News
The Outlook for UK iGaming Affiliate Marketing in 2021

The iGaming industry can be quite lucrative for affiliates who know how to make the most out of available affiliate programs. UK online gambling brands from sportsbooks to casinos and everything in between rely on all types of online and offline advertising strategies to acquire and retain customers. Affiliate marketing is one such strategy that has evolved in importance over the years. This evolution is likely to continue in 2021.
Even though 2020 has been a rather rocky year due to COVID-19, iGaming affiliate marketing share in 2021 has the potential to grow with new online UK bookmakers establishing (and big-name online UK bookmakers re-establishing) a foothold in the profitable football betting market. Already, brand new bookies are starting to appear with the 2020/21 sports season set to begin. These new bookies mean the potential for more affiliate marketing opportunities because affiliate programs tend to be one of the most cost-effective methods for acquiring new customers.
Affiliate marketing spend has increased over the years
For sportsbooks and casinos, over the last decade, affiliate marketing has become an increasingly important marketing strategy for expanding their online reach to attract new punters via desktop and mobile channels.
According to a Regulus Partners report, in the past few years there has been massive growth in UK gambling online marketing spend, which increased form £376 million in 2014 to £725 million in 2017. As such, it comes as no surprise that this same report found that there was also notable growth in Affiliate marketing spend, with an increase from £274 million in 2014 to £295 million in 2017. This is quite the jump considering that affiliate marketing typically tends to be one of the least expensive forms of advertising.
It is highly probably that these figures will continue to climb higher into next year as more of Britain’s gamblers choose to bet online out of convenience, ease of mobile access and the pandemic crisis.
Current iGaming Affiliate restrictions
Presently, gambling online in the UK is at an all time high. According to the UK Gambling Commission’s gambling industry statistics covering the period between October 2018 and September 2019, gross gambling yield has grown. More specifically, some of the biggest increases have been seen in the remote (online) betting, bingo and casino markets. Focusing on betting specifically, the total gross gambling yield for remote betting during this time period was £2.1 billion, a 4.3% increase from April 2018 – May 2019.
However, while this may be good news for gambling operators and their affiliates, a growing concern about increased problem gambling and gambling addiction in the country, has lead to a call for tighter regulations to be placed on operators, specifically restrictions regarding advertising.
This isn’t the first time that restrictions have been placed on UK gambling-related advertising, including iGaming affiliate marketing. Three years ago, tighter regulations were placed on operators, making them liable for the actions of their affiliate partners to help try and curb advertising misleading information. This has resulted in betting firms being hit with fines rather than their affiliates when their affiliates advertised misleading information about the firm’s promotions.
These stricter guidelines were designed to motivate gambling operators to encourage their affiliates to stick to advertising regulations, otherwise the operator would be held responsible if the advertising was found to be in breach of Gambling Commission rules. As a direct result of these rules, some firms closed their affiliate programs altogether, including Sky Bet, who didn’t want to take a chance with untrustworthy affiliates.
What the future could hold for iGaming affiliates
However, in spite of the current affiliate marketing regulation responsibilities placed on operators, some feel that this is not enough. It is possible that, in the future, the UK government may take the next step and regulate iGaming affiliates directly. If this should occur, it could mean that affiliates would be required to register or license their operations before deals can be made to promote legal sportsbooks.
These changes could impact affiliates by introducing new:
- Regulation costs – A fee may need to be paid by affiliates to be regulated.
- Legal requirements – Affiliates would be required to ensure regulatory compliance, meaning that if they breach rules they would also be subject to a fine along with the operator.
- Increased acquisitions – Smaller affiliates are not likely to survive with the new regulatory changes, making it easier for larger affiliates to purchase them, reducing competition.
There is no question that if the Gambling Commission chooses to crack down further on affiliate marketing, this would have an effect on iGaming affiliate market share in the future. However, as it stands now, with new online bookmakers popping up onto the scene and the new football season ready to start, the outlook seems bright for iGaming affiliates in 2021.
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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