Any hyper-competitive sector of the entertainment world creates a need for efficient marketing if it wants to break through. We are at a point where most of the entities that have a say in this field are already in a very strong position, but there’s still enough market share to try and gain an edge.
For this reason, using as many resources as possible has become a combination of proper decision-making. However, some industries are trying to keep a hold on the actual flow of money for the sake of sustainability.
Enter online gambling, otherwise known as iGaming: a field whose primary consideration is all about extracting value from continued consumer involvement. Unlike retail, where each client makes a payment that goes directly into revenue calculation, gambling online means that you also have to pay a winning user, which complicates things.
This means that attracting as many gamblers who know what they want is a safer choice: you know that they’re more likely to continue to play, which increases the chances of securing revenue. Where can this type of client come from?
One of the answers is qualitative traffic. How to secure or just stimulate it? The answer can be efficient partnerships with affiliate marketing, especially if these deals yield actual bonuses that can boost player interest. This is how exclusive free spins no deposit win real money tend to enter the stage.
In this article, we will dive into the nitty-gritty of affiliate platforms, especially those that use comparison and user opinion aggregation tools, but also how they collaborate with casino operators. May our piece provide you with the clarity that you need!
Who are the affiliates that partner with online casinos?
What you may know as affiliate companies are marketing firms that specialize in building web solutions that are able to divert quality traffic toward online gambling platforms, namely online casinos and sportsbooks.
The actually-essential part here is that the traffic is qualitative and that it translates into actual conversion: users who find the casino through an affiliate site, join it, and actually deposit and start playing there relatively constantly.
For this reason, the casino’s image must make a compelling argument, while the affiliate must provide accessibility and a direct pipeline. The site/s that the affiliate manages need to ensure that the information and presentation are able to attract high-value users.
Naturally, the affiliate needs to ensure that it has a steady source of revenue from its partnerships with various online gambling operators whose sites it showcases in various ways. We will discuss these details a bit later on.
Preferential treatment vs editorial independence
One of the most interesting aspects about the affiliate–casino relationship is the fact that it must be both cost-efficient and valuable to the user who can turn into a casino’s client. There can’t be all smoke and mirrors since dishonesty will quickly turn into a reputational hit for both parties involved in that deal.
As such, the model that helps all sides must provide the right transparency without sacrificing the advantage that the operator’s money can buy.
- Good sites provide efficient exposure. When data shows that players are more likely to have an interest in the casinos that are in the most visible spots, this kind of placement will become more expensive. There are also banners and widgets that can showcase deals from said casino, which, again, bring exposure up.
- For affiliate platforms whose main call to fame and trustworthiness revolve around helpful information and actual editorial content, honesty is essential. For an affiliate to retain its profile and work within a regulated space, it must actually offer helpful services that do not lead to mass inaccuracies that reek of scamming.
Main types of affiliation deals
Money must work properly for both sides of these deals if they are to work out and become sustainable. Since the affiliation marketing sector’s worth is already raking in a lot of money, it means that the existing models make sense to a sensible degree.
In the following list, we will explore the primary styles of partnerships that follow industry patterns and do lead to prosperous results:
- The cost per acquisition (CPA) model is the easiest to add to a standard budget calculation because it involves a fixed fee. Each player who deposits turns into a concrete sum.
Its upside is that it provides a steady, predictable, and straightforward flow of money, but it has much lower potential because there’s no more cash coming from that player’s deposits to the casino’s platform.
- The revenue share methodology is proportional because it operates on a percentage. The affiliate receives a sum that depends on how much the player deposits.
The deal is initially cheaper for a casino because there’s no massive upfront cost, but they yield more of their earnings to the affiliate if the referred client ends up bringing in more value. It’s a riskier model for affiliates, but one with a higher ceiling.
- There are also hybrid styles, which require careful accounting and a very intricate, terms-based deal.
For example, such a partnership can operate on the basis of thresholds. The casino operator pays an upfront sum, but one that is smaller than in a typical CPA deal. However, the affiliate starts receiving a share of the revenue only after a bar is cleared, such as the total amount of money deposited by the player within a certain time range, such as a month.
It’s the type of scenario that works when the operator prefers to invest in players with a high customer lifetime value, while the affiliate has the proven data to leverage its ability to bring in such users.
The context of free spins
Now that we’ve explained the primary levers that make such dealings work, it’s time to showcase why free spin bonuses are such a key cog in these mechanisms.
Before we explain their importance from each side’s perspective, we will recognize why exactly we’re referring to them in this discussion. We’ll do so with a focus on the player’s actual perspective:
- Casino bonuses, in general, are still relevant as incentives that make a difference in how gamblers perceive a gambling website. If anything, they can serve as actual tiebreakers. Casino platform quality has become quite uniform at almost all levels, and the reward for joining a certain website can be a compelling argument.
- Free spins, in general, have the advantage of being easy to set up and cost-effective for online casino platforms. Essentially, they are handouts since they require no deposit, but the upside of attracting players (who may deposit) is what still keeps this incentive model alive and relevant.
- Cross-integration with slot producers is another way to add another company that can contribute to supporting the costs and benefits from the traffic and attention. Online slot machines are the most popular casino games on the market, which drives the value of these solutions.
Casinos pay for visibility and traffic
When any gambling operator decides to set up an offer with free spins and distribute it via certain affiliate channels, it banks on the conversion rate that the affiliate can generate.
Rather than relying solely on having an opinion shared on a specialty platform, it creates a sense of excitement by adding a new magnet.
If its overall site model does, in fact, generate positive opinions by professional or user-generated reviews, a set of free spins can sweeten its front-facing image and invite players to test out the casino with an added upside. It helps it become even more visible.
As for the traffic, this is a matter of preference. Since it’s a freebie, high-value players are probably less likely to join in swaths. Users hunting for bargains and handouts are more incentivized to join.
However, if a percentage of those who redeem the spins will also turn into regular customers, there’s a level of user base expansion that can lead to actual growth. This is why partnering with affiliates with a proven ability to direct quality traffic is when free spins make the most sense.
Affiliates benefit from exclusivity and possible expansion
This matter is a bit more straightforward: exclusivity means a low supply of that specific offer. So, since there is a high demand for free spins, the existence of said promo can lead to a highly driven interest in the affiliate’s platform.
This can go in various directions, but the most important one is volumetric. The more users redeem the platform, the better the chances are that the diverted traffic will generate money, regardless of the type of arrangement between the affiliate and the casino operators.
Yes, the number of players who end up depositing will not be that high after using the spins, but the possibility of the casino retaining players and turning them into depositors is an attractive prospect.
Another advantage that works here is the increase in reputational markers. If this spin-centered campaign generates good results for the casino, it can become leverage for more similar deals that involve exclusivity. As for the player’s perspective, knowing that a specific affiliate site can secure exclusive deals for them can lead to a higher return rate.
Conclusion
Let’s finalize this analysis with one of the most important parts that we must mention: the need for responsibility.
Both sides in this deal will likely want you to deposit as much as possible after you use your free spin bonus. However, they must also encourage responsible gambling behavior since they do not want to associate themselves with actual cases of stimulated addiction.
If you’re the type of person who’s on the lookout for these opportunities that appear via these partnerships, we urge you to gamble responsibly!
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