice, positioning them for true proactivity with their affiliate partners.
What is affie.ai?
affie.ai is a guided decision-making engine, not a dashboard and not a tracking platform. It is trained on real affiliate programme performance data and built on the strategic frameworks TAG Media has applied across 50+ programme launches over the past decade.
On the data side, Gamblitude, founded by former STS chief technology officer Wojtek Sznapka and former STS chief sportsbook officer Piotr Cerlak, provides the analytical backbone: a cloud-native data layer purpose-built for iGaming operators.
The result is that affie.ai provides affiliate managers with specific, data-informed recommendations on deal structures, partner performance, programme optimisation and commercial risk insights, removing the time spent and consistency required in pulling reports, second-guessing spreadsheets to build progressive performance.
For operators, affie.ai delivers measurable reductions in programme management overheads, faster onboarding of new affiliate managers, institutional knowledge that stays in the business regardless of team changes and the agility to make rapid commercial decisions to positively impact the bottom line. affie.ai gives affiliate managers the power of proactivity.
Human Relationships, Sharper Decisions
Affiliate management is a relationship business. Trust between manager and affiliate drives long-term value – no tool replaces that.
affie.ai removes the noise around those relationships. Instead of debating whether a deal is commercially sound, the affiliate manager already has the answer and can focus on the conversation. affie.ai provides human-led decisions with AI-led precision, built on real data, not assumptions.
Elaine Gardiner, Co-Founder of affie.ai says: “After 17 years managing affiliate programmes for operators including Cherry Casino, Ninja Casino and Rizk, I know what good decision-making looks like in this role and I know how rarely it’s supported by the right tools. affie.ai takes the strategic thinking our team applies every day and makes it available on demand and at pace: specific to your programme, specific to your data and ready when the affiliate manager needs it.”
No Strings Attached Six-Week Trial – Five Places
affie.ai is offering five operators an exclusive six-week trial. No fees. No lengthy onboarding. Operators connect their affiliate programme data and their affiliate team uses the platform to obtain new insights on their own numbers, enabling faster commercial decisions on deals to build growth. To book a meeting, email [email protected] or visit www.affie.ai to register your interest in using affie.ai to build affiliate programme growth.
Affiliate Announcements
Tiki Taka Play Partners with NetRefer for its Affiliate Marketing Platform
Spanish online casino operator Tiki Taka Play has partnered with NetRefer, the industry’s leading data-driven, AI-powered affiliate marketing platform, to power and manage its affiliate programme as the brand continues to grow its presence in Spain’s regulated online gaming market.
First launched in early 2025, Tiki Taka Play marked a significant step in the digital expansion of Grupo Tiki Taka Games, a national company with more than 50 years of experience in the land-based gaming sector. Originally established as a family-run gaming machine business, the group has grown into a recognised operator within Spain’s leisure and entertainment industry, with operations spanning gaming halls, betting venues, and amusement activities.
With Tiki Taka Play, the group extends that experience into the digital environment. The platform has been developed to bring the standards of its land-based operations online, offering players a structured and reliable gaming experience built around accessibility, trust, and long-term engagement.
The operator’s online catalogue includes a wide selection of slots alongside classic table games such as blackjack and roulette, as well as immersive live casino experiences. This curated offering allows Tiki Taka Play to cater to a broad spectrum of player preferences while maintaining a professional and consistent gameplay environment.
Operating within Spain’s regulated gaming framework, Tiki Taka Play holds the relevant licences granted by the Dirección General de Ordenación del Juego (DGOJ). Compliance, transparency, and responsible gaming therefore, sit at the centre of the operator’s approach, reinforcing the standards that have guided Grupo Tiki Taka Games throughout its decades-long presence in the industry.
Affiliate marketing forms a central pillar of Tiki Taka Play’s growth strategy as the brand establishes its presence in the competitive Spanish online gaming market. By selecting NetRefer, the operator gains access to a platform designed to deliver performance clarity, reliable tracking, and efficient partner management. Through NetRefer’s API technology, Tiki Taka Play benefits from seamless data transfer and real-time integration, allowing the operator to manage affiliate data accurately while maintaining operational efficiency across its programme.
Beyond these integrations, NetRefer’s broader ecosystem provides additional capabilities designed to support affiliate programme performance at scale. Solutions such as NetRefer BI Analytics enable advanced and customisable reporting, while NetRefer CoPilot AI enhances access to performance insights and operational knowledge through intelligent, data-driven assistance.
Reflecting on the process of selecting an affiliate platform, Marc De Rueda Colomés, COO of Tiki Taka Play, said, “When preparing the launch of Tiki Taka Play, we spoke with a number of our affiliates to understand which platforms they trusted most. NetRefer consistently stood out as one of the most balanced solutions in terms of service and value. The platform’s reporting and analytics tools are already proving valuable for our team, and the professionalism and dedication shown by the NetRefer team from the beginning of our collaboration have reinforced our confidence in the partnership.”
Greice Bezerra, Regional Acquisitions Specialist at NetRefer, commented, “Tiki Taka Play’s partnership with NetRefer represents an exciting step in the digital evolution of Grupo Tiki Taka Games. We’re proud to support their team with reliable technology and flexible integrations that provide the transparency, performance insights, and operational confidence needed to build and scale a successful affiliate programme in the competitive Spanish online gaming market.”
As Tiki Taka Play continues to expand its presence in Spain’s regulated online gaming market, the partnership with NetRefer provides the technology and operational foundation needed to support the growth of its affiliate programme. With greater performance visibility, advanced reporting capabilities, and scalable affiliate infrastructure, the operator is well-positioned to strengthen its partner network and drive sustainable digital growth.
Conferences
Palms Bet Takes Center Stage as General Sponsor of the EEGS Affiliate Conference
The Eastern European Gaming Summit (EEGS) is proud to announce Palms Bet as the General Sponsor of this year’s Affiliate Conference, taking place alongside EEGS 2025 – where innovation, regulation, and strategic collaboration converge.
As one of Bulgaria’s leading gaming and entertainment brands, Palms Bet has played a pivotal role in shaping the local and regional iGaming landscape. Its continued investment in digital innovation and affiliate partnerships reflects a deep commitment to responsible growth and industry excellence.
The Affiliate Conference at EEGS will gather affiliate leaders, operators, digital marketers, and regulators to explore the evolving landscape of player acquisition, data-driven marketing, and compliance in regulated markets.
Through its support, Palms Bet reinforces the mission of EEGS — to create a dynamic space for learning, networking, and advancing the future of the gaming and affiliate ecosystem across Europe.
🎯 Save the date:
🗓️ 26 November 2025
📍 Inter Expo Center, Sofia
Join us for an inspiring edition of EEGS and the Affiliate Conference, powered by Palms Bet!
Let’s shape the future of iGaming together – where innovation meets collaboration, and affiliates lead the way!
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