Affiliate Announcements
XLMedia expands into Romania with affiliate acquisition
																								
												
												
											XLMedia‘s Ory Weihs (Group CEO) has reaffirmed his company’s commitment to the igaming industry with the announcement that it has bought a portfolio of Romanian-facing affiliate websites and obtained a licence in the country.
The digital marketing company paid approximately US$1m for the online betting and gambling content websites, the most significant of which is ponturi-bune.ro, a predominantly sports-focused affiliate site that also covers the casino and poker verticals.
Although this year XLMedia has made significant acquisitions outside the igaming space, including Canadian credit card comparison website Greedyrates.ca and mobile performance marketing platform ClicksMob, chief executive Ory Weihs said the Romanian deal demonstrated its continuing commitment to the igaming industry.
“We have quite a lot of activities outside of gambling but still gambling is our biggest vertical and this is a display that we are still very much interested in investing in it,” said Weihs.
“Although this is a smallish deal it shows that even though we’ve acquired assets outside the gambling sector in the last couple of years as well, we’re still very much interested to grow in gambling, especially in regulated markets like Romania, and we expect to make more acquisitions in the future.”
Since 2015, in order to operate in Romania affiliates have been required to obtain a Class II licence from Romania’s National Gambling Office (ONJN). XLMedia was granted a licence in January and there are currently 28 other affiliates holding licences in the country, according to the ONJN’s website.
A number of leading European operators have entered the Romanian market since the new regulatory system was put in place, and the fact that many of its clients are already in Romania was one of the driving factors behind XLMedia’s decision to enter the market, said Weihs.
Ponturi Bune counts large European operators such as 888, Unibet and NetBet among its affiliate marketing partners.
He added that he believes the Romanian market has a lot of potential for further growth. “Of course it is a less mature market than Scandinavia or the UK but it is not necessarily a reflection of the market size.
“It always has been a very active sportsbetting market, it is a growing economy, there are quite a lot of people in Romania, it is in the European union, it is regulated so it has all the characteristics of a gambling market that we are interested in.”
XLMedia and other large affiliates such as Catena and Raketech have been very active in acquiring smaller affiliates over the past 18 months, with the pace of M&A activity expected to continue in the near future.
Affiliate Announcements
IZIGROUP Partners with PartnerMatrix to Expand Global Reach
														A new chapter of innovation begins as PartnerMatrix, one of the industry’s leading affiliate marketing software providers, partners with IZIGROUP to strengthen its global presence and enhance player acquisition through smarter, data-driven, and fully compliant marketing technology.
The collaboration will empower affiliates promoting IZIGROUP’s online brands, IZIBET and Dragonara Online Casino with cutting-edge tools to manage, track, and optimize campaigns more efficiently. This partnership reflects a shared vision for growth, innovation, and regulatory excellence within the evolving iGaming landscape.
PartnerMatrix, part of the EveryMatrix group, is known for delivering flexible, secure, and high-performing solutions that enable operators to scale their affiliate programs globally while maintaining compliance and transparency values deeply aligned with IZIGROUP’s operational philosophy.
“PartnerMatrix’s platform is the best in the industry, robust, reliable, and designed for performance,” said Cristian Rachieru, Head of Online Operations for IZI Interactive Limited, the company licensed by the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) to operate IZIGROUP’s online gaming brands.
“With PartnerMatrix and the full suite of EveryMatrix products powering our operations, we’re ready for a full house. This partnership will further strengthen our ability to connect with players globally while remaining compliant and delivering exceptional online gaming experiences.”
Hasmik Movsisian, Chief Commercial Officer at PartnerMatrix, added: “We are delighted to partner with IZIGROUP, a company that shares our dedication to innovation and responsible growth. By combining our advanced affiliate management technology with IZIGROUP’s strong brand portfolio, we’re confident in driving higher engagement, stronger performance, and lasting success within regulated markets.”
This collaboration marks an important milestone in IZIGROUP’s continuous journey of innovation and expansion. By uniting PartnerMatrix’s affiliate marketing expertise with IZIGROUP’s trusted brand portfolio and the EveryMatrix ecosystem, the partnership sets the stage for long-term success and sustainable growth.
Affiliate Announcements
BetGoat Partners with NetRefer for its Affiliate Marketing Platform
														
Crypto-first operator BetGoat has joined forces with NetRefer, the industry’s leading data-driven, AI-powered affiliate marketing platform, to launch and expand its affiliate programme with speed and precision.
BetGoat has quickly established itself as a next-generation casino and sportsbook, combining a crypto-only payments model with a sleek, mobile-first platform. The brand caters to players across Asia, including Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam, offering extensive coverage of global and regional sports alongside a dynamic casino portfolio.
From Premier League football and NBA basketball to UFC, esports, and Formula 1, BetGoat delivers thousands of live events each month. Odds are updated in real time, while in-play markets give players the ability to act on every moment of the action. This focus on immediacy and responsiveness reflects the operator’s commitment to delivering a seamless betting experience.
Beyond sports, BetGoat’s casino and live dealer catalogue features leading providers such as Pragmatic Play, Evolution, and NetEnt. The operator processes deposits and withdrawals exclusively in digital currencies, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Tether, with rapid turnaround times and no fiat restrictions, ensuring both efficiency and transparency for players.
Licensed by the Anjouan Gaming Board, BetGoat places a strong emphasis on responsible play. Its platform integrates a wide range of tools that allow customers to set deposit, wager, and session limits, take timeout periods, or opt for self-exclusion, supported by a 24/7 service team. This combination of crypto-driven innovation and player protection reflects BetGoat’s commitment to long-term sustainability.
Affiliate marketing is central to BetGoat’s growth strategy. By selecting NetRefer, the operator gains access to performance insights and flexible reporting that allow it to adapt quickly in fast-moving markets. With the support of CoPilot AI, ASR 1.0 API, and the newly released Report Builder, affiliates benefit from actionable, data-driven intelligence that drives measurable results.
Crucially, BetGoat also utilises NetRefer’s Data Ingestion API, a robust solution that delivers 99.5% availability, standardised inputs, and frequent data updates. The API reduces delays and manual work by correcting errors automatically, ensuring affiliates receive accurate reporting and rewards with greater speed and consistency. For a fast-scaling crypto operator, this level of reliability and precision is essential.
Marky Chan, Affiliate Manager at BetGoat, said: “Our experience with NetRefer has been outstanding. We chose the platform for its strong reputation, reliable tracking, and scalability, all essential for managing BetGoat’s growing affiliate network. The onboarding process was smooth and well-supported, with clear guidance from the team. We particularly value the powerful reporting and commission management tools, which make tracking and optimising performance effortless. NetRefer is a reliable, user-friendly, and responsive partner, and we highly recommend it to any business looking to manage and grow their affiliate programme effectively.”
Amanda Camenzuli, Manager of NetRefer’s Account Management team, commented: “We’re excited to welcome BetGoat to the NetRefer family. By embracing the Data Ingestion API, they’re setting their affiliate programme up for success with accurate, standardised data and fewer operational hurdles. We look forward to supporting their growth and helping them reach ambitious new milestones.”
This partnership brings together BetGoat’s innovative, crypto-first vision with NetRefer’s 20 years of affiliate marketing expertise. Together, the companies will deliver an affiliate programme built on transparency, performance, and sustainable growth.
Affiliate Announcements
KVA launches new website: stronger quality mark and clear recognition for consumers
														
The Responsible Affiliates Quality Mark (KVA) has launched its updated website. The modernization is the result of months of preparation and stems from the first meeting of the Alliance for Combating Illegal Online Gambling in May 2025. During this meeting, participants, including the KVA, emphasized the importance of enabling consumers to more quickly and accurately identify which players in the online gambling market are reliable and legal.
The foundation of the KVA: Thorough inspection and legal security
The KVA was founded in 2021, shortly before the opening of the legal online gambling sector in the Netherlands. At the same time, the KVA Code was developed, which all affiliated members must comply with. Compliance with this code has a legal basis: it is contractually established between the KVA and its members.
The KVA Code is based on current legislation and regulations in the Netherlands and is amended as needed. The code consists of six fixed components:
- Contributing to channelisation and combating illegal supply.
 - Responsible use of marketing channels.
 - Careful and balanced design of expressions.
 - Preventing deception.
 - Tailoring advertising to addiction prevention.
 - Compliance with the Decree on Non-Targeted Remote Gambling Advertising.
 
All members are fully assessed annually. They receive a comprehensive advisory report, supplemented with random samples and audits based on signals. Compliance assessments are conducted by KVA Compliance Officers, who operate independently within the organization under contract. This guarantees a legally anchored and reproducible assessment structure.
The foundation of the KVA remains unchanged. However, the updated website provides a clearer and more accessible overview of what the KVA Code entails.
Increase recognition
Previously, consumers weren’t always clear about the KVA quality mark when they encountered it on an affiliate website. With the updated website, the KVA aims to improve this by making the quality mark’s function more transparent. Individual certificates for each affiliated website immediately show how it was assessed, how often inspections are performed, and when the last assessment was conducted. We also specifically explain which KVA Compliance Officer assessed the website, for transparency reasons. The certificates increase consumer recognition.
The new website contains several extensions and improvements:
- KVA certificates per website : Each affiliated member has its own page with a certificate, which shows how the assessment was made, whether the organization behind the website has been verified, and who performed the last audit. All the different certificates can be found on the member page: https://kva.nl/leden/ . Many of our members have now set up links from the quality mark to their own certificates.
 - KVA Team: Clear information is now available about the team behind the KVA: https://kva.nl/het-team-van-kva/
 - Transparency statement: a page explaining the organizational structure behind the KVA: https://kva.nl/transparantieverklaring/
 - Advisory Board : The role of external advisors has been given a more prominent role. The KVA is supported by Yvon Jansma (Center for Responsible Gambling), Peter-Paul de Goeij (online gambling specialist), Eric Konings (VNLOK), Anne-Jaap Snijders (Book of Sports expert), and Björn Fuchs (VNLOK chairman). Advisory Board page: https://kva.nl/de-raad-van-advies/
 - Responsible Gambling page : comprehensive information for consumers about signs of problematic gambling behavior, tips for responsible gambling, and referrals to support agencies: https://kva.nl/verantwoord-gokken/
 - Publications section : an overview of studies, reports, and warnings issued by the KVA. This regularly highlights the risks of illegal online casinos, misleading affiliates, and new marketing tactics: https://kva.nl/publicaties/
 
Informing and protecting consumers
With its updated website, the KVA is positioning itself more emphatically as a consumer information hub. It regularly issues warnings about the risks of illegal gambling through social media and accessible articles. In doing so, the quality mark aims to contribute to the channeling objective: encouraging participation with legal providers and combating illegal offerings.
Steven Vrolijk, representative of the KVA: “With the updated website, we’re taking the next step in professionalization. The quality mark will be more recognizable for consumers, while members can continue to rely on a robust and legally sound assessment procedure. Through our role within the Alliance, the constructive contact with the regulator, and the input of experienced market experts, we want to continue contributing, together with our members, to channeling legal supply and tackling the illegal sector. Naturally, we thank all members and affiliated partners for supporting our initiative.”
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