Following Meta’s algorithm updates, many media buying teams found it much more difficult to scale Facebook traffic. Customer acquisition costs increased, advertising accounts became less stable, and even successful campaign combinations lost their effectiveness faster.

In the new Success Story, N1 Partners explains how they helped a media buying team specializing in Facebook traffic for the iGaming vertical adapt to changing market conditions and successfully scale traffic acquisition across Tier-1 GEOs.

The results after nine months of collaboration were impressive: a 155% increase in FTDs, 135% ROI, and a 22% reduction in average CPA.

About partner

The featured partner is a media buying team with four years of experience in affiliate marketing, specializing in Facebook traffic acquisition for iGaming products.

At the beginning of the partnership, the team was already working with Tier-1 GEOs, including Canada, Germany, New Zealand, and Australia. They consistently identified profitable campaign combinations but encountered the typical scaling limitations faced by many teams in the industry.

To continue growing, they needed a partner offering high-quality products with strong Reg2Dep and LTV performance, reliable payouts, and responsive support capable of handling increasing traffic volumes.

Why did they choose N1 Partners?

Several factors influenced their decision:

• High Reg2Dep rates;
• Strong player LTV performance;
• Reliable and consistent payouts;
• Fast and responsive affiliate manager support;
• The ability to work with multiple brands within a single ecosystem.

For the initial testing phase, the team selected N1 Bet, RollXO, Lucky Hunter, and Retro Bet.

Preparing for launch

Before launching the campaigns, N1 Partners specialists analyzed the partner’s previous performance and proposed a structured testing plan.

Instead of focusing on a single offer, they decided to test multiple brands simultaneously. This approach allowed them to identify much faster which products performed best with Facebook traffic in each GEO.

At the start, the partner also received several recommendations:

• Start with the CPA payment model;
• Separate advertising campaigns by audience type;
• Build dedicated landing pages for each GEO instead of using one universal funnel;
• Test broad audiences without narrow interest-based targeting;
• Use multiple creative formats;
• Evaluate not only registration costs but also the quality of acquired players.

This strategy helped identify promising campaign combinations early while preventing unnecessary spending on underperforming campaigns.

Choosing GEOs, offers and creatives

N1 Partners affiliate manager shared internal performance data highlighting products that consistently delivered strong results with Facebook traffic.

For the first stage, three high-potential GEOs with stable demand were selected:

• Canada;
• Germany;
• New Zealand.

Australia was intentionally excluded from the initial testing phase to concentrate the available budget on fewer markets and collect meaningful data more quickly.

Offers were selected primarily based on two key metrics: deposit conversion rate and player quality. Among all available brands, the selected products consistently demonstrated the strongest overall performance.

For every GEO, the team created special creatives featuring localized visual elements and market-specific bonus offers.

Workflow organization

After launch, specialists from N1 Partners worked alongside the partner on a daily basis, analyzing campaign performance and deciding on the next optimization steps.

Teams closely monitored:

• Reg2Dep and LTV;
• Player quality;
• Budget allocation between products;
• Individual GEO performance;
• Results of newly launched creatives.

Most operational questions were resolved by the affiliate manager within a few hours. This allowed the partner to quickly switch offers and launch additional tests without interrupting traffic acquisition.

Initial hypotheses

During the preparation phase, N1 Partners suggested testing several working hypotheses:

• Video creatives could outperform static banners;
• Different advertising concepts might attract audiences of different quality;
• Rapid budget increases could reduce campaign stability;
• Evaluating traffic solely based on acquisition cost does not reflect its actual value.

The team tested lifestyle creatives, game-focused concepts, bonus offers, and social proof elements. Budgets were increased gradually, while campaign performance was evaluated not only by CPA but also by player behavior after making their first deposit.

Strategy and optimization

After the initial testing phase, the team focused on increasing traffic volumes without compromising player quality.

To achieve this, the partner:

• Duplicated the highest-performing campaigns;
• Regularly launched new creatives;
• Split campaigns by device type;
• Applied successful approaches to markets with similar audience characteristics.

At the same time, budgets were increased gradually, helping maintain campaign stability while keeping CPA within the target range.

What delivered the best results?

Four optimization strategies produced the strongest performance improvements:

• Creative localization;
• Continuous production of fresh advertising materials;
• Pausing underperforming campaign combinations within the first 48 hours;
• Optimizing based on player quality rather than CPA alone.

At one stage of the campaign, the affiliate manager noticed that one of the brands was achieving a significantly higher Reg2Dep rate from Facebook traffic in Canada.

After jointly reviewing the data, part of the advertising budget was shifted toward that product.

Results

After nine months of collaboration, every key performance indicator improved significantly.

• Monthly FTDs increased from 450 to 1,150 (+155%);
• ROI increased from 86% to 135%;
• Average CPA decreased by 22%;
• Revenue increased by approximately 2.5 times;
• Player LTV increased by 25%.

The most important achievement was not a single successful campaign but the creation of a sustainable Facebook traffic acquisition model. The partner was able to continuously scale traffic across Tier-1 GEOs without experiencing a proportional increase in acquisition costs.

Key takeaways

1. What was the biggest advantage of working with N1 Partners?

According to the media buying team, working with N1 Partners helped establish a clear and scalable traffic acquisition process.

The main contributing factors were high-quality products, strong Reg2Dep performance, and constant communication with the affiliate manager. The team also emphasized that N1 Partners specialists proactively suggested new testing hypotheses before market changes began noticeably affecting campaign performance. This allowed them to stay ahead of industry trends instead of reacting only after performance had already declined.

2. What made the results possible?

Polina Bogatko, Affiliate Manager N1 Partners: “The biggest factor behind our success was the partner’s willingness to continuously test new approaches. We evaluated not only Facebook campaign metrics but also player quality for every brand and GEO. This enabled us to redistribute budgets quickly and focus on the most promising campaign combinations.

After launching localized creatives and testing new audiences, the number of FTDs in Canada nearly doubled within just a few weeks, while campaign ROI remained stable. This clearly demonstrated the importance of continuous testing, fast analytics, and close collaboration between both teams”.

Scale your Facebook traffic with N1 Partners!

N1 Partners gives affiliates access to:

• 14+ casino and betting brands with high Reg2Dep 
• 10+ Tier-1 GEOs
• CPA up to €700 and RevShare up to 55% + NNCO for top partners

Be number one with N1!

Together with the FIFA World Cup, N1 Sport Promo, a six-week campaign for partners working with sports and Prediction Markets traffic, has come to an end. Throughout the promotion, participants received increased payouts based on the volume of acquired FTDs.

N1 Partners experts reviewed the campaign results, analyzed the performance, and highlighted the key takeaways: which traffic sources delivered the best results, how audience behavior evolved, and which strategies can help affiliates achieve stronger performance with sports campaigns.

N1 Sport Promo In Numbers

• Duration: June 10 – July 20

• Top 3 GEOs: CA, DE, AU

• Top traffic sources: SEO, ASO, Facebook

• Best-converting brand: N1 Bet

• Brands participating in the promotion: N1 Bet, Lucky Hunter, RollXO

3 Key Campaign Takeaways

1. Which traffic sources and approaches performed best?
   “The most effective traffic sources were those that allowed affiliates to quickly adapt to the sports agenda. 

SEO performed well with users already interested in specific matches, Facebook made it possible to rapidly scale campaigns around trending sporting events, while ASO helped attract more users during periods of high demand for apps.

Match- and tournament-specific creatives delivered the strongest results,” said Daria Smirnova, Affiliate Team Lead, N1 Partners.

2. What were the most common mistakes affiliates made?
   “The biggest issues were weak alignment with current sporting events and generic creatives use instead of materials tailored to specific matches. The faster affiliates update their content during major tournaments, the more effectively they can capitalize on peak demand,” commented Daria Smirnova, Affiliate Team Lead, N1 Partners.
3. What should affiliates keep in mind when preparing for major sporting events?
   “It is essential to prepare for major tournaments in advance. Keep track of key matches, plan your creatives ahead of time, and update your content promptly. An event-driven approach helps scale betting traffic more effectively,” said Daria Smirnova, Affiliate Team Lead, N1 Partners.

Product Analytics

In addition to summarizing the results of N1 Sport Promo, the N1 Partners product team analyzed player behavior during the FIFA World Cup 2026 to identify the key factors influencing player engagement.

As the tournament progressed toward the knockout stage, user activity steadily increased. The decisive matches attracted greater attention, drove higher betting volumes, and increased the share of live betting. Players were more likely to follow matches in real time and placed bets more actively as the games unfolded.

• Spain vs Argentina final delivered peak player activity. Fans were almost equally divided between the two teams, which helped maintain high engagement throughout the entire match.
• France vs Spain and England vs Argentina semi-finals were among the most discussed matches of the tournament. They ranked among the leaders in terms of audience response and the number of live bets placed.
• The average bet size during the semi-final matches was approximately 30% higher than during the group stage. This demonstrates that the tournament’s key matches encouraged significantly more active player participation.
• Match scheduling also had a noticeable impact on performance. Games held at convenient times for players attracted more users than some of the late-night matches during the group stage.

Monetization and Retention After the Tournament

The end of a major tournament is not the end of the opportunity.

To preserve the value of the acquired audience after the tournament, N1 Partners recommends:

• Continue engaging users after the tournament ends.
  Maintain communication with players who may switch to other sporting events and continue their betting activity.

• Prepare the next entry points in advance.
  Build acquisition funnels for upcoming tournaments and championships to retain the traffic you have already received.

• Use cross-promotion and refresh your offers.
  Expand user engagement opportunities by combining sports and Prediction Markets traffic.

• Focus on long-term player value.
  Work with players with a long-term perspective — not only generate FTDs during periods of peak demand but also maintain user activity after the tournament.

N1 Partners team would like to thank all partners for participating in the N1 Sport Promo. More campaigns and even more growth opportunities with N1 Partners are ahead — stay tuned for upcoming updates!

Reasons to work with N1 Partners:

• 14+ casino and betting brands with high Reg2Dep 
• 10+ Tier-1 GEOs
• CPA up to €700 and RevShare up to 55% + NNCO for top partners

Be number one with N1!

Every month, N1 Insights features N1 Partners experts sharing their perspective on the latest developments in the iGaming industry. But these insights are only part of the bigger picture. Behind every prediction lies market analysis, hands-on experience, and real-world cases that deserve a deeper discussion.

That’s why we’re launching N1 Beyond the Insights — a new series where N1 Partners experts take a closer look at the industry’s most important topics, share in-depth analysis, and explore the nuances that help affiliates make better traffic decisions.

In our first edition, we focus on Facebook: the seasonal shifts that typically occur in July, the metrics that matter most, and why evaluating campaign performance requires looking beyond surface-level results and analyzing the entire user journey.

False Signals: When a Drop in CTR and CR Doesn’t Mean Your Campaign Is Failing

In July, traditional advertising metrics can be misleading — even for experienced media buyers. One of the most common mistakes is treating a decline in CTR and CR as a clear sign that a campaign has burned out and should be turned off.

In reality, the cause is often a seasonal shift in user behaviour rather than the campaign itself. During the summer, people spend more time on mobile devices, travel more, and generally devote less attention to social media. They scroll through their feeds faster, which naturally leads to lower CTR and registration conversion rates, even when the campaign continues to attract high-quality traffic.

This is where many affiliates make costly mistakes. They see performance drop in their tracker, pause campaigns that are still delivering value, and start testing new creatives, spending additional budget to solve a problem that may not actually exist.

The N1 Partners Approach

In situations like these, the N1 Partners team avoids drawing conclusions based solely on the first signs of declining advertising metrics.

Instead, we look at the full picture by analysing:

• user cohorts;
• the time between registration and first deposit;
• post-click user behaviour;
• overall campaign profitability.

During the summer, it’s especially important to allow the entire conversion cycle to unfold before evaluating performance. A user may click on an ad during the day but only complete registration or make a first deposit later that evening or even over the weekend.

Our team also recommends adapting creatives to seasonal user behaviour. Shorter funnels, clear messaging, and offers built around fast or instant-play games tend to perform better during the summer, as they require less time and commitment from users who are often browsing on the go.

Night-Time Traffic: Why a Lower CPC Doesn’t Always Mean Higher ROI

Another seasonal trend in July is the shift in user activity patterns.

Across many Tier-1 markets, longer daylight hours and warmer weather change how people spend their time. Users are generally less active on social media during the day, with engagement gradually moving into the late evening and overnight hours.

Facebook adapts quickly to these behavioural changes, allocating more impressions during peak activity periods — typically between 10:00 PM and 3:00 AM local time.

For affiliates, this can initially look like an opportunity:

• lower CPC;
• higher traffic volume;
• more registrations.

However, these metrics don’t necessarily translate into better campaign performance. A lower acquisition cost doesn’t automatically mean higher-quality traffic or stronger long-term profitability, which is why it’s important to evaluate the full conversion funnel rather than relying on CPC alone.

During late-night hours in Tier-1 markets, additional factors can affect deposit conversion:

• users may reach their daily card spending limits;
• banks often perform scheduled maintenance and security updates overnight;
• declined payment rates tend to increase.

As a result, affiliates may see a high number of registrations while the conversion rate from registration to first deposit declines.

The N1 Partners Approach

At N1 Partners, we don’t recommend limiting campaigns to night-time hours through dayparting simply because CPC appears lower.

While daytime traffic is often more expensive, users acquired during the day and early evening are generally more likely to complete meaningful deposits and deliver stronger long-term value. Rather than optimizing for the lowest acquisition cost, we recommend evaluating traffic quality across the entire conversion funnel and optimizing for overall campaign profitability.

Metrics That Help You Spot Problems Before Your Competitors

Today, Facebook campaign analysis goes far beyond CTR, CPC, and registration volume. If a campaign continues to generate high-quality traffic while ROI starts to decline, the issue isn’t necessarily on Facebook’s side.

At N1 Partners, one of the earliest warning signs we monitor is payment infrastructure performance. Changes in payment metrics often reveal underlying issues before they become visible in overall campaign results.

The first metrics we analyze include:

During the summer, banks in Tier-1 markets regularly update their payment gateways, adjust transaction limits, and introduce changes to payment processing. Even a 5–10% increase in the Decline Rate over a few hours can indicate an underlying technical issue.

Teams that focus solely on the number of first-time deposits often detect these problems too late. Monitoring Success Rate and Decline Rate allows affiliates to identify issues much earlier and adjust their campaigns before performance is significantly affected.

Why It’s Harder to Kill Underperforming Campaigns in July

During the summer, finding a new winning campaign is often easier than knowing when to stop running an existing one. Lower CPCs driven by reduced competition in Facebook’s ad auction can create the illusion that a temporary performance dip will eventually correct itself.

In reality, many affiliates fall into the trap of delayed conversions, attributing weaker results solely to seasonality. More often, the issue lies with the traffic itself rather than the product. During the summer, Tier-1 users respond differently to gambling creatives, while Facebook’s algorithms gradually optimize delivery toward less engaged audiences.

Instead of continuing to scale a declining campaign in the hope that retention will improve later, it’s usually more effective to pause underperforming setups early and reallocate budget to testing new angles and creatives that better match July’s seasonal demand.

Deep Localization: Which GEOs Need It Most?

These seasonal shifts are particularly noticeable in mature Tier-1 markets such as Germany, Austria, and Canada.

Users in these markets have been exposed to gambling advertising for years. They’ve seen countless welcome bonuses, promotional offers, and product concepts, making it much harder for generic campaigns to stand out. Simply increasing a welcome bonus is no longer a meaningful competitive advantage.

At N1 Partners, we take a broader product-driven approach that focuses on:

• deep product localization;
• personalized retention strategies;
• VIP mechanics;
• local payment methods;
• a user experience tailored to the specifics of each market.

Summer also changes how users interact with products. People spend more time away from home, rely more heavily on mobile devices, and switch between content more quickly. At the same time, major sporting events remain a powerful driver of engagement. Products optimized for mobile, fast gameplay, and user journeys that naturally fit summer behaviour tend to deliver the strongest results.

At the same time, lower-cost traffic in Latin America and Asia can be misleading. High registration volumes don’t necessarily translate into strong profitability, especially when optimization focuses on installs or registrations rather than first-time deposits and long-term player value.

Why Brands Are Prioritizing Quality Over Volume

Over the past few months, brands have significantly changed the way they evaluate affiliate traffic. The focus has shifted from traffic volume to user quality and long-term value.

Today, affiliates are increasingly expected to provide transparent source-level reporting, full-funnel analytics, traffic segmentation, and insights into the quality of the acquired audience.

As a result, the best commercial terms are no longer reserved exclusively for the largest affiliates. 

According to N1 Partners, the key differentiators today are:

• strong expertise in traffic analytics;
• the ability to quickly identify changes in the registration-to-deposit conversion rate;
• fast campaign optimization and decision-making;
• stable LTV and healthy DepSum/Payout economics;
• transparent communication between affiliates and affiliate managers.

This approach enables long-term partnerships and sustainable growth—even without continuously increasing traffic volumes.

Key Takeaway

Seasonality changes user behaviour, Facebook’s algorithms adjust traffic distribution, and traditional advertising metrics are no longer enough to evaluate campaign performance.

At N1 Partners, we recommend taking a full-funnel approach by looking beyond CTR, CPC, and registration volume. Instead, evaluate user cohorts, Success Rate, Decline Rate, deposit quality, and overall ROI to make more informed optimization decisions.

Work with N1 Partners and Turn Insights into Results

• 14+ casino and sportsbook brands with strong Reg2Dep conversion
• 10+ Tier-1 GEOs
• CPA up to €700 and RevShare up to 55%, plus NNCO for top-performing affiliates

Be number one with N1!