So you want to be a gambling affiliate?
Now that you want to be a gambling affiliate there are loads of options in terms of job title for yourself, they include; affiliate, gambling affiliate, iGaming affiliate, iGaming professional, affiliate marketer….the list goes on, but I prefer iGaming Professional. Now, just like any other market, there is some good news and some bad news about entering this market. First, the good news, the barrier to entry is low, you could be set up within 24 hours, with little to no outlay of cash. Now the bad news, there is around 50,000 odd other iGaming professionals and iGaming websites which are already more established than you in the market, therefore competition is fierce! However, it can be an excellent way to generate another income stream, as a side-line or part-time job, or a full-time operation if successful.
My name is Robert Alexander, I’m from the UK, and I have been an iGaming professional for the last 3+ years. I really enjoy the iGaming industry, and I get a buzz from promoting great iGaming brands, introducing new customers and being involved in marketing. I have learnt a lot in terms of marketing and SEO and I’m continuing my learning curve. I have put together this step-by-step guide to help new iGaming professionals get started in the industry. It doesn’t go in depth on things like Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategies etc… and is intended for newbies to the industry.
Step 1. Choose a gambling niche
When starting it would be advisable to drill down to a specific niche within gambling, so you can have specific content on a subject matter and won’t have to create content covering all topics relating to gambling! If you are passionate about a certain niche, for example; online Slots, then it would make sense to have it in Slots/Casino. However, there are many too choose from, including; Casino, Sports, Poker, Odds, Lottery, Bitcoin/crypto, Bingo, Monopoly etc. Research the Niche and how you can add value with your website. A word of warning for Poker affiliates, this can be trickier to get a foothold in the market, there are only a few major players (poker sites) and some have shut-up-shop in terms of new affiliates joining, and you may have to go down sub-affiliate route.
Step 2. Choose a domain name
In Choosing a domain, you have two main options, either; create a brand-new domain, or buy a domain. Creating a brand-new domain will give you the most flexibility in making a fresh brandable domain name. (Bluehost offer 1 free domain registration). However, in the world of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) new domains will have no backlinks or website authority. This will mean that you will get less organic traffic, and traffic is essential! No traffic = No Income! Therefore, consideration should be given to paying more and purchasing a good quality domain name with quality backlinks & higher website authority.
Step 3. Choose a hosting service
I would recommend Bluehost. Founded in 2003 they have a very professional and easy to use site and dashboard, and are priced competitively. Plus, you can use popular iGaming WordPress themes with the host.
Bluehost benefits include:
-Money-back guarantee-1 FREE domain registration-Unlimited domain hosting-Free drag-and-drop site builder-Unlimited disk storage-Unlimited IMAP & POP3 e-mail support-24/7 chat, email and phone support to our customers.
Step 4. Choose a website design/templates
The iGaming sector has bespoke website templates to make it easier for the affiliate. WordPress is my go-to place for my iGaming website design, and you can get custom templates for the iGaming Industry, which will give your site a professional feel and will be easy to set up.My preferred provider is Pokatheme and I have many domains using this WordPress theme, contact me directly about getting a 50% discount on the website list prices. Of course, if you have experience in web design it may be worthwhile to create your own unique site.
Step 5. Sign up to affiliate programs
You will need to sign up to several affiliate programs. There is no shortage of choice, there are many affiliate programs available. For commission, you will be offered either; Cost Per Acquisition (CPA), Revenue Share or Hybrid commission structure.
- CPA deal > Where you get a set commission for each first time depositor (FTD) you introduce (ie. 1 new FTD you get $100),
- Revenue share deal > where you get a percentage of the profits off a player minus expenses & taxes, (ie. 30% of losses)
- Hybrid deal > A combination of both a CPA and revenue share (ie. $50 and 20% of losses).
Try and negotiate the best deal for yourself. I like revenue share, as it is longer term, and can pay dividends in the future, and, if the operator is offering a hybrid, I will take this in exchange for a slightly lower revenue share. However, not all affiliate programs offer the Hybrid deal. It would be prudent to be sign up to a number of affiliate programs, like the saying; “don’t carry all your eggs in one basket”, because should an affiliate program close or casino go into administration, you would lose all your revenue share off that program. Having many affiliate programs spreads the risk.
Below are some recommendations I have:
BTAG MEDIA
Gambling Affiliation
E Gaming Online (EGO)
Royal Affiliates
Sun Partners
Vegas Folks
Step 6 Go Live!
Upload your images, tracking links, and your content! oh content, you will need plenty of good quality content to keep your visitors interested. It may be worthwhile to use experienced writers from Fiverr etc. Make sure all your content is original and you are compliant with marketing/affiliates laws, rules and regulations.
Step 7. Know your Geo
Knowing where your market is, and how you plan to target this market is crucial. For example, there is no point starting a marketing campaign for 888 poker in the USA, if consumers from this region are not allowed to play on the site. Ok, so this is an overly simplified example, but marketing to specific Geo’s and using free software such as google analytics will help you manage this.
Step 8. I’m Live – Now what?
Now the real work can start…. building quality backlinks and continually improving and updating content doesn’t stop! Be prepared to put the hours into your site to improve it. I’m a big fan of SEO, content creation and using social media in order to create organic traffic to a domain, and not so much PPC, which can get expensive very quickly! Beware of bogus marketing such as; pop under’s, commonly advertised as “10,000 genuine visitors for $20”, or “buy a 20,000 genuine marketing email database for $49.99”, these are spam, just don’t do it, it doesn’t work, reduces your credibility, is a waste of your time, energy and money. Starting a new iGaming domain you should expect to be waiting 6-12months before it gains some traction and brings in any income at all, be patient, but do be pro-active!
If you made it this far, thanks for reading, you will no doubt be on a learning curve and there will be many obstacles and hurdles to overcome, but being a gambling affiliate can be extremely rewarding and I wish you luck in your new venture. If you want to connect with me you can reach me on Skype – live:r.a.stewart_1