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Affiliate Interviews: David Hjelmström, founder of Betting.se and SweGaming Affiliates AB

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There is no doubt that the online gambling sector of the Scandinavian region drives large volumes of players and the quality in term of wager value is the most increased in the industry. However this also means that the competition is harsh among affiliates that are looking to attract the players and drive them towards partner brands. The story of David Hjelmström, founder at Betting.se, is quite interesting and it gives us an inside scope of what is happening in the online gambling affiliate industry of the Scandinavian region.

David is the 3rd affiliate which will fly for free to SiGMA(Summit of iGaming, Malta). You to can benefit of this promotion, just be sharing your story as David did. Read more details here: https://gamblingaffiliatevoice.com/share-story-us-get-free-flight-sigma-limited-offer-first-40-affiliates/

Without any further side details, I give you the interview with David Hjelmström.

GAV: First, we would like to thank you for the opportunity to interview such a highly appreciated professional of the industry. Could you fill out the short form below so our readers can imagine your profile?

  • Name: David Hjelmström
  • Age: 21
  • Hometown: Gothenburg
  • Living in: Gothenburg of course, where else.
  • Favorite Food: Meatballs with mashed potatoes and lingonberries
  • Must Read Book: Svenska miljardärer (Swedish billionaires)

GAV: Tell us a bit about yourself, we want to know who David really is, the main person behind Betting.se. Where were you born? What was the key idea of developing this great website?

David: I were born just outside Gothenburg city where I lived for a long time and then moved into central Gothenburg later on. In high school I meet my future colleague. We started to bet on football and ice hockey games before we had the age with our parent’s IDs. It continued and we were thinking, someone has to make money on this. So we started our first affiliate site, betexpert.se. Since then we have built a lot of casino and sports affiliate sites with varying quality. With betting.se, we wanted to invest properly on a website that really stands out.

GAV: Since there are thousands of sports betting review websites out there, and the Scandinavian market is quite ruff, where do you think Betting.se stands now?

David: I think we make a serious impact on the Swedish market out with our new site Betting.se. It just got launched and in the next couple of months and on EM we will already play a big role.

GAV: What are the strong points of the website and what makes it stand out from the niche websites? We can certainly say it jumps out of the routine websites…the design is really appealing.

David: I think Betting.se is standing out with our daily Betting tips and our own build odds checker. We are also in the work with filming video reviews that will stand out. The design is not a normal WordPress theme. Bettting.se design is built from the grown by my amazing Colleague.

GAV: What were the bumps on your road when you got started and how did you overcome them?

David: The first and biggest bump so far is the domain Betting.se. We had a tough work getting in touch with the owner that just had the domain but no website on it. After some dealing about the price, the domain where ours. If you don´t give up and continue to fight you will overcome everything with a bit of luck and timing.

GAV: We have browsed your website and found some high quality content. Are you writing it by yourself or you have a team of people writing your editorials?

David: We have an in-house team that writes most of our editorials. But of course I cannot get my fingers across from writing my own articles.

GAV: How do you keep the content fresh and devoid of clutter when a lot of fluff and nonsense appear on the Internet on a daily basis?

David: There is for sure a lot of fluff and nonsense on the internet but I don´t think it affect us on a bad way. We get our information on official websites. One of our content manager is also an old hockey player and knows people in the biggest league in Sweden and also NHL. There we get some unique content for sure.

GAV: We are sure that you receive daily messages from Affiliate Managers showcasing their products. You of course select them by the brands they work with; but what are your thoughts on how Affiliate Manager-Affiliate relationships should be built?

David: Yes, we get a lot of emails from affiliate managers that wants to work with us. There is always a balance between the brand and the person in self. We also search around and ask people if they are a trusted affiliate program. It is easier to work together if you have a personally relationship with people. Therefore, it is perfect to eat dinners on conferences or just drink a water together on the conference.

GAV: How do you see the future of the gambling industry? For instance, will it become a truly global phenomenon in the near future?

David: I think the gambling industry will continue grow for a long time. It is still a lot of people that are interesting of gambling but has not taken the step yet. It will undulate but continue grow for a long time. But the margin will be smaller in the future with game taxes and more competition.

GAV: Can you name one change that you want to see in the sports betting affiliate ecosystem?

David: I would like more transparency for affiliates. I think it is important that the affiliates know exactly how their players behaves and what they think is good and not. It will help the player value.

GAV: What advise you would like to offer to the new affiliates who are looking to venture into this great industry?

David: When we started in 2013 we felt a bit late. I think it is really hard to venture into the business at the moment. But with tough work, everything is possible but it will take a lot of time and efforts.

GAV: Who is your favorite celebrity?

David: Henrik Lundqvist         

GAV: If you would just open your YouTube search bar, what would you search for?

David: I would search for my favorite hockey team, Frölunda

GAV: Back to work. Do you attend any iGaming conferences? If so, which one is your favorite and what is your most fun experience?

David: I have attended to all iGaming conferences since I started in the business. The conference I get most out of is London. The most fun experience has to be in a conference in Barcelona for three years ago. Me and my colleague had a meeting with a new brand we had not yet met. We got along well and flied to Madrid the day after to watch El Clásico.

GAV: What is your opinion overall about affiliate conferences such as SiGMA?

SiGMA-logo

David: I like SIGMA a lot. The location of SiGMA is great. It is good for the gaming people outside Malta and also easy for the people how lives on the island. It is nice to come and visit the companies in their headquarters.

GAV: How do you rate the chances of Eastern Europe becoming potential gaming hotspot of the future? Where do you think the region must improve upon?

David: I think the chances are good. I don´t see why it should not be a gaming hotspot. I think the region has improved a lot the last five years.

GAV: Alright, here comes the fun part…., where would you like to travel in Eastern Europe, some part of the region maybe that you haven’t visited yet and favorite destination around the world.

David: I would like to visit Klaipéda in Lithuania. I have never been to Lithuania so I think that would be a nice experience. My favorite destination, I have to say Las Vegas.

GAV: Where you wouldn’t want to travel in Eastern Europe?

David: I would like to travel to all countries 🙂

GAV: What is your opinion about GAV (Gambling Affiliate Voice – gamblingaffiliatevoice.com)?

David: The Gambling affiliate voice is useful for us. We look for certified affiliate programs and also read the articles about the industry.

Affiliate Success

Casino Guru secures Safer Gambling Initiative of the Year at iGB Affiliate Awards

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Casino Guru secures Safer Gambling Initiative of the Year at iGB Affiliate Awards

 

Casino Guru is proud to announce that it has won the Safer Gambling Initiative of the Year at the iGB Affiliate Awards 2025, for a third consecutive year.

The distinction further highlights the company’s commitment to building a sustainable future for the gambling industry, not only through its dedication to providing players with the most complete, real-time-updated database of online casinos curated by trained experts, but also through its efforts to influence business standards and responsible practices across the sector.

As a leader in informed play, Casino Guru has dedicated a significant portion of its time and efforts to building a casino database that uses safer gambling as one of its core metrics for assessing a brand’s reliability, sustainability, and treatment of customers.

Casino Guru’s Head of Sustainable and Safer Gambling, Šimon Vincze, was excited to share his appreciation for the award: “As someone closely involved in responsible gambling and safer play at Casino Guru, I can say this award is a true testament to our work. We’ve worked tirelessly to leverage our market position to produce tangible outcomes in terms of awareness and impact of safer gambling practices, player complaints, and the availability of blocking software. We are a trailblazer in safer gambling among affiliates, but collaboration with other like-minded companies has enabled us to stay at the forefront.”

Casino Guru could not be prouder of this moment, which once again reinforces the company’s leadership in helping to set safer gambling standards industry-wide.

Daniela Sliva, Public Relations and Creative Projects Director, commented on the distinction: “Winning the Safer Gambling Initiative of the Year for a third consecutive time was an emotional moment and a well-deserved one. Casino Guru has worked tirelessly to establish itself as a leader in promoting sustainable and responsible play. We truly believe we are setting new standards for responsible gambling, not just within the affiliate space, but across the wider industry. Our company ethos places safer gambling at the heart of everything we do, from our Complaint Resolution Center to the Safety Index, and especially through initiatives like the Casino Guru Awards, which further reinforce this commitment.”

Among the achievements that Casino Guru has to be proud of are the Casino Guru Awards, which have established clear competitive guidelines for safer and responsible gambling and distinguish companies that adhere to the Casino Guru’s ethical guidelines and best practices.

Furthermore, Casino Guru established the Gamtegrity platform, which reunites all of the company’s safer gambling projects in one place.

Among Casino Guru’s notable achievements are the Casino Guru Academy, which offers upskilling programs with a focus on responsible gambling, the Global Self-Exclusion Standards Initiative, an active list of partners with some of the leaders in the responsible gambling space, including Mindway AI, and much more.

“An industry-wide commitment to responsible gambling is not only possible: it’s within reach. Casino Guru’s achievement at the iGB Affiliate Awards 2025 is yet another reason for us to double down on our efforts and work even harder to make this vision a reality,” Silva concluded.

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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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