News

Is Investing in Online Gambling Still Viable?

Published

5 years ago

November 30, 2020

Photo by Adeolu Eletu on Unsplash

It is not hard to realize why many have noticed the online gambling industry when it comes to investments. With growth over 224% in the US, it is hard to miss such a boom. But, many people question if investing in online gambling is still viable or has the train passed for the biggest winners.

The answer mainly depends on if the investor is planning to get rich quick or to establish him or herself in the industry. For the former, regretfully the peak has already passed if doctors and governments are to be trusted.

But, if you want to make a high-quality business that will bring regular growth and pay regular dividends, the so-called iGaming industry is the place to be right now. Even if the growth of the market slows down, it will not stop.

This is because the three main comparative advantages of online gambling will still be present even after people are allowed to visit brick and mortar establishments:

Low regular overhead
Access to global markets
Ensured advantage

And the last point might be the most important if you are a concentrated investor. The superior stability of online gambling compared to regular casinos makes it much easier to plan your business, as well as borrow against the company.

Don’t Expect 2020 to Repeat

Investing now and expecting to triple your investment by this time next year would be very unwise. While substantial growth is possible, some normalization of the curve is to be expected.

By all accounts, a vaccine against the current pandemic is expected to arrive in early 2021, with the effects taking in by the spring of next year. This will mean that fewer people will spend time indoors, thus less time gaming on phones, tablets, and computers.

Still, most of the current user base is expected to remain and new users will join in as the word of mouth spreads globally. This makes a perfect chance for someone, especially if offering niche-specific services, to swoop in and fill that market.

Enough Players for Everybody

There is no territorial competition when it comes to online gambling. With the number of players entering and the demand for online gambling rising, the competition is very fair and very open between casino operators. This makes a very relaxed atmosphere if you are a new investor in the industry. Of course in some markets like Australia the players spend more on average than in markets like Romania so competition there is a bit more saturated.

But, keeping players on your platform as well as standing out will be difficult. Finding modes to increase your offering and improve your services will be crucial if you want to remain relevant and growing.

High-Entry / Low-Maintenance

With some new legislation that will be affecting both Malta and Curacao, the industry will probably become even cleaner. But, the licenses will become more expensive, which may dissuade smaller investors from chipping in.

Namely, the old Curacao license, usually taken out by new operators, will now cost roughly $120.000, which is a steep increase from the $35.000 which was the price so far and will be until January 1st, 2021.

But, for those who have the funds, this is where major expenses end and where income begins. As the costs for operations, security, services, and technical support all scale with the level of business, you will rarely find yourself bleeding funds in any way.

Generally, if you can make an arrangement with game developers for pay-to-play terms, you can have a very secure income with minimal expenses and only a basic payroll staff.

New Curacao License

While still being valued as a license that ensures trust and safety from the operator, Curacao has been seen as the ‘second-best’ for a very long time. This is because the rules for obtaining, as well as oversight, was much more relaxed than for the Malta GC license.

But, with the new deal made between Curacao and the Dutch authorities back in Europe, the value and price of this license will rise quite a bit.

For those who had the papers this year, the ~$85.000 increase won’t be an issue, but it might be for new operators looking to open an online gambling business in 2021.

Malta is the Gold Standard

A license provided by the Malta Gaming Commission is still the golden standard when it comes to online gambling. The rules now planned by Curacao have been enforced in Malta since 2009, and even new players are familiar with the significance of having such a document.

But, for many operators, this type of clearance is not necessary. If you don’t want to market towards EU players and don’t plan on predatory tactics in the first place, you may use the Curacao license and save some money initially.

Later, when you have your business established and your investment relatively secure, you can always take the Malta license as well and try to reel in some bigger whales that are hiding all over the world.

News

N1 SEO Traffic Cup: final results coming soon

Published

2 days ago

April 30, 2026

Master Editor

N1 SEO Traffic Cup — the first tournament in the N1 Traffic Cups series is coming to an end, with April 30 as the final day of the promo. Over the 2 months, around 300 teams joined the promo, driving SEO traffic to N1 Partners’ casino and betting brands.

Participants competed not only on volume, but also on efficiency, strategic thinking, and scaling. The more brands a partner drove traffic to, the higher their coefficient for score calculation was. The final results depend entirely on each team’s own performance — that makes the tournament fair and engaging.

The winners will be announced by May 10. In this article, you’ll find out which brands delivered the strongest results in the N1 SEO Traffic Cup, along with key trends in working with this traffic source.

N1 SEO Traffic Cup: Wrap-Up

The N1 Partners expert team answered the hottest questions about the tournament wrap-up — insights that can be valuable for partners who keep running SEO traffic to N1 brands.

1. Which brands showed the best performance during the tournament?

Several brands clearly stood out:

HollyWin
Slot Mafia
Lucky Hunter
RollXO
Slot Lounge

2. What do the tournament results say about the current state of SEO traffic in iGaming?

The key takeaway: SEO remains one of the core channels in iGaming. However, it’s evolving and adapting in response to Google updates. This is no longer about writing articles and getting traffic — it’s about systematic unit economics management.

An interesting point — the tournament mechanics focused not on volume, but on efficiency (FTD + coefficients). This clearly shows that iGaming SEO is shifting from mass traffic to controlled performance.

It’s also worth noting that the rule “There are no fixed winners — KPI execution matters more than leaderboard position” gave every participant a real shot at top prizes, while competitors’ results served as additional motivation for growth.

3. What key trends did you observe among top participants?

Several major trends stood out:

Multi-brand strategy = a must-have
Top performers don’t rely on a single offer — they build strategies around a portfolio of brands. This proves that SEO is moving closer to media buying.
Aggregators, comparison pages, and multi-intent pages are effective
Among the top-performing approaches: offerwall pages, cross-brand strategies, and parasite SEO.

Stay tuned for updates on the N1 SEO Traffic Cup from N1 Partners to find out who landed in the prize tiers and what rewards the top teams received — final results will be announced separately by May 10.

And this isn’t the end — a new tournament from the N1 Traffic Cups series will start very soon. Follow the announcements not to miss your chance and jump back into the competition, sharpen your skills, as well as compete for even bigger prizes.

N1 Partners is:

14+ casino and sportsbook 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!

News

Inside GEO Slovenia As the Next Emerging Goldmine

Published

1 week ago

April 23, 2026

Master Editor

Slovenia is definitely one of the most promising GEOs for the iGaming niche.

That is why the N1 Partners team has collected insights that will help to work more accurately with the audience, increase ROI and build effective advertising campaigns for the GEO.

Let’s look at the big picture to understand the potential of the region better. Slovenia is a small country in Central Europe with a population of about 2.1 million people and its capital in Ljubljana. The official language is Slovenian, the currency is euro, and the time zone is CET (UTC+1).

With the background of a high living standard and a stable economy, the market creates favorable conditions for online gambling: the iGaming sector is already showing steady growth, and its volume was estimated at about $497 million by 2025.

Reasons to test Slovenia

Slovenia is a promising region, but it often turns out to be underestimated in the iGaming niche.

Top 3 reasons to drive traffic to Slovenia right now:

Low competition.
Slovenia is the country with a low share of online gambling in the market. For partners, this is a signal: with proper localisation and strategy, you can enter a less competitive environment and make a long-term profit.
Solvent players.
The GDP per capita in Slovenia is about $35.3 thousand, which confirms the high level of audience solvency and the potential for stable LTV.
High potential.
Slovenia is not an overheated online market: in European comparison, the share of online gambling in the overall revenue structure remains relatively low. This means that the market has not yet fully realised its digital potential and there’s a room for growth.

Players’ behaviour

Slovenian users are more likely to choose online platforms due to their convenience, wide choice of games and accessibility from mobile devices.

In this region, smartphones account for the majority of iGaming traffic — 86.45%, which requires the adaptation of all funnels to mobile devices.

Gender and age

Men — 63%, average age 31-35 years
Women — 37%, average age 26-30 years

According to N1 Partners, the iGaming market remains predominantly male, which is confirmed by external research: the main audience is men aged 25-44. At the same time, the proportion of women is gradually increasing, expanding the segment’s potential.

Top 10 slots Among N1 Partners Players in Slovenia

N1 Partners team notes that players prefer slots with recognizable series, bonus features and adventure themes — this directly affects retention and LTV.

Legacy of Dead
Book of Dead
Heist Stakes
Book of the Fallen
Gates of Olympus Super Scatter
Lucky Lady’s Charm Deluxe
Magic Apple 2
Rich Wilde and the Tome of Madness
Gonzo’s Quest II: Return to El Dorado
More Magic Apple

Conclusion

Slovenia is a GEO with strong and sustainable potential and a high share of mobile traffic, as well as a growing iGaming market, ideal for those working with gambling traffic.

N1 Partners analytics confirms that with the right localisation strategy and taking into account the characteristics of the audience, this market is able to bring stable profits and long-term growth within the framework of iGaming partner programs.

Wanna scale and increase your income? Work with N1 Partners!

N1 Partners is a multi-brand affiliate program and direct advertiser, bringing together 14+ casino and betting brands with high conversion (CR) and Reg2Dep across Tier-1 GEOs.

N1 Partners offers competitive terms for top partners, including CPA up to €700 and RevShare up to 55%, ensuring stable and scalable performance.

Trusted by 14,000+ partners, N1 Partners stands out for its transparency, flexibility, and focus on long-term partnerships, supported by a strong product portfolio and advanced retention systems.

Affiliate Success

TAG Media and Gamblitude Launch affie.ai

Published

1 week ago

April 22, 2026

George Miller

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.