AFFILIATES
difference between selling and storytelling. It’s also why influencer-driven acquisition is exploding. Players connect with personalities who share humour, values, and authenticity and not faceless logos.
I worked with a poker operator who partnered with a content creator to launch a small ‘strategy academy’ under its affiliate programme. The creator hosted tutorials and live challenges. His players weren’t chasing bonuses; they were joining a tribe. Their LTVs were twice the network average. That’s what co-creation delivers a belonging that outlasts any promotion.
THE OPERATOR BLIND SPOT: PARTNERSHIP VS PROCUREMENT
Let’s consider this, an operator sends an affiliate a spreadsheet of offers, CPA tiers, and deadlines. No dialogue about tone, audience, or message. The affiliate, juggling twenty brands, uploads and hopes for clicks. That’s not collaboration. That’s procurement. At
Devilfish.com, we reversed the approach. Our affiliate model was built on psychological congruence – aligning our brand identity with each affiliate’s audience mindset. Instead of issuing guidelines, we shared stories. Affiliates got early product access, player insights, and input into upcoming features. The result? Higher conversion, lower churn, and partners who cared as deeply about the brand as we did. Empathy scales better than spreadsheets!
BUILDING THE NEXT GENERATION AFFILIATE BUSINESS
If I were writing a plan to build a next- generation affiliate business, this is the framework I would use. It starts by recognising that the game has fundamentally changed. AI has flattened the SEO landscape and made traditional visibility metrics unreliable. Ranking alone no longer guarantees relevance or resilience. The affiliates that will survive are those who shift focus from algorithms to audiences, and from traffic volume to emotional connection. The first step is clarity of purpose and understanding why you exist beyond driving acquisition. The old model optimised for clicks; the new one optimises for connection. Affiliates need to rebuild around trust and emotional intelligence, not just data and spend. That means investing in audience research, building personas with depth, and mapping player emotions rather than just user funnels. Once you understand your audience’s motivations, mastery, belonging, curiosity, recognition – you can create content that moves them rather than just markets to them.
The next phase is satisfaction and building GIO DECEMBER 2025 23
systems that actually deliver value to all stakeholders: the player, the affiliate, and the operator. The co-creator model sits at the centre of this. It replaces the transactional exchange of ‘I send traffic; you pay commission’, with a partnership built on shared goals and long-term equity. Affiliates who operate as creative studios and producing content, experiences, and communities that integrate entertainment with education, build brands that outlast campaigns.
I would then visualise the outcome. Imagine an affiliate ecosystem that looks more like a decentralised media network than a performance channel. Content creators, data analysts, and community managers working together to deliver live, interactive, emotionally resonant experiences across multiple channels. Players participate rather than consume; affiliates become storytellers, not sales funnels.
Finally, every successful plan needs measurable action. For me, that means focusing on depth, not breadth. Build fewer, richer relationships. Prioritise collaboration with brands that align with your values and audience identity. Define success not just through impressions or CPA, but through sentiment, engagement quality, and retention. If I were starting from scratch today, this
would be my vision: an affiliate business built on empathy, collaboration, and creative storytelling – one that treats players as people, not pixels. Because the affiliates who master that will define not just the next wave of performance marketing, but the next decade of iGaming growth.
LOOKING AHEAD: FROM REFERRAL TO RELATIONSHIP Affiliate marketing stands where social media once did a decade ago. Those who treat audiences as numbers will plateau; those who build communities will lead. For C-level executives, the takeaway is simple: affiliates aren’t vendors. They’re extensions of your brand’s storytelling. Reward creativity and authenticity, not just volume.
The old affiliate model was built to extract value. The new one is designed to create it – through empathy, insight, and shared purpose.
When I launched my first affiliate site, success meant visibility. When I launch my next, success will mean resonance. That’s the shift, from traffic to trust, from referral to relationship, from acquisition to advocacy. And that transformation – emotional, cultural, and commercial – will define the next decade of iGaming growth.
The future belongs to creators who build experiences, not inventories
Mark McGuinness: Architect of high-impact iGaming marketing Currently fractional CMO at
Devilfish.com, McGuinness brings 24+ years of elite digital marketing leadership, advising top-tier iGaming operators across diverse regulated landscapes. He translates deep analytical power, honed from his scientific background, into breakthrough strategies for affiliate marketing, Web3, social poker, and casino gaming. McGuinness champions the game-changing integration of neuroscience and behavioural economics to skyrocket customer engagement and conversion.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44
