What types of affiliate programs exist in gambling?

Hello, community! If learning starts with a book, affiliate marketing starts with affiliate programs. In fact, the overall popularity of affiliate marketing is largely driven by the spread of partner programs. They let anyone join the industry: students, factory workers, or even heavy drinkers (the latter is more of a professional deformation joke). 

But that’s not why we’re here. Even though there are tons of casino offers, they’re far from identical. Newcomers often struggle with the choice: work with the advertiser directly or chase in-house offers? Below, we’ll give a detailed answer on who to partner with and when. 

Before we begin, remember that you can even run free traffic to gambling. We covered this recently—highly recommended!  

What does the choice of affiliate program affect?  

First, why is this choice tricky at all? It might seem like all you need is a tracking link. Then you just run, bank profit, cars, champagne—right? Not quite. 

Let’s set aside the risk of an unscrupulous advertiser who simply won’t pay for your work. Fraud and shaving are unpleasant, but you do get used to the idea they exist. 

The plain payout rate also matters. Exclusive offers often pay more than any aggregator.  

Working conditions differ, too. Somewhere you’ll be given all necessary creatives; elsewhere they’ll expect you to produce everything yourself. And yes—this largely depends on the type of affiliate program. So let’s break it down. 

Open CPA networks (aggregators) 

Let’s start with the industry mastodons—CPA networks. Unlike single-brand programs, they offer a large catalog of offers. That’s ideal if you work across several verticals, not only gambling. 

But the abundance of offers can also be a downside. If you expect tight support and hands-on help to maximize profit, you may be disappointed: because there are so many products, support teams can be less familiar with each one, which hurts effectiveness.  

Networks also take a bigger commission. As a result, your payout is lower.  

Our advice: work only with vetted affiliate networks. That helps ensure on-time payments, fair terms, and effective support throughout your campaigns.  

Single-casino affiliate program 

Many affiliates prefer working directly with the advertiser. These partners run their own programs dedicated to one casino—or a small group under one company. 

Some advertisers can offer you multiple brands, but all under the same umbrella company. In Ukraine’s gambling sector there aren’t many such examples, but generally it’s realistic to find a direct advertiser who’ll let you run traffic to several of their casinos. 

Overall, partnering directly with a single-casino program tends to yield the highest profit—there’s no middleman taking a cut.  

Support also knows their product inside out, helping you build effective, profitable funnels. You can often count on help with creatives, saving your resources. Plenty of advantages here.  

The downside is the entry threshold. Not every advertiser is ready to onboard a random affiliate. They may ask for proof of experience, past case studies, and so on—be ready for that. 

Closed affiliate programs and CPA networks 

Then there are closed programs—exclusive in-house offers by invitation only. “Elite” products, so to speak. But why the secrecy? 

Closed programs are more demanding. Getting access can be very hard. This lets the advertiser solve several problems at once: 

1. Filter out potential trash traffic at the affiliate sign-up stage. 
2. Onboard reliable partners who will drive the target audience steadily over the long term. 

They also reduce operational costs for support and tooling—there simply aren’t that many affiliates inside, so no need for dozens of support agents. 

And the main point—payouts. Closed programs often start you on a Hybrid model right away. In open CPA networks, you’ll usually begin with CPA or RevShare and must prove you deserve Hybrid.  

Most often, closed programs work with teams rather than solo affiliates. That’s logical: one strong team can bring in far more quality traffic than dozens of solo affiliates—minimal trash, maximum conversions. Win–win for both the team and the advertiser.  

Will the difference be noticeable? 

Short answer: yes, significantly. Think of choosing a job: somewhere the boss barely notices you and you scrape by; elsewhere you’re motivated to earn more and more—because it benefits both you and the program. 

The financial aspect is crucial, especially with small budgets. Why lose margin to a network commission if you can partner directly with the advertiser and keep more per conversion? 

That said, scaling is sometimes easier in CPA networks simply because you have more options. If one offer stops performing, you can quickly switch to another. In mono-brand programs, that’s inherently impossible.  

Let’s summarize  

Choosing a partner program for gambling is very important—but there’s no one-size-fits-all answer. It depends on many factors: 

• Are you comfortable working with a single product only? 
• What’s your advertising budget? 
• Do you have experience—and will it be meaningful enough for closed programs? 

Of course, there are many quality CPA networks that provide excellent product support. But no one knows a product better than its owner. Single-brand programs help you unlock the offer’s potential and maximize profit. 

However, they do put you in a box. For some, running through aggregators may be the more flexible option.  

Who do you prefer to work with? What pros and cons have you seen from your chosen model? Share your invaluable experience in our Telegram community, where we discuss the most important topics in affiliate marketing! 

Sincerely, Your Geek! 

Types of gambling affiliate programs — FAQs